Robertson closing in on five-star season for Blackpool

Don’t miss the latest football news and gossip from leagues in England, Scotland and Europe with footballwire.co.ukThe 24-year-old notched his third goal of the campaign in Blackpool’s 1-1 draw with Southend United on Saturday, drilling home from close range to equalise in first-half stoppage time.

The defender, who previously found the net against Charlton Athletic and Portsmouth, has now surpassed his previous best tally in a Pool shirt in 2015/16.

Robertson has targeted five goals for this season but previously admitted it was a tall order, having only scored once in his first 27 games.

But the centre-back is now in fine scoring form, having found the net twice in his last four games.

He said: “I set myself the target of five at the start of the season, so I’ve got to score two in the next nine games. That’s do-able, I think.

“It’s also 3-1 to me in the competition between me and (Curtis) Tilt.

“He’s had a few cleared off the line and he’s not too happy about it. He was raging with me when I scored.

“I couldn’t really see what happened with the initial shot as I was always on the move, but I got something on it and it went in the back of the net.”

Saturday’s draw against the Shrimpers capped off a positive week for Blackpool, who ended their winless home run with a vital 1-0 victory against Charlton Athletic four days earlier.

The Seasiders travel to MK Dons this weekend looking to stretch the gap between themselves and the bottom four, which currently stands at six points.

Robertson added: “I think if you had offered us four points out of six from our two home games we’d have taken that.

“It’s two unbeaten at home now and we’ve got to build on that.

“There’s no reason why we can’t finish the season strongly now.

“We know we’ve got to keep picking up points but we’ve got the quality, so I’m sure we’ll be fine.

“We’re looking above ourselves now.”

Robertson drew praise from his manager Gary Bowyer on Saturday, not only for his goal but also for his solid defensive display.

The Pool boss said: “Danny Philliskirk claims his shot had already gone over the line but it’s been given as Clark’s.

“Clark put it in with his right foot. He now goes 3-1 ahead in the little competition I’ve got going with him and Tilty.

“I thought the pair of them defended very well again. They’ve got a good partnership. You saw that again.

“(Southend scorer Marc Antoine) Fortune has a lot of experience and know-how, as does (Simon) Cox. The pair of them presented a different challenge for us.”