Bowyer's faith in fringe players at Blackpool

The Seasiders are nursing a handful of knocks and slight injuries picked up in a busy period, meaning Bowyer may be forced into two or three changes to the side that visits Stevenage tomorrow.

The Pool boss gave some of his fringe players the chance to impress during the week, when they progressed to the third round of the Checkatrade Trophy courtesy of a penalty shoot-out win at Doncaster, and Bowyer is more than happy to rely on them in the league.

He said: “I was absolutely delighted with the performance and result on Tuesday. It’s a credit to those players that came in.

“Their application and attitude were magnificent, and if somebody doesn’t make it for Stevenage I’ve got more than enough confidence in whoever steps into the side.”

One player who will definitely miss out is winger Colin Daniel, who is still nursing a hamstring injury suffered during the 4-1 league win over Newport County a fortnight ago.

Bowyer added: “Colin is still out although he’s making great progress. We’ve also had one or two who have had swollen ankles and they’ve settled down, so we’re pleased with that.

“But we’re going to give it 24 hours for some of the others, so it’s going to be close for one or two of them.”

Stevenage are in a rich vein of form, having collected four wins from their last six fixtures. It means they sit just one position below eighth-placed Blackpool in the League Two table with the same number of points.

But they have struggled for form at home and are winless in five at the Lamex Stadium, which is a record Bowyer will be looking to compound.

“The last time we were away from home in the league we managed to win (at Leyton Orient), so we’ll be looking to repeat that,” he said.

“Stevenage are a good team. They’ve had a good run and have beaten some very good teams. We’ve really got to go there, focus on ourselves and produce the level of performances we have been doing.”

The Seasiders have won eight of their last 10 games and Bowyer believes the recent cup victories can only aid their league form.

“Winning is a habit,” he said. “That was the message to the players for the game at Doncaster on Tuesday – winning is a habit and a great habit to be in. We’ve just got to make sure we prepare properly.”