Steve Bruce reiterates views on Blackpool's play-off hopes as home drought continues
Blackpool’s wait for a home win was extended even further on Saturday afternoon following their 3-3 draw with Mansfield Town.
The Seasiders have now shared the points in their last eight outings at Bloomfield Road, while their last taste of victory in front of their own fans came back in September.
Steve Bruce’s side initially took the lead against the Stags through Sonny Carey, before goals from Will Evans, Keanu Baccus and Lucas Akins put the visitors in a commanding position.
Despite being firmly second-best for the majority of the game, Blackpool continued to show fight, and pulled themselves back level through Ashley Fletcher and Niall Ennis - following three half time substitutions and a change of system.
The gap between the 11th place Seasiders and the top six remains at nine points, but some of the teams above them do have a game in hand.
While Saturday’s draw provided a further blow to any play-off hopes, Bruce states his side remain determined.
“We’re not going to give it up, that’s for sure,” he said after the match.
“We’ve still got a long way to go, so there’s a lot of points to play for. We know we’re capable of winning two, three, four - and that’s what we have to do.
“We better hurry and start, but we’ll take a draw (against Mansfield); where in the last couple of months there were times when we thought we deserved to win.
“Frustrating for everyone, but another great game, I have to say; although they’re never that great when you don’t win them.”
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Bruce’s comments on Saturday, echoed his thoughts prior to the Mansfield meeting.
“You’re never going to give it up, we’re capable of doing it but we’ve had too many draws and that’s the frustrating thing for everyone,” he stated in his pre-match press conference.
“We’ve got to stay with it because we’ve still got a huge amount of home games left, it’s all to play for.
“We’re up near the top of the league for away form, so it’s a frustration for everyone really. You want to turn up in front of your own supporters, and the other night (against Rotherham United) in particular was a tough watch for everyone concerned.
“They didn’t create a lot, we didn’t create a lot. We had a big opportunity to get the first goal, and missed it, but we didn’t do enough going forward.
“The supporters play their part and have been terrific, but we’re mindful that we’ve got to give them something to shout about.”