Blackpool's Payne puts agony behind him

Midfielder Payne, who signed for Blackpool a month ago following his release from Peterborough, was sent off six minutes into his debut in the 1-0 home defeat by Plymouth.

Coming off the bench, Payne brought down Jake Jervis and was given his marching orders as the last man.

Having served his suspension, Payne returned for the defeat at Colchester and made an impressive first start for Pool in last Saturday’s home draw with Carlisle, earning praise from manager Gary Bowyer.

Payne said: “The red card at Plymouth just happened so quickly.

“Because I was on the halfway line and Colin (Daniel) was coming back, I thought I could bring him down and get away with a booking.

“I was just jogging back afterwards and I was shocked to see the referee pull out a red card.

“It was my first-ever sending-off but it’s just one of those things and I’ve moved on.”

The 24-year-old produced a controlled display at Bloomfield Road last weekend.

Playing in a deeper midfield role, the former Gillingham and Leyton Orient man broke up play expertly and helped to launch attack after attack. “I thought I settled into the group quite well against Carlisle and that showed,” he said.

“I think I bring something a bit different as I like to get on the ball all the time.

“Of course we were frustrated on Saturday because we should have been out of sight in the first half. But you look at the character we showed in the second half and it bodes well for the season.”

Looking ahead to today’s trip to Crewe, Payne is confident of three points which will serve as a launchpad for their season.

“We want to win every game we go into,” Payne said. “When you get that first and second win, the winning habit will just go on and on.

“If you are going to challenge in the league, you need to be able to bring people in from your squad who are just as good as those who are starting the game. Everyone knows we’ve got a good squad and we can mount a challenge.”

Bowyer was full of praise for Payne on his return to the side. The Pool boss said: “I thought he was outstanding. He controlled the game and gave us a completely new dimension.

“It’s just the start for him. I want him to be even better than he was last Saturday as does he. He knows he’s going to get better with games but I thought his performance was magnificent.”