Gary Bowyer eager to repay Blackpool's faith in him

Posted Saturday, May 27, 2017 by PA

Blackpool offered Gary Bowyer a route back into football when he was beginning to wonder what the future held for him and he hopes to be able to repay the club with immediate promotion.

The 45-year-old was sacked as Blackburn manager in November 2015 after more than a decade with Rovers in a number of roles and spent six months out of work.

Having missed out on a couple of jobs the Seasiders came calling and despite the well-publicised problems at the club - initially having just 14 senior players being just one - Bowyer jumped at the chance.

He has led them into League Two Play-off Final against Exeter having been 15th in mid-February and he hopes to finish the job on Sunday and begin the club's rise back up the Football League.

"I was out of work for six months and that is tough mentally because I'd been in work for 15 years," he said.

"You need the break occasionally but it progressed to more than a break.

"I went through a range of emotions, as you can imagine. I did a lot of reflecting on it and I also went to visit Benfica to spend some time with Nuno Gomes and spent four days at Atletico Madrid.

"You get out and about watching games and while that is good therapy at the same time you are thinking 'It's torture' because I want to be doing it.

"I applied for a couple of jobs and missed out on them but as I lost out on one job on May 30 I got this phone call here to come and meet the chairman and I thought 'Why not, give it a go' and I'm glad I did.

"It's been very good and I've enjoyed it. When anybody mentions Blackpool you smile because everyone knows what it's like to visit Blackpool - well I'm fortunate enough to do it every day, driving in and seeing the tower."

Bowyer has the upper hand going into the final, only missing out on two victories this season because of Exeter forward Reuben Reid's 90th-minute equaliser in February.

That was one of 13 league goals for Reid, who joined from Plymouth in September.

The 28-year-old insists the way the club turned around their season, climbing to fifth having been bottom in November, highlights their determination.

"If I play with my son out in the back garden I always want to win. I always want to score more goals than him," he said.

"We are hungry to win so we will be right up for it. If you can't get up for this game you shouldn't be a professional footballer.

"There has to be a loser, there has to be a winner, there will be a hero and a villain, that's the way it is.

"Hopefully we'll have the heroes and the winners but I am sure Blackpool are saying the same.

"We all had the belief, even at the start in the position we were in, we looked around and saw what we had, and if anything we should have been closer to the top three, without the start that we had.

"Are we just happy to be there? No, not at all. We prepared for this. We are more than adequate enough to be in this final."