Blackpool sweating on Charlie Adam's fitness: Ten years on from Blackpool's promotion to the Premier League

Ten years ago, boss Ian Holloway had injuries on his mind ahead of their match with Peterborough United...

Pool are sweating on the fitness of Charlie Adam for Saturday’s crucial showdown at Peterborough after it emerged he won’t train all week because of an injury.

The Seasiders midfielder has a problem with his ankle.

He has had an injection to ease the pain but is still feeling discomfort and won’t do any work on the training ground.

Pool’s 17-goal top scorer would be a huge loss should he not face Posh in a game the Seasiders probably need to win to keep their play-off hopes alive.

Manager Ian Holloway revealed: “Charlie hasn’t trained all week and we don’t know whether he’ll play.

“All I will say is that there are eight to 10 other really good players in the squad, and if needs be one of them will step in and no doubt take their chance.”

Holloway watched the Seasiders’ second string hammer Accrington Stanley 7-1 at Bloomfield Road yesterday, Stephen Dobbie and Jason Euell each grabbing a brace.

“One of the reasons I played such a strong reserve team is to keep players sharp and fit in case someone like Charlie isn’t fit,” added the boss.

Rob Edwards and Joe Martin suffered knocks in the reserve game but should be OK.

Ben Burgess will return to the squad at Peterborough after missing last weekend’s win over Nottingham Forest.

But one man who won’t be involved in the final two games is Hameur Bouazza.

The winger, who has been stranded on the continent after flying out for treatment on a groin injury, will play in the World Cup this summer but will almost certainly require surgery when the tournament ends.

That means he will miss the start of next season but Holloway doesn’t mind the 25-year-old postponing surgery until after the World Cup for he feels Bouazza should play in the biggest footballing event on the planet.

“ He might decide he has to miss the World Cup and get it fixed. But if I was him I’d stop and think twice about that,” said the manager.

“It will be four years before there’s another World Cup.

“How old will he be then and will Algeria even get there?

“So I would definitely be patching myself up, sticking a big plaster over whatever I could, take as much of whatever medicine I could legally have and get through it.”

Bouazza’s Blackpool contract runs out in the summer but there is a 12-month option which the club are certain to take up.

He has looked good in the games he has played for Pool, though the injury he sustained at the Africa Cup of Nations in January has restricted him to one Seasiders match since Boxing Day.

Holloway added: “It’s not my choice whether he plays. Stephen Crainey had something very similar but he and Hameur are different animals.

“Hameur obviously has one eye on the World Cup and he is worried because it is very painful.

“When you play you don’t feel it but when you finish it is very painful, so we have to manage that scenario.”