Scott Brown urged his players to take their FA Cup form into League One after Fleetwood upset Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 in their fourth-round replay.
Carlos Mendes Gomes scored a rare header on the hour to earn the Highbury side a place in the fifth round for the first time in their history – a date at Premier League-bound Burnley.
“We seem to like the cup,” smiled Brown after beating the League One-leading Owls.
“But it’s not just about the cup run, we need to start climbing the table. The position we are in is not good enough.”
However, the former Celtic star achieved the response he had hoped for after last weekend’s 3-2 home defeat by Burton which left Fleetwood 17th.
“I am just delighted for the lads because I gave them hell for the last couple of days,” added Brown. “I wasn’t happy with the performance against Burton.
“Last Saturday no one listened, but tonight every single player did their jobs.
“I can’t thank them enough for taking it in. It was always going to be a hard game but they stood up well.
“No one expected Fleetwood to get to the fifth round,” suggested Brown, whose team knocked out QPR in round three. “It was a free hit. But we always believe we can win every game.”
Brown said of matchwinner Mendes Gomes: “I don’t know how Carlos managed to head the ball. I have never seen him head the ball in my life!”
Wednesday hit the crossbar with Lee Gregory’s first-half header but Darren Moore‘s much-changed side rarely threatened to avoid defeat for the first time in 15 games.
“I don’t want to make it an excuse because we welcomed the FA Cup,” said Moore. “We have had fans who paid good money to travel to watch their team put in a good professional performance. They didn’t get that.
“I’m not saying the boys didn’t try because they did. But the level we exposed them to tonight was where they need to be at.
“But I have an honest group of players and we are all in it together.
“When we play games, irrespective of who plays, you are expected to play in a manner that represents the club in the right way.
“We had gone into detail about this game with the players, so we are disappointed because I know what these players can do.
“We didn’t get to the levels we have set over weeks and months. The performance just wasn’t there.”
For exclusive stories and all the detailed EFL news you need, subscribe to The Football League Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.
