Blackpool striker tipped to shine in colleague's absence

Yates finally bagged his first goal from open play this season in Blackpool’s last outing before the international break.

The 24-year-old took just two minutes to find the back of the net against Blackburn Rovers after coming on to replace Lavery, who had hobbled off with a hamstring injury.

The Northern Irishman, who has scored five of Blackpool’s 11 league goals this season, is now facing a spell on the sidelines.

Anderson believes Yates, who finished last season as Pool’s top scorer with 23 goals, is ready to take the mantle.

“He’s always confident, he’s always training well. When he’s fit he’s a big part of the team,” Anderson said.

“Last season it took him nine league games to score and we got promoted. This season it’s taken him 10 to score (from open play), so hopefully he can go on the same sort of run as last year!”

Nevertheless, it goes without saying that Lavery will be a big miss for the Seasiders, who return to action with a trip to Nottingham Forest this weekend.

It isn’t just the striker’s goals that have proved key, it’s also his workrate and the way he forces opposition defenders into making mistakes.

“He’s always on the move, his movement is very sharp,” Anderson added.

“When he does move, as a winger, you can find him quite easily because when he’s around the box he’s always sniffing for the ball.

“That’s the type of player he is, he’s hungry and motivated and offers a lot for the boys.”

Pool are one of the form sides in the Championship, having won four of their last six games prior to the break.

After taking a few weeks to adjust to the Championship, Anderson is delighted – but unsurprised – at how they are progressing.

“It was a bit of a slow start to the season. We felt we were under-achieving a little bit in terms of our performances,” he said.

“Even with the last five or six games, we’ve won four of them, lost one and drew one. The draw at Hull, we were gutted about that one considering the circumstances.

“The game we lost against Huddersfield, it was a tough one to take because I don’t think our performance merited a 3-0 loss.

“The type of team we are, we keep going, we dig deep for each other, we work hard for each other and I think that in itself will take us a long way.

“When you match that with the ability we have as a team, I think we beat every team in the league.

“There’s nothing to fear, we’re comfortable, but that’s just me; I’m quite a confident person.

“A few of the other boys might think differently, but with my character and the type of person I am, when it comes to football I think we’re quite comfortable and capable of beating the majority of teams.”

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