Blackpool favourite Ashley Fletcher explains impressive Bloomfield Road transformation under Ian Evatt

Ashley Fletcher has admitted he is loving his new ‘all action’ role in Ian Evatt’s attack after an impressive start to the season.

The striker has been in red-hot form on the Fylde Coast in the opening months of the new campaign, despite the Seasiders occupying a place in the League One relegation zone.

The 30-year-old has netted 12 goals in 24 outings in all competitions this term, which has already bettered his tally of 11 from the 2024-25 season.

In fact, it represents his highest figure in front of goal since the 2019-20 campaign with Middlesbrough, where he netted on 13 occasions.

After moving into a more ‘all action’ role following Evatt’s appointment in October, Fletcher has reaped the rewards, netting eight goals in the head coach’s 11 games in charge so far.

And the prolific frontman has explained how he has been transformed under the new boss.

How Ian Evatt has transformed Blackpool favourite

‘I love it,’ he told the club’s in-house media.

‘I love being all action, assists, goals, linking the play. I just want to try and be everywhere.

‘It’s paying off at the minute but I’ve just got to continue to work hard and keep improving because I can do it. Let's see where we end up.

‘You’ve just got to be in the right positions to score. Again, CJ (Hamilton) for example put himself in the position where he was going for goal but nevermind I’ll tap it in.

‘I can’t speak highly enough of the boys, it’s been a taxing week with three games in six days and showing that resilience in coming back and getting something out of the game.

‘We could've quite easily wilted a little bit so a decent point.’

Massive week can be catalyst to turn Blackpool’s season around

Over the past week, Blackpool have progressed into the third round of the FA Cup as well as picking up four points from a possible six in League One.

Although the Seasiders remain 23rd in the third tier, Fletcher is adamant performances are improving on the Fylde Coast.

‘It’s massive. It sets the tone for the festive period.

‘The supporters have been fantastic this last week, they’ve got right behind us so it’s about time we give them something to shout about.

‘Going into the festive period we hope we can put on more good performances and displays and get Bloomfield Road rocking.

‘It’s been the story of our season, we give ourselves too much work to do but I can’t fault the boys. The effort was there and that’s what the fans want to see really.

‘We just need to keep picking up points so we can get out of this position as quickly as possible.

‘We just need to stick to the framework, which is what the manager is drilling into us each week. You see when we do, we look like a really, really good team.

‘We just need to be more consistent with that and I’m sure we’ll be alright.’

Your next Blackpool read: Wigan Athletic doing 'something special' ahead of Blackpool clash - Lowe