Jay Spearing gearing up for even better Blackpool season

Impressive as that 12th- placed finish was, given the backdrop of off-field uncertainty, Spearing confidently predicts they will better it this coming season.

“We’re going to have a right good go at the league next season,” he said. “We had a fantastic year last year but we want to better than that.

“We had a meeting on the first day back, when we discussed what we want to do this season as a team, and straight away we said we want to do better than last year.

“We finished 12th and that perhaps could have been as high as 10th had we won on the last day, but we now want to accomplish that and maybe go a bit higher.”

The 29-year-old, who made 35 appearances for the Seasiders last season after signing a short-term deal in October, penned a new two-year contract last month.

Many had expected Spearing to move on, with his contract due to expire at the start of this month, but the former Liverpool man has pledged his future to the club.

Spearing is one of the more experienced players in the Blackpool dressing room.

Manager Gary Bowyer has signed a number of new players this summer under the age of 25, and the tough-tackling midfielder says that if he can pass on any pearls of wisdom to the club’s younger guns he will do exactly that.

“I’m getting on a bit now, so that’s classed as experienced,” he joked.

“But in all seriousness, if I can help the lads in the dressing room I’ll do it. But there are other lads who are capable of doing that.

“It’s even time for the younger lads to step up and show us what they’re all about.

“We’ve got a few more lads who have come from non-league and it’s a great opportunity for them.”

Blackpool ended their pre-season training camp in Scotland with a behind-closed-doors friendly win against Rangers.

Summer signings John O’Sullivan and Chris Taylor scored the goals in Pool’s 2-1 win against a young Rangers side.

Bowyer’s men will face Burnley in another behind-closed-doors game today before their first public friendlies away to Nantwich Town and Port Vale, which will both be played on Saturday.