West Ham loanee Dan Kemp desperate Blackpool aren't waiting too long to see fans back inside Bloomfield Road after successful test event

The West Ham United man was a late substitute last week as Blackpool beat Swindon Town in front of 1,000 fans as part of an EFL test event.

But following this week’s announcement, which saw Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirm the planned return of spectators has now been halted, it could well be the last time we see Pool fans inside Bloomfield Road for as long as six months.

“I enjoyed it so much, it’s been too long since we’ve had fans back at the games,” Kemp said of last week’s experience of playing in front of fans again.

“It was amazing to see them there and it gave everyone a big lift. You could tell before the game and after the game what sort of influence the crowd had on the team, it was massive.

“It was great we could get the win as well to give something back to them, because just like us I’m sure they’ve missed it so much.

“It is frustrating it might not happen again for a while because it just started to feel like we were so close to getting the fans back.

“Of course peoples’ health is the most important thing, so now we just hope in a little while we can have them back again.”

As for Kemp, he’ll be looking to make his first league start for the Seasiders at Gillingham on Saturday having come off the bench in the club’s first two games of the campaign.

The 21-year-old, whose loan spell at Stevenage last season was cut short by Covid, is desperate to get regular game time.

“I definitely feel as though this is a big season for me, it’s a big opportunity,” he said.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity because I want to keep developing and learning each day and in each game by putting in good performances, scoring and creating chances for the team.

“But the big thing for me is learning each day and getting more minutes to develop my game further because I feel I’m at a good age now.

“This is a big platform for me and I just want to go out there and show everyone what I can do.

“There’s so many new boys which means we’re still looking to gel each day and get used to each other as quickly as we can.

“I’m sure the more we get used to each other the better we’ll get as a team.”