Brett Ormerod column: Seasiders are still well in contention

To go to Peterborough last weekend and win was a fantastic result, building optimism for the Bristol Street Motors Trophy game on Tuesday and a chance to play at Wembley.

In fairness to Peterborough, they are a great team. I remember the league game at Bloomfield Road, where they were very impressive and very good on the counter.

I thought then they would be there or thereabouts but Blackpool winning there at the weekend gave a feeling of optimism for Tuesday night.

Not many teams have beaten Peterborough at their place, while Blackpool have been very good at home, and you’re thinking that a win means a game at Wembley in April.

Typically then, Blackpool went and lost at home so it just seems to be one of those see-saw seasons.

If it came to deciding which Neil Critchley would have preferred, three points or a place in the Trophy final, I’m sure he would have loved both.

A trip to Wembley is always something very special but not every player gets the chance; someone can go through their whole career without playing there.

However, at the same time, the league is your bread and butter and the important thing is we’re still in the mix with March just around the corner.

Someone mentioned on social media that when we got promoted in 2001, we had lost more games than this Blackpool team has after the same number of matches.

What we did was go on a really good run right at the end but we were one of those teams who, on our day, were capable of beating anyone in the league but, on a bad day, we were terrible.

It’s the old cliche though, it’s not how you start the season but how you finish it, and our team in 2001 proved that.

We were capable of putting a good run together and the team we have now is more than capable of doing the same.

They have underperformed in my opinion but it’s only six points to the play-off spots – though the games are running out and we need to see them hit a bit of a streak.

We sneaked into the play-offs on the last day in 2001 and 2010 – and we know how both those seasons finished – so putting a run together gives you that momentum, which can carry you through.

We’ve got a couple of difficult games coming up though with Bolton visiting on Saturday and then the trip to Leyton Orient on Tuesday.

Bolton are only out of the automatic spots on goal difference and they’re having a wonderful season under my old team-mate (Ian Evatt).

I truly believe that Blackpool, on their day and when everyone is firing on all cylinders, are capable of beating any team in the league.

They have done that by beating Portsmouth at Fratton Park when people might have thought they had no chance.

They have shown they have the potential and the players if they stay injury-free but now is the time to turn that promise into points.