NO-ONE wants to help the Seasiders' cause more than injured defender Paul Beesley.

The team's disastrous start to the season has been watched from the bench by summer signing Paul who fractured his ankle in a pre-season game against Crewe.

Now on the road to recovery Paul, an ex-Manchester City, Leeds and Sheffield United player, said: "It's frustrating for any player when they have to stay on the bench - but it's even more frustrating when your team isn't getting the points.

"It's not easy when you're not playing, but at the end of the day it's just one of those things that happen in football.

"No footballer can expect to go through their career without a few knocks and like any injured player I want to be out there on the pitch giving it my all and helping the lads. I'm itching to go.

"It's especially difficult with our start to the season being disappointing so far. We are losing games at the moment, but I'm sure that if we stick at it we can stop the rot.

"The injury is on the mend. Both the plaster and the brace is off now and so hopefully we might be looking at a matter of weeks before I'm in action.

"Our trip to Chesterfield will be quite difficult - there's no easy games in this division - but I don't see any reason why we can't go there and get all three points and overtake them in the league."

Three points, coupled with a recent announcement that chairman Karl Oyston is making progress on the redevelopment of Bloomfield Road, will surely inject a renewed sense of optimism in both fans and players.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.