We've not seen best of striker Vassell says Blackpool boss Bowyer

Blackpool manager Gary Bowyer believes there is still so much more to come from striker Kyle Vassell.
Kyle VassellKyle Vassell
Kyle Vassell

Don’t miss the latest football news and gossip from leagues in England, Scotland and Europe with footballwire.co.ukVassell hit his 10th goal of the season in the 2-1 defeat at Oldham on Easter Monday – the second season in a row the front man has reached double figures for the Seasiders.

It has been an up-and-down season for the 25-year-old, who missed much of the winter with a hamstring injury.

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But the striker is now fit and raring to go for the final run-in – Blackpool have just six games left to gain enough points to survive in League One.

Pool boss Bowyer said: “I’m delighted he’s managed to hit double figures in both seasons under my management because it’s the first time he’s done it in his career.

“That’s a credit to him and a credit to the people who have worked with him.

“I feel as though there’s still so much more to come from him. We’ve got six games left, which obviously provides him with an opportunity to get more goals.

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“He’s got to have that hunger but I think his link-up play can still be better as well. We speak about that with him.

“But he’s been a big part of this team and you ask any of the defenders who play against him – they don’t like it for sure.”

The Seasiders will be looking for a reaction from their two defeats over Easter when they welcome Bradford City to Bloomfield Road tomorrow.

Bowyer’s men now find themselves just five points ahead of the League One drop zone with six games left to, although a number of teams around them in the table have games in hand to play.

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“We can’t be looking behind us, we’ve got to be taking care of ourselves,” Bowyer added. “It’s six games to go, but you can only go one game at a time.

“It’s important we recover and react positively from the disappointing Easter that we had.

“It was fine margins in both games. Having watched both of them back, probably more so than against Doncaster than against Oldham.

“But we got ourselves into a good position against Oldham and we didn’t capitalise on that.

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“We’ve just got to continue doing our jobs all the way through the game.”

Saturday’s game is the first of three straight home games for Blackpool, who host fellow relegation strugglers Northampton Town on Tuesday before facing Fylde coast neighbours Fleetwood Town the following Saturday.

“All we can do is concentrate on the first one, which is Bradford,” Bowyer said.

“But we do know there will be no travelling involved for us. I think that does make a difference.

“The players are creatures of habit so they know the week ahead and it just makes a little bit easier for them. Sleeping in their own bed helps as well.”