Dickov pushing to start in Baggies clash

6:11pm Wednesday 2nd April 2008

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The Seasiders will host West Brom on Tuesday, three days later than planned, as the Midlands side will be focussed on their FA Cup semi-final encounter with Portsmouth on Saturday.

The Baggies have not produced the kind of consistent league form expected from probably the most talented squad in the division this season and are on an indifferent run, winning just one of their last five games.

That win came last Saturday at home to rock bottom Colchester, and was only clinched as a result of two last gasp, injury time goals.

The weight of expectation seems to be lying heavily upon them.

Last Saturday saw the Seasiders finally reach the 50 point barrier when they claimed a point away to play-off hopefuls Crystal Palace from a goalless draw.

Despite Palace boss Neil Warnock's protestations about penalties that should have been awarded to the home side, it was a well earned point and could easily have been three had the chances created been converted, especially in a first half which saw Grayson's men in charge.

If 50 points with five games remaining had been offered at the start of the season the vast majority of Blackpool fans would have taken it.

Grayson remarked this week that the half century has been reached in much the same fashion that a batsmen inches nervously towards his century, with the last five points coming from five draws in the last six games.

It means that points are still required, but one win or three draws from the remaining games should be enough.

And Grayson will be hoping to find West Brom suffering the after effects of a tough FA Cup semi-final against Portsmouth on Saturday.

In contrast, his players will have the chance to recover and shake off any knocks.

Keith Southern is expected to return, having missed the last three games with a hamstring injury.

Paul Dickov made his return from a hamstring injury as a late substitute last Saturday, and will be pushing for a start next week.

The manager will also be hoping to have loan signings Joe Martin and Scott Flinders available.

Both missed the visit to Palace, Martin with a groin strain and Flinders due to an agreement with Palace, the club from which he was loaned.

West Brom have a number of players at their disposal who can cause a lot of damage at this level.

Czech striker Roman Bednar has 13 league goals from just 16 starts this season, and Kevin Phillips is the division's top scorer with twenty league goals to his name.

With the additional threat of players like Ishmael Miller, Zoltan Gera, Felipe Teixera, James Morrison, Luke Moore and Robert Koren, it is difficult to understand their stuttering form. They even have a lad called Pele on their books.

Conceding three goals at home to Colchester last week perhaps explains where their Achilles heel lies, so Simon Grayson will be hoping to expose any defensive frailties as well as any fatigue from the exertions of the FA Cup.

Blackpool were unfortunate to go down to a 2-1 defeat at the Hawthorns back October, when Scott Vernon grabbed the Seasiders' goal.