McPhillips pleased to be back at home as Blackpool prepare for Burton Albion clash

After long trips to Gillingham, Exeter and Southend this month, McPhillips and the players have enjoyed a rare full week between matches as they prepared to welcome Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion to Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

McPhillips said: “Training has been good. You get to go home to your own bed each night and Friday night the same.

“This month has been tough but the players have been terrific.

“The staff are tired, so the players must be and they have been playing the games as well. We have just got to keep it going now.

“It’s a tough challenge, Burton are a good team, with a good manager. They were a Championship team last year.”

McPhillips’ seventh-placed side are back on the bus after today’s game.

A trip to Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday will be followed by a televised FA Cup second-round tie at non-league Solihull Moors on Friday night.

McPhillips says that schedule will require him to rotate his squad, though he insists he will not disrespect any game. His initial focus is on beating 13th-placed Burton.

He said: “Different players, getting games, –I’m sure we will rotate.

“The next game is Burton. That is the most important one and we want to win that one. It is game by game.

“Football has a nasty habit of kicking you up the backside if you give it any disrespect, so we won’t disrespect any of the games.

“We have a big week, an exciting week, with another tough game on Tuesday at Doncaster.

“After that, we’ve been picked for the telly because it is a potential banana skin in the FA Cup. We are looking forward to that at the end of the week.”