Blackpool's Doug Tharme reveals why he's 'fallen back in love' with football

The Blackpool defender is currently enjoying a season-long loan with League One side Accrington Stanley, where he’s made 11 appearances already this season.

The 23-year-old was well liked by Stanley boss John Coleman prior to his permanent move to Bloomfield Road, where he’s earmarked as a potential player for the future.

The centre-back has had to earn his way up the footballing pyramid though, having played for the likes of Curzon Ashton, Connah’s Quay and Telford.

But it is with Southport where Tharme began to rediscover his affection for the game, a spell which resulted in the Seasiders taking a punt on the dominant defender.

“I love my job,” Tharme told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“I’ve had a bit of perspective over the last couple of years where I’ve fallen back in love with football and I put a lot of that down to Southport and the people that were there last year.

“It reminded me football is a game. As much as it’s massive to the community and everything like that, and that’s why it’s so popular because people put so much value on it, but fundamentally it’s a 90-minute game of people kicking a ball around.

“It’s there to be enjoyed and that’s why when we go out onto the pitch we go out to win, regardless of who you play. But if you don’t play football to win, what are you playing for?

“More than anything, it’s what I love. Football is the game I’ve been lucky enough to play and everyone here (at Accrington) knows what a privilege it is to play football.”

Tharme added: “It’s also a privilege to play for this club. If you look at the players that have played here previously and the teams that have been successful, there’s a legacy here to preserve.

“It’s not as if Accrington have always been a punchbag. Just like any club they’ve been successful in their own right, so when you put the shirt on, you do it with pride.

“Even though I’ve only been here a couple of months, I realise that. There’s a really strong sense of community at the club.”