Blackpool FC: Olly Casey explains benefits from Forest Green Rovers loan and reveals key lessons from Everton legend

The two teams go head-to-head at Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon in the second round of the FA Cup.

Casey will know a number of players in the opposition ranks well after making 48 appearances during his stint at The New Lawn.

Despite picking up some vital experience throughout the 2022/23 campaign, the defender couldn’t help the club avoid relegation to League Two.

Everton legend Duncan Ferguson was in place as Forest Green’s head coach at the latter end of the season, and Casey admits he picked up some key information from the former Scotland striker.

"He’d break things down and go through what he didn’t like playing against,” he said.

"We had a lot of defending to do, so it did help me having him there. He liked joining in during training, but I certainly didn’t fancy playing against him. He was a great guy, I really enjoyed my time under him.

"The whole loan was a big learning curve, I feel like I matured a bit; I don’t know if other people would say the same. It was strange being down South; I think I prefer being up North.

"I was really grateful to everyone there- it was really important for my career. I’d encourage anyone to go out on loan to get games. I enjoyed the football and I enjoyed playing- I’m getting the rewards now. I came back ready to fight for my place here.

"I’d never been a part of anything like that before, but my experiences on and off the pitch has put me in a better position now.

“People were looking at me to help them and step, so I liked that responsibility. Knowing that I played the amount of games I did in League One last year gave me the confidence to come back to Blackpool and show what I can do.

“I’ve kept in touch with a lot of the lads at Forest Green, but it’ll probably be a bit quieter this week. It’ll be nice to get one over some of my friends this weekend and be on the victorious side. There’ll be no friends on the pitch.”

Casey received an opportunity as a regular in the Seasiders’ starting 11 following an injury to Matthew Pennington in the opening game of the season.

After impressive run in the side, the defender was forced to miss three games through suspension, and is still looking to reclaim his place on a permanent basis.

"Any time you come out of the team, you want to go straight back in,” he added.

"It’s about having the same mindset as the beginning of the season and being ready to go again.

"It’s horrible coming out, especially in the circumstances that I did- it was frustrating. You’ve just got to bounce back so I’ve been training hard.

"You can see certain things when you’re watching the other lads. That can benefit you, but I prefer to be on the pitch.”