'The biggest month of our careers,' says Blackpool midfielder

The Seasiders have just four games to save their season, with back-to-back relegations staring them in the face.

Having taken 10 points from their previous four games, Saturday’s defeat by second-bottom Colchester was a huge setback and McAlister is only too aware of just how vital the final four matches now are.

“It’s the biggest month of our careers,” the midfielder said. “If we can do well enough in the next month and stay in League One, then this squad will be in great shape for next season.

“We’ll have another year under our belts and then we can be looking up the table next season rather than down.

“The next month is going to be tough. We have tough games but hopefully we can do the business.”

Pool had been handling the pressure well in recent weeks only for Saturday’s defeat to undo all that good work and heap the pressure on again.

But McAlister hopes Pool’s players can cope. “It’s important you are able to switch off at home. You can’t constantly be worrying about it,” he said.

“I’ve been involved in a couple of relegation battles in Scotland and I’d like to think I’m a better player for those experiences.

“We have a youngish squad, so hopefully some of the older heads can help the younger ones through it.”

McAlister was one of the host of new faces at Bloomfield Road last summer, a lack of continuity many believe is a major factor in their indifferent form.

But the 30-year-old believes the squad has improved over the course of the campaign

“We are a stronger squad now than we were at the start,” he said. “The players have grown and developed.

“Hopefully we can get through this relegation battle and all be stronger for it.”