Blackpool Squad Update: Four Out, One Doubt Ahead of 2026 Home Opener
Blackpool’s first home game of 2026 is set to take place this afternoon against Bradford City. The Seasiders are eager to continue their positive momentum from December, while also recovering from a tough performance on New Year’s Day against Port Vale. A red card for James Husband shifted the course of the match at Vale Park, where the home team managed to equalise and eventually secured a convincing 5-1 victory.
Although the club has seen some relief from its early-season injury issues, several key players are still sidelined. In recent weeks, new injuries have added to the challenges faced by the squad.
Here is the latest update on the Blackpool squad:
James Husband
Following an unsuccessful appeal regarding his red card during the match against Port Vale, James Husband will now serve a three-match suspension, starting with the upcoming game against Bradford City.
Hayden Coulson
Hayden Coulson was forced off in the early stages of the Seasiders’ encounter with Wigan at the Brick Community Stadium last month. It was later revealed that the wing-back had sustained a grade 3 hamstring tendon injury. His expected recovery time is between six to eight weeks.
Niall Ennis
With several players returning to action, Niall Ennis is hoping to rejoin them in training soon. He has been out since the end of September due to an Achilles problem. Manager Evatt provided an update on the striker, stating:
“He’s just been ticked off with the late stage rehab, but obviously he’s going to be fresh into training and we’re going to have to reintegrate him slowly.
Getting him up to match fitness and match sharpness will take time so we can’t put too much pressure on him.
We don’t have the size of squad to play players in a reserve game or to set up a friendly – we have to get them fit on the training pitch or in games where points are at stake. It can be complex and difficult.
We’ll do the best we can, and hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later, but we can’t put pressure on him at the moment, he needs time.”
Dale Taylor
On what was his first start since October after a long period on the sidelines, Dale Taylor was forced off after just six minutes during the match against Doncaster Rovers on Boxing Day. The striker underwent surgery for a metatarsal injury and is expected to be out for the next three months.
Michael Ihiekwe
Michael Ihiekwe has been dealing with a toe injury for some time, which led to him leaving the field early during the match against Lincoln City last month. Evatt provided an update ahead of Christmas, saying:
“Michael has obviously been suffering with this – I’ve got to be thankful and grateful to him because he’s put himself forwards when he’s been nowhere near 100 percent fit because we’ve needed him to.
That’s obviously had an impact on his performance. That was down to him sacrificing himself and putting the team before himself. I’ve got a lot of respect for that.
At this period of time, we’re just trying to settle that toe down. He’ll have a steroid injection in the next couple of weeks, which will hopefully get it right and at least settle it down until the end of the season, where we can work out what we need to do, whether it’s surgical or anything else.”
While Ihiekwe has been away from the action in recent weeks, he has occasionally played through injury this season. His absence could once again force Blackpool to consider using him if he is able to manage the pain.
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