Terry McPhillips 'honoured' to be the man leading Blackpool out on Homecoming Day

More than 15,000 fans are expected to pack out Bloomfield Road for the game against Southend United as Blackpool fans return following the end of the Oyston regime.

Managers have come and gone since supporters began their boycott, so it falls to McPhillips to be the man in charge of the club when the fans flock back to the ground.

“I’m massively honoured and I feel lucky. I’m the lucky one,” he said.

“It’s nice to get a bit of luck and it’s going to be some occasion.

“We’ve had some big games already – the Arsenal games home and away, those matches that were on TV, but none of them will be bigger than leading the team out at Bloomfield on Saturday.”

Having become accustomed to playing in front of an empty shell of a stadium all season, there could be some added expectation with the fans returning.

McPhillips admits that could be the case but says his players shouldn’t shirk that pressure.

When asked for his message to the fans, the Pool boss said: “Thanks very much for coming and hopefully we can put a show on.

“You’ll definitely see effort from the players, that’s for sure, but hopefully they can cheer us on.

“They can’t wait, that’s for sure. They’re going to enjoy themselves and rightly so. I’m just hoping we can get the three points.

“There might be a bit of pressure on the game but you’ve got to deal with it, haven’t you?

“There might be some added expectation but if you want to be a footballer you’ve got to handle that. It’s good pressure, I’d say.

“I was really pleased after the win on Tuesday night. I was right on the roof. I couldn’t sleep.

“Am I excited about what’s going on and taking the team out for the biggest crowd in I don’t know how long? Yes, and maybe I can’t hold that excitement back.

“Hopefully we can all use that excitement to our benefit.”