Blackpool boss will wait until last minute for Ryan

Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer says he is prepared to give Jimmy Ryan as long as possible to get himself fit for tomorrow's home clash with Wigan Athletic.
Jimmy RyanJimmy Ryan
Jimmy Ryan

The midfielder pulled up during the warm-up 15 minutes before kick-off in Tuesday’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Bury.

The 29-year-old, who had started all 12 previous League One games this season, decided not to play as a precaution.

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New signing Jay Spearing came in for a home debut in his place but Bowyer wants Ryan back for tomorrow’s visit of the second-placed Latics.

The Pool boss said: “We’re going to give him as long as we possibly can. It was a strange one and it was the first time it’s ever happened to me in the sense of a player limping out in the warm-up.

“But we’ll give him as long as we can and hopefully the decision of not risking him in Tuesday’s game will help us for Saturday.

“He’s working hard to get fit because he’s important for us with how we play.

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“We were fortunate we had someone of the quality of Jay Spearing to come in, and when you look it the timing of that deal has been very useful for us.

“It was funny because I pulled Jay into the office and said, ‘Look, we’re going to be sensible with you’.

“But then we pulled him straight in afterwards and told him to forget that because you’re playing. He was delighted.

“He just wants to play football. It’s a fantastic attitude he’s got. For the 70 minutes he was on the pitch he was massive for us.”

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The victory over Bury saw this season’s unbeaten home run extended to six games, with five of them wins.

That impressive run will face its toughest test this weekend, when they come up against a high-flying Wigan side just two points behind leaders Shrewsbury Town.

Bowyer acknowledged that should his unbeaten record still be in place come 5pm on Saturday he will be more than satisfied.

“That’s the aim – to maintain our unbeaten run,” he added.

“We’ve done ever so well at home in all my time here, so we’ve got to try to continue that.

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“What we achieved on Tuesday will give the lads an enormous amount of confidence as well.

“The main aim for us is to go out and be competitive in every game, with and without the ball. So far, touch wood, we’ve done that. It’s important we do that again on Saturday.”

Blackpool’s FA Cup first round tie away to National League club Boreham Wood has been confirmed for Saturday, November 4, with a 3pm kick-off.