Stephen Dobbie addresses Blackpool fans calling for him to be given the head coach role

The 40-year-old oversaw three wins from the six games he took charge of as caretaker boss, after being installed until the end of the season in the wake of Mick McCarthy’s departure.

While it wasn’t enough to keep the Seasiders in the Championship - the damage inflicted long before Dobbie took the reins - the former Blackpool forward has certainly put himself in the frame to take the job full-time.

Support for Dobbie has certainly increased over the weeks and the club’s interim boss is thankful for those lending their backing.

“It means everything because I loved playing for the club,” he said.

“Then to get the call and the opportunity to stand in the dugout and lead them out has been fantastic. I’ve loved every minute of it.

“I’m obviously disappointed with last week but we’ll see what happens. But it certainly means a lot from the fans for myself.”

Dobbie oversaw a final day victory for Blackpool against Norwich City thanks to Morgan Rogers’ first goal for the club.

At full-time, Dobbie, his coaching staff and the players showed their appreciation for the 500 or so travelling fans that made the long trip down to Carrow Road.

Despite a challenging season on and off the pitch, the supporters were appreciative of the players’ efforts.

When asked about that touching moment that closed Blackpool’s campaign, Dobbie said: “It was fantastic.

“They’ve been great with me since I’ve come in. I keep touching on it but when we went 2-0 down against West Brom it was our fans we could hear, so they could see the way we were trying to play.

“We could have scored three or four against Norwich the way we were setting out and the fans were fantastic all game.

“I hope they’ve enjoyed the last few games.”

Dobbie was expecting to hold talks with the club’s hierarchy last week but no news has been forthcoming.

He suspects an appointment of a permanent head coach is unlikely to be made until the sporting director is in place.