We can't let this just be a one off and get carried away

Last updated : 21 October 2012 By Tony Scholes

Holloway was furious after the game at the constant speculation linking him with the Blackburn job. "I don't want to talk about any speculation. I am fed up of it," he said. "I haven't quartered any of it and I don't need it in my life and neither does anyone else. I don't know whether it affected the malaise of my lads at the start of the game but I am sick of it but that's life."

On the game, he added: "I have to wonder why we didn't start as brightly as we finished. Overall we did everything but score. We had the lion's share of the possession but we couldn't put the ball in the net.

"I saw our team play quite well but we didn't create enough, although Burnley didn't have many chances either. We posed more threat in the second half but the Burnley defenders seemed to stop my attackers too easily.

"Lee Grant made a fantastic save which changed the course of the game but Charlie Austin is a dangerous player and that is why I wanted to bring him to Blackpool. We agreed a fee for him first but he chose them."

For Pashley, it was a day when he got the chance to manage the first team and for someone who played over 200 games for Blackpool and lives in the town, it was fitting that they were the opposition.

He was very honest in his appraisal and said after the win: "We had to weather a storm in that  second half. They put us under great pressure. I said to Faz (Andy Farrell) at one stage I felt like the little lad with the dyke putting his finger in here and another one sprung a leak and putting it in there. They were coming at you from all angles.

"I'll be honest, my mind was racing and I've just thanked all the staff. When you've got to think that clearly under pressure it becomes a little difficult but we got there in the end."

Pashley's day started by taking in the youth game. "I went down to watch the boys this morning," he added. "Yes, It's been a long day but the boys did smashing this morning, they were 3-0 down and came back to 4-3 so that was pleasing. It wasn't pleasing in the first half but I thought it was important to still watch the young lads this morning as well.

Then to Turf Moor and the win, and a clean sheet, our first since the opening day win against Bolton. "From that point of view you'd say everything worked well," said Pash.

"We were under pressure but I thought we defended fantastic, we were quite willing to go and win our headers, put our bodies on the line and block, and cover each other and do all the things you've got to do to get a clean sheet.

"And the save that Granty made. I looked into the Bob Lord Stand and everyone was on their feet clapping. It reminded me a little bit of Gordon Banks in 1970 against Pele when he's made that save. It might be a little extreme but I thought it was an absolutely magnificent save."

A clean sheet, and the winner, almost predictably from Charlie Austin whose performance really pleased the caretaker boss. "Charlie does what he does best but as I've just said to him you've got to appreciate that Charlie's a real team player," he enthused.

"He's again not just his scored his goal, he's worked tirelessly for the team and I've just said to the boys, Marvin Bartley who came on, Martin Paterson and Sam Vokes, you can't achieve anything without everybody doing it together. There's some lads who haven't been involved tonight but I'm sure at some stage they will."

The focus has been on the defence though, as the goals have continued to go in this season. Pash added: "I've said to them all week, they've been good with the ball when I've seen them, but I've kept emphasising we need to be good without the ball. At times, yes alright, we rode our luck, but I thought we were good without the ball.

"I said to them, they've got all the ingredients there, they've just got to put them together and show that belief and hopefully this is the first step in showing that belief. Whatever happens in the next three or four days, we really need to back this up now. We can't let this just be a one off and get carried away, we've got to go to Bristol and do the same again."

Admitting that he'd be crowing a little bit when he got back to Blackpool, he said: "All week I felt quite calm, I felt quite calm all day but then my mind was going into overdrive and I can appreciate now what managers go through on a real daily basis. That's very new and that's why I thanked all the staff for their input especially Billy Mercer. He was a rock.

"There was a little bit of relief at the end, but more for the boys because whatever happens, they've got to keep playing. It's about them really."

He'll be in charge, certainly at Bristol City, but would he want to throw his hat into the ring? "I've not even thought about it. I've had too much to do sorting training out and training with the boys. That's what I've been asked to do. I've no control over anything else. I just want to control what I can control, that's getting in with the boys and the training and they've been great.

"You find it hard not to enjoy that. You can see where it's stressful. It's a different kind of stress to what I've been used to but there's got to be some enjoyment t here. I haven't tasted the other side of it yet, and hopefully not, but I really, really enjoyed it. "