Blackpool search for man in the middle

The Seasiders have signed five new faces since Bowyer’s arrival last month, all in defensive and attacking positions.

And the new boss now says he’ll turn his attentions to centre stage after David Norris rejected a new contract.

“The midfield area is the priority now, there’s no secret the middle is somewhere I want to strengthen,” admitted Bowyer.

“We have Jim McAlister, John Herron and Brad Potts who can play in there but we also need an experienced head who knows the game.

“If we can’t bring in an experienced head then we’ll maybe look for a younger player who has played a bit at this level.”

Pool thought they’d solved the problem when they all but agreed a deal with Oldham midfielder Mike Jones, only for Carlisle to pip them to the post at the last minute.

Since then the search has been on, although Bowyer is pleased with his additions.

He said: “If you look at the lads we’ve brought in there’s some real quality.

“I felt we really needed to address the lack of power and pace in the side, and I think we’ve managed to do that.

“There was competition for all the players we brought so that speaks highly on us that we were able to get them.”

Blackpool have been settling into their Scottish training base with the squad holding double sessions at St Andrews.

They’ll face Dundee United in a training ground game a week on Tuesday, while Bowyer is attempting to arrange another similar behind closed doors clash.

And with no distractions for the players, Bowyer feels it’s a perfect chance to really get to grips with his squad.

He said: “We have 10 days up here and we’ll bring it up to another level now.

“We have a couple of training ground games up there and that will give us a good idea of where we are and what we’ve got.

“Coming back from the trip I’ll have a real idea of where we are and what sort of players we may need to bring in.”