Striker Matt could miss rest of Blackpool's season

Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer has revealed striker Jamille Matt is likely to miss the remainder of the regular season through injury.
Jamille MattJamille Matt
Jamille Matt

Scans show the 27-year-old tore his hamstring after coming off the bench during Blackpool’s 1-0 win at Doncaster Rovers on Easter Monday.

Matt opted to stay on the pitch with a heavily bandaged leg as Pool fought to the death to find a winner against the 10 men of Doncaster, which finally came courtesy of Jordan Flores’ last-minute penalty.

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Bowyer, who said he wanted to bring Matt off during the game, says the striker is likely to be missing for at least a couple of weeks.

He said: “Jamille Matt has gone for a scan and we’ve had the results which showed a tear in the hamstring.

“We just wanted to see how bad it was because, like I said after the game, he shouldn’t have stayed on the pitch. But that’s every credit to him and the sacrifice he was prepared to make.

“So he’s going to be missing for a couple of weeks for sure but we’re hopeful he recovers as quickly as possible.”

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Another player to pick up an injury during that game was midfielder Jack Payne, who was forced off with a back spasm to be replaced by Flores.

He has yet to train this week but the Pool boss is hopeful he will take to the training pitch today alongside fellow absentee Kyle Vassell in preparation for tomorrow’s home game against Cheltenham Town.

Bowyer said: “Jack Payne has not trained this week yet but we expect him to train on Friday.

“There’s also the potential of Kyle Vassell training Friday as well. We’ll give them as long as possible and wait until after training.”

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Bowyer also revealed that Colin Daniel, who missed the game against Doncaster after his partner gave birth, is back and available for selection.

The Seasiders go into this weekend’s home game knowing that a win will keep them in the top seven with just two further fixtures to play.

Bowyer insists spirits are high in the Blackpool camp and his players will be prepared for the challenge of fourth-bottom Cheltenham.

He added: “All season it’s been difficult to gauge whether the players have won or lost by how come they’ve come into training.

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“Spirits are high but we have to make sure we channel that in the right direction.

“They’ve trained well and we have to make sure we do what we’re good at.”

Blackpool defender Kelvin Mellor has been recognised for his performances this season by being named in the PFA’s Team of the Year.

It comes after the 26-year-old, who has scored seven times during the campaign, was also named in the EFL team alongside his team-mate Brad Potts.