Blackpool boss issues squad update ahead of Leyton Orient test - with decision on key man set to be made

The Seasiders head into their game against Leyton Orient at Bloomfield Road with back-to-back victories under their belt.

Bloxham could be crucial to making three victories on the bounce based on the bright start to life he made in Tangerine following his move from Shrewsbury Town back in January.

Despite only featuring four times for the club, the 21-year-old quickly became a fans favourite, with one goal and two assists coming his way before suffering a calf injury - which has kept him out of action for over a month.

Blackpool boss Steve Bruce states the attacker is in a position to feature on Saturday afternoon in some capacity.

“He’s trained all week,” he said.

“With him and CJ (Hamilton), it looks as if for the first time, we’ve got a full squad to choose from. It’s good to see Tom back because he had a great start for us, and unfortunately he picked up an injury.

“The one thing you like to have is a full hand, especially with their quality - it can only be a good thing.

“Tom has never really had one before. It was more of a tendon than muscular, so we were always going to have to box clever. He seems okay and has trained well.

“We’ve all enjoyed him. For the people who didn’t see his performance at Exeter, it was terrific. It’s a shame that we lost him, but he’s back. He’s good to have around because he can play in various positions.

“We were devastated that he picked up that injury, but let’s hope he can pick up from where he left off.”

Ahead of Saturday, Bruce will have to weigh up whether to stick with the same starting XI that has brought him victories over both Barnsley and Cambridge United in the last week.

“I’m wary that it’s our fifth game in two weeks, it’s a big call,” he added.

“It’s nice to have a bit of freshness and quality to add to the team. Some would say don’t over complicate it because you can use five subs, and you can bring them on early.

“All of these things are the decisions managers have to make; it’s good to have those decisions rather than the times when we’ve been a little bit threadbare. It’s nice to see everyone back.”

Big games coming up

Three of Blackpool’s next four games sees them go head-to-head with teams above them fighting for a place in the top six.

Following this weekend’s game against Orient, and an away trip to Northampton Town, the Seasiders welcome both Bolton Wanderers and Reading to Bloomfield Road - in what could be one final chance to keep their slim play-off hopes alive.

“They’re big games,” Bruce stated.

“We’ve just got to focus on Saturday, and whether we can give ourselves a chance. If we get a positive result, then the door opens a little bit because we’ve got them all to play.

“There’s a big push hopefully coming, and let’s look forward to the end of the season. We’ve got to do it, it’s never easy, but we’ve given ourselves a chance with our back-to-back victories.”

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