'Blackpool is a lot different to what people say' states ex-Arsenal and Nottingham Forest youngster as he sets out his targets for this season

The wing-back has impressed in his recent outings, with his appearances in the Seasiders’ XI including the FA Cup tie against his former club Nottingham Forest, as well as the subsequent replay at Bloomfield Road. Nonetheless, his minutes in the league have been more limited, and has mainly been used off the bench.

Over the last few months, Lawrence-Gabriel has worked his way back to full fitness following a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a serious knee injury, but he did suffer a brief setback over the Christmas period after being hit with illness.

"I’m getting there, I’ve still got a cough, so I don’t know how long that is going to last for,” he said.

"I don’t know what it was, but it really hit me hard. It wasn’t nice being really ill over Christmas after a long-term injury, but I’m a lot better now and I’m ready to push on.

"All I’ve wanted this season is to push for a first team spot. I’ve not been able to break through in the league yet, but that’s something I definitely want to do. I want to have starts under my belt. I know I’ve been involved in the cup games, but everyone wants to play in the league, so that’s something I want to keep pushing for to get as many games as I can this year.”

Gabriel initially joined the Seasiders on loan from Nottingham Forest in 2020, and was part of the squad that was promoted to the Championship via the play-offs. Following his return to the City Ground, it didn’t take long for the 25-year-old to make the move back to the North West on a permanent basis.

“Blackpool is a lot different to what people say,” he added.

"It’s a great place, there’s a lot of lovely people. It’s a proper loving club, and it’s a loving part of the country. Everyone is there supporting each other, and everyone cares. Everyone wants the same things as the players and the staff- we want to win games.

“After my loan spell the main thing for me was to be playing in games. I enjoyed my time off after Wembley, and went back to Forest not knowing what was going to happen. I started the season there playing games, so at that moment of time I thought there was no chance of me leaving, but then all of a sudden I got a call at six in the morning saying I had been sold to Blackpool.

“It was a massive shock to me, I had a load of mixed emotions. At the end of the day it was a good day, and I was happy to be back.”