'I opened a window at our ground and it fell out': A pub team with no hope, Fleetwood chairman has spent more than £10m to make the Cod Army one of the country's most progressive clubs

By Jack Gaughan

Published: 16:55, 21 August 2013 | Updated: 16:55, 21 August 2013

It is a decade since Andy Pilley was first having a poke around Fleetwood Town’s dilapidated Highbury Stadium, weighing up whether or not to get involved in the shipwrecked mess.

‘I opened a window and it fell out,’ he explains. ‘It was that kind of place.’

The chairman’s laugh was self-depreciating. Easy to do that now, on the back of five promotions in eight years and the most extraordinary rise to prominence.

Transformed: Fleetwood chairman Andy Pilley has redone the ground and won five promotions in eight years

Big name: Fleetwood's ambition saw Joey Barton train with them at Fylde Rugby Club last season

But at the time, without Pilley, they would have gone bust. There would be no League Two football, no absurd rise in gates. A large chunk of the 400 jobs created for local people wouldn't exist.

Joey Barton wouldn’t have turned up to train last July. Ex-Scotland captain Barry Ferguson wouldn’t have played on loan.

And – this is the biggest indicator of the magnitude of Fleetwood's story – they wouldn’t be under the management of former Preston North End full back Graham Alexander and sitting among the favourites for promotion to League One this season.

‘I’m told no club has ever made such progress so quickly,’ Pilley told Sportsmail. ‘The only other one to make it to the Football League from such humble origins is AFC Wimbledon but they didn’t do it as quickly as us.

‘Initially for me it was a case of seeing what that level was all about. It was about maintaining the club for the first season – the financial state was that dire.

‘It was pub football. The crowd was made up of a few people, players’ parents and one man with his dog. My first gate was 80.

‘Without some injection it was a given that the club would have folded. There was no source of income. It was desperate and needed someone to put a hand in their pocket.’

Next phase: Pilley has spent more than £10m and is now planning on building their own training ground

Pilley has delved deeply, way beyond what was required. So far his spending is in excess of £10million, creating an environment nobody around this small fishing town could have ever envisaged.

‘It’s a huge amount, obviously. I could have bought a few dream villas around the world with that money. It has been a labour of love and something that has made me very happy and will continue to be a big part of my life in the future.’

With that spree, which continued in earnest over the summer, comes disapproval from some quarters who bemoan the purchase of success.

Not that it bothers Pilley: ‘It’s a very British thing. If you’re successful, people will always come up with negatives. I make no apologies. If I had my time again I’d spend it all again. I’ve loved it.

‘There are lots of clubs who have had serious investment in the past who haven’t spent it wisely. We don’t feel the journey is done. We’re on our way but haven’t finished.’

Aiming high: Manager Graham Alexander wants promotion to League One

There is no getting away from the fact that the monetary figures attached with their progress are astronomical and they remain small fry in the wider footballing spectrum.

The Cod Army attracted an average of 2,800 to Highbury last season – their first ever in the Football League. That is 35 times larger than when that window fell out, when the only noise on a Saturday afternoon was of that dog barking.

Contextualised, if neighbours Blackpool enjoyed such a steep upward curve, they’d be playing in front of an average crowd of almost half a million each week.

Small fry, but for how long? The Cod Army have started brightly this season

The population of the town is just 27,000 and there is an attendance ceiling. But their progress is unrivalled. Three sides of the stadium have been redeveloped and there are plans to be put in front of the council for a new training ground in nearby Thornton.

The focus now is to make Fleetwood Town self-sufficient.

‘You want to be the master of your own destiny,’ Pilley said. ‘We want to create something else that brings money to the club. We’ll hire that out – there will maybe be a gym there. It is something that the whole community can enjoy the benefits of.

‘I’m hoping we’ve invested wisely on and off the pitch to get to that next level. It has been quite obvious that you need to invest in revenue streams. You can’t just fund aimlessly. You have to create something that is sustainable.

Revenue: Pilley's other businesses are housed at the Highbury Stadium and pay rent

‘I’ve moved my other businesses to the ground which means there is more rental income. We’ve got excellent, busy corporate facilities. You have to create an infrastructure that keeps the tills ringing.

‘It’s been a real shot in the arm for a town that has suffered with the demise of the fishing industry over the past couple of decades. We are probably one of the main employers in the town now. There are around 400 jobs. For a town like Fleetwood that’s massive and makes me proud.’

So how far does Pilley think he can take the club?

Without hesitation, he replied: ‘I’d like to think we can play in the Championship. Yeovil are a fantastic benchmark. If you run your business well there is no reason why you can’t shoot for the stars.’

Hit hard: The town has a population of 27,000 and struggled with the decline of the fishing industry

A seemingly tough first gig for Alexander, who took over from Mickey Mellon in December, then. But met with an enthusiastic and ambitious employer, the 41-year-old is laid back about promotion.

‘There is no reason why we can’t go higher than we have done, but it isn’t a God-given right. You have to work incredibly hard,’ Alexander said pragmatically. 

‘In football there are always five or 10 year plans, but that isn’t something I ever look at. How often do those goals get achieved?

Get on with it: Alexander says he doesn't have interference from the boardroom

Shrewd: David Ball (right) is an example of Town spending wisely

‘The chairman just lets me get on with it. I wouldn’t tell him how to run his businesses outside the club and he doesn’t tell me how to manage.’

Also a stalwart for Burnley and Scunthorpe, the boss has all the attributes to take the club even further according to Pilley: ‘I’m very impressed. You don’t play over 1000 games by accident. He has an amazing attention to detail and really puts the hours in. I’m confident he’ll become a top manager.’

They did most of their transfer business early and are aiming for promotion to the next level with a ‘small quality group’ rather than accumulating numbers.

Small group: Alexander said he wants quality over quantity

Their left back, Stephen Jordan, played in the Premier League, while striker David Ball is tipped for big things. The captures of Stevenage's Mark Roberts, Bury's Steven Schumacher and Notts County's Jeff Hughes see that the favourites tag is firmly placed. Had it not been for a first half capitulation against Burton last Saturday they'd be top ahead of this weekend's trip to Hartlepool.

Is that pressure a problem? ‘People have been talking about this a lot, but I’m not bothered – I don’t gamble,’ Alexander answered. There may have been wealth thrown at Fleetwood, but their meteoric rise is anything but merely luckily throwing the dice.