Striker Steve Davies just needs a change of luck says Blackpool boss Terry McPhillips

Blackpool boss Terry McPhillips says bad luck is to blame for Steve Davies' absence from the first team.
Steve Davies has played only once since signing for BlackpoolSteve Davies has played only once since signing for Blackpool
Steve Davies has played only once since signing for Blackpool
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That came against Accrington Stanley last month in the Checkatrade Trophy, in which he had previously scored as a triallist against West Brom Under-21.

The 30-year-old has yet to feature in the league and has struggled to make the match-day squad.

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Manager McPhillips expressed sympathy for his striker, suggesting things just haven’t fallen his way.

He told The Gazette: “What Davo needed was a bit of luck. He’s a hell of a talent. He’s a hell of a finisher, but at Exeter he probably needed us to go one or two down, then we would have stuck him on to get us goals. But we went three up and were then defending our lead.

“He needed a bit of luck with injuries and maybe Cully (Mark Cullen) being missing now gets him higher up the pecking order. We’ll see how the games go.

“But there’s absolutely no question that if we were losing a game I’d be sticking him on to try to get us a goal. He’s a good kid and he is desperate to play.”

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Davies is in his second spell at the club, having played for the Seasiders from 2013-15, and his short-term contract runs until January 12.

McPhillips played his cards close to his chest when asked what the plan is going forwards with Davies and whether he will get a new deal until the end of the season.

“We’ll just have to see,” McPhillips added. “I’m due to have some meetings with the owners and see what the plan is going forward.

“We’d like to bring a couple in for sure but with Davo we’ll just see what happens in the next few weeks.”

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Blackpool return to League One action with a trip to Oxford United tomorrow as they look to climb into those play-off places.

Then there will be a quick turnaround as Pool host Solihull Moors in their televised FA Cup second round replay on Tuesday.

With the busy festive schedule on the horizon, McPhillips hinted he may keep rotating his squad, something he has already done several times this season.

The Pool boss said: “Some people say you’ve just got to play your best team. I think you have to think about the games ahead as well.

“But the competition is good, so we have that luxury of maybe changing it a little bit if needed.”