'Hopefully' - Blackpool boss shares how he wants players to grow after relegation battle
Blackpool claimed a 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient to mathematically secure their safety in League One.
Ian Evatt is hopeful Blackpool’s struggles this season will fire up his players for the next campaign.
The Seasiders were expecting to be fighting for promotion last summer, but ultimately found themselves in a relegation battle.
A slump at the start of 2026 left them in real trouble by mid-March; before turning things around in the last month.
After taking a big step towards safety away to Wycombe Wanderers, a 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient on Saturday afternoon mathematically secured safety for Blackpool - as they made it 19 points from their last eight games.
While his side were able to enjoy a strong end to the season, Evatt admits they must learn from the dark days they endured along the way.
“We have to grow,” he said.
“Hopefully it’ll light a few fires in everyone’s belly because no one wants to be where we have been. No one wants to be fighting at the wrong end of the division, but we’ve had to. We’ve had to be humble enough to accept it and make sure we did the right things to get out of it.
“This isn’t what I want as a coach, and it certainly is not what this football club deserves moving forwards.
“There’ll be no celebration from me from that aspect; there’s a determination to work hard to get this club where it belongs.
“We’ve all had some pretty dark moments and dark times - Lincoln away and Wimbledon away, we really felt it, but we’ve responded in the best way possible so I’m delighted for the players.
“I always had belief because I’ve seen really good things from the players since I’ve been in the building. The question is, who motivates the motivator? - but I’ve got a great network of people around me who have supported me.
“The one thing I do is work really hard and truly believe in myself. I knew that by keep putting in the hard work that the players would come good.”
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