Blackpool goal hero Ellis Simms warns: We must not lose focus now

It comes after the striker’s goals secured the 2-0 win against Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday that guaranteed the Seasiders’ top-six finish with a game to spare.

Neil Critchley’s side take on Joey Barton’s already relegated Bristol Rovers in their final game of the regular season on Sunday, with little at stake other than Pool’s final league position, which will determine who they face in the play-off semi-finals the week after next.

But Simms insists Sunday’s game is Blackpool’s only focus and they must continue to take one step at a time – otherwise they could come unstuck.

“It’s a great result,” the Everton loanee said of Tuesday’s win. “We knew we needed a point but we managed to get the win to secure the play-offs, which was the main objective.

“The lads have been excellent since I’ve come in. We’ve started to pick our form up and the results are showing that.

“We’re very happy to be in the play-offs because that’s where we deserve to be. We’ve been playing that well and the table reflects that.

“We play for the fans, we want to make them happy by winning. It would be even better to get promotion.

“But what we need to do is focus on the next game and continue to win, keep working hard and hopefully it will take care of itself.

“We don’t want to look too far ahead because we need to keep our heads on the task ahead, starting with the final game on Sunday.

“Hopefully we can get the win there, recover and make sure we’re 100 per cent at it heading into the play-offs.”

Simms’ brace in midweek capped off a superb performance by the 20-year-old, who has scored seven goals since arriving in January.

The forward combined well with strike partner Jerry Yates and, if it wasn’t for an excellent display from Doncaster keeper Louis Jones, could have finished the game with a hat-trick.

Simms added: “The main thing is that we got the three points and I’ve managed to help the team to do that.

“It would have been nice to get three goals and get the match ball, but I’m still happy to help the team and get the two goals.

“The game started to open up as it wore on and we started to dominate. We created a lot of chances and on another day those chances go in.

“But the most important thing is that we managed to keep another clean sheet and we saw the game out.”

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