Furious Bowyer cancelled Blackpool players' day off

The manager was furious at the way his side succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Accrington Stanley last weekend, when the led going into the dying moments.

But Bowyer says he has been relieved to see the squad respond so well on the training ground.

“I won’t lie, it’s been a challenging week but it’s been made easier by the response of the players,” he said.

“They had their day off cancelled and they’ve worked even harder than they have been doing, which is a credit to them.

“But we have got to channel everything into our performance against Doncaster on Saturday.”

The extra day’s training enabled the players to reflect on the defeat by their Lancashire rivals, Bowyer revealed.

“We felt the manner in which we lost the game was not acceptable and it was time to try something new,” he said.

“Hopefully they go out on Saturday even more committed to make sure their day off next week is not cancelled.

“We went through the game and we were honest about what had happened.

“The players were honest with each other and were digging each other, which I don’t mind at all.

“It shows they’re desperate to do well and that’s what we want.

“If they feel a bit unlucky they’ve had their day off cancelled .... well, tough.”

The main talking point of last weekend’s game was the awarding of a contentious 89th-minute penalty, from which Stanley equalised, for a foul by Tom Aldred.

Bowyer added: “It was a massive injustice. We are in control of a game and three minutes away from winning, then the decision changed the whole complexion of the game.”

Ref Andy Haines’ decision left the Pool boss so furious that he contacted the Professional Game Match Officials Board to air his concerns.

He revealed: “It wasn’t just the penalty – it was also the perfectly good goal we scored which was disallowed for offside. It was something that I felt has been going against us all season.

“I’m not one for ringing every weekend. I know the referees’ association have a nigh on impossible job because they have to take calls from us managers all the time.

“But I just wanted to express my real concerns about the performance in the second half, which wasn’t up to the standard required.”

Club captain Danny Pugh has returned to training this week and could be available for the home clash with Doncaster. The midfielder has missed the last seven games with bruising to the bone.