Ryan and Spearing can be Blackpool's men in the middle

Don’t miss the latest football transfer news and gossip from leagues in England, Scotland and Europe with footballwire.co.uk

The duo originally struggled to strike up a partnership after Spearing, brought in to partner Ryan in Blackpool’s midfield, was signed on a free transfer back in October.

It meant one of the duo would find themselves on Blackpool’s bench but, following recent injuries to Sean Longstaff and Callum Cooke, they have found themselves back in the team together.

This time their performances have been much improved and it appears both of them have consolidated starting berths.

Ryan himself is in a rich vein of form, topped off by the 29-year-old scoring a stoppage time winner in Pool’s 1-0 victory against Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night.

“Obviously everybody knows the quality Jay Spearing has,” Ryan said.

“I played alongside him as a kid so it’s not a surprise to me, especially when you consider the level he’s played at.

“He’s played there for a reason. He’s a top lad and a top pro.

“His quality is showing through now and he’s vital to be in there for us. I love playing with him

“The performances are showing we’re on the same wavelength and hopefully we can build on that and keep the partnership strong.

“Hopefully, as a team, we’re looking up now. It’s a very tight league so a few losses and you can be right back down there.

“So we just want to keep winning and keep looking up. We don’t want to be looking behind us.

“But we’re not getting carried away, we’re just taking each game as it comes.”