It's been a tremendous second half of the campaign for Blackpool and Simon Grayson's side haven't yet given up hope on snatching one of the top two automatic promotion spots in League One. The Seasiders' two Easter victories against Tranmere and Blackpool has seen the club climb to fourth place in the table, five points behind second-placed Bristol City and this weekend Pool will be hoping to continue their promotion charge when they entertain Northampton at Bloomfield Road. Givemefootball's Mark Shail logged the thoughts of midfielder Claus Jorgensen, who scored his first goal of the season in Monday's 2-0 win against Huddersfield.
Q:YOU MUST HAVE BEEN PLEASED TO HAVE SCORED AGAINST THE TERRIERS?
A:Yes, it was nice to finally get off the mark, I've had a few shots lately and should have at least hit the target but it was good to see that one go in. I was in two minds whether to blast it or place it but in the end I made the right decision. It had been frustrating that I hadn't scored up till now.
Q:YOU'VE HAD TO BE PATIENT FOR YOUR CHANCE IN THE FIRST TEAM, HAVEN'T YOU?
A:I have but a lot of players at the club have been in a similar situation and had to wait for their chance. There are a number of quality players who could all do a good job in League One but they haven't even been in the squad over the last few games, and I was one of those for a large part of the season. Now I need to make sure I play well and keep my place in the side.
Q:I SUPPOSE IT'S HARD FOR THE MANAGER TO CHANGE A WINNING TEAM?
A:Yes, he's got some great players at the club and a lot of times this season the team has more or less picked itself because of the results. We've been on a great run since Christmas and it's been really tough to find a way to get into the side. I'm disappointed that I haven't played more games this season but that's down to the side playing so well.
Q:THE CLUB NOW LOOK WELL PLACED FOR A PLAY-OFF PLACE AT LEAST, DON'T THEY?
A:Yes, hopefully we can finish in the top six and continue the form that we have showed over the last few months. We'll be pushing to see how high up we can finish in the table and there are still a few points to play for and a lot can change between now and the end of the season.
Q:IS AUTOMATIC PROMOTION OUT OF REACH?
A:You never know. We're five points behind Bristol City and we'll just keep putting the pressure on the top two teams and see if they can handle it. All we can do is take each game as it comes and hope that the other results go our way. Another three points against Northampton on Saturday would be very nice and would keep our good run going.
Q:YOU MUST BE HOPEFUL OF ANOTHER VICTORY ON SATURDAY?
A:We are but you can't take anything for granted in this division. But we're in good form and are full of confidence at the moment. It's at this stage of the season, when there are a lot of games over a short space of time, that you need all the players in the squad to be ready to step in and we are fortunate that we have a lot of strength in depth here at Blackpool. The key now is to keep going and make sure we finish the season well.
