We need to back up Wigan win – Bowyer
BLACKPOOL are aiming to secure back-to-back wins for the first time since September as they entertain Peterborough – and boss Gary Bowyer is desperate to avoid a comedown following their midweek heroics.
The Seasiders surprised then-leaders Wigan on Tuesday night, an impressive 2-0 win their first in six games.
Goals from Armand Gnanduillet and Kelvin Mellor saw them climb to 17th, four points clear of the relegation zone, although form at Bloomfield Road continues to desert them.
Bowyer’s side haven’t won at home in their last nine – the worst run in the league – with a 2-1 defeat of lowly Bury in October their last triumph on home soil.
But the Seasiders boss is confident their midweek win at the DW Stadium can lift them.
He said: “We’ve got to make sure we use the confidence, the belief, the boost that the Wigan result has given us and have a right good go at Peterborough.
“It can’t be after the Lord Mayor’s Show, we have to try and back it up.”
Bowyer has been boosted by striker Mark Cullen’s return to light training.
The 25-year-old – sidelined for five months after needing hamstring surgery in August – was back out on grass on Friday and is close to a comeback.
Captain Jimmy Ryan and Gnanduillet will hope to retain their starting places, with Viv Solomon-Otabor passed fit despite hobbling off late on at Wigan.
Former Peterborough frontman Kyle Vassell was left out against the Latics but is in contention for a start against his old club.
Vassell, who spent three seasons at Posh from 2013, bagged the winner in November’s reverse fixture at London Road. Bowyer is looking for a similar performance against Grant McCann’s men, who he rates as a quality outfit.
He said: “They’ve got a fabulous forward line and have done well to keep a couple of them in the January window.
“We know the threat they possess but it’s about us working hard to go back-to-back.”
Posh, who could hand loanee Cardiff forward Omar Bogle another start, have lost on three of their last four league visits to the Lancashire coast and have scored just three times in their last five trips there.