Leighton Clarkson struggles as ex Aberdeen man sees Blackpool boss make honest admission

The midfielder swapped Pittodrie for the seaside town back in January after three and a half seasons in the Granite City

Blackpool manager Ian Evatt claims that Leighton Clarkson‘s lack of game time is because his struggling League One team are not yet good enough to rely on ball players.

But the Bloomfield Road boss insists the playmaker is very much a key part of the club’s long-term plan at Lanarksire.

The former Liverpool youngster called it quits at Aberdeen back in January after three and a half years at Pittodrie, where he racked up 18 goals in 154 appearances and helped the Dons lift the Scottish Cup.

Clarkson, 24, was a regular in his first few weeks on the seaside town but has since found minutes hard to come by. He has had to contend with being an unused sub in four of the last seven games and played just 15 minutes in the team’s 1-0 victory over Burton Albion on Saturday.

Blackpool claimed a ninth-place finish in England’s third tier last season but are now desperately fighting to keep themselves in the division.

With six games remaining, they sit just two points above 21st-placed Exeter, although only six points separate them from Barnsley way up in 13th position.

And boss Evatt has hinted that the side’s need to get physical and scrap for every point is the reason why Clarkson has only been on the periphery of the squad in the last few weeks.

He said: “I was very close to playing Leighton – he’s a very talented, technical footballer, but with the type of game it was going to be, we knew there’d be loads of second balls and aerial duels, and that’s not his strength.

“We’ve signed him here for the long-term, we want him here for the long-term. He’s a wonderful footballer – really technical. For us to get the best out of him, and see the best of him, we need confidence and we need to be good with the ball; we’re not quite there yet.

“It’s important we have those options off the bench, and today we managed to change things to get the moment that got us a very important three points.”

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