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Wanderers new boy MJ Williams' motivation for dropping out of League One was to get straight back up there with Bolton.
The midfielder was made to wait for his Whites debut after two postponed games, which has given him ample time to assess his new surroundings.
And though Williams left an upwardly mobile Blackpool side to join Seasiders old boy Ian Evatt at the UniBol, he believes it will not be long before his new club is also heading in the right direction.
“I want to get straight back to League One,” he said. “I think that’s the target for all of us and obviously this club needs to be higher than where it is now and I’m sure if we all push in the right direction, we’ll get there.
“It can be difficult to integrate so many new players in a short space of time, but I’ve seen signs in training, Dapo (Afolayan) and Madders (Marcus Maddison), they’ve been brilliant, and I’m sure once we get everyone on the pitch it’ll be a great team.”
Williams had played 14 times for Blackpool this season, his last outing being a 5-0 hammering of struggling Wigan Athletic last month. Though not generally considered a first team regular in his time at Bloomfield Road, the former Liverpool trainee said it would have been easy to stay put and potentially be involved in a push for the play-offs.
“Funnily enough, I played the last two games before I came here,” he said. “It was a hard decision and I loved my time there, it was a great group of lads, but there was a lot of players there and really good quality players as well.
“At times I found it hard to stay in the team. I picked up an injury, which when I came back from I think we hadn't lost in nine games, so it was difficult to get back in. But I just thought this was the right move for me and I’m delighted.
“It has changed at Blackpool and they’ve signed a lot of Championship players as well, they’re trying to get right back up there. It’s a great club and I’m sure that they will get back up there.”
Williams’ debut on Tuesday night was blighted somewhat by the controversial red card handed to Marcus Maddison – one which has split opinion among the Wanderers supporters, if not those inside the dressing room.
“I didn’t see that much of it at the time,” he explained. “I was looking to see where I was going to pass the ball next but I have seen a little clip of it and it looks a bit harsh.
“Madders is upset. He didn’t think it was a red and he was upset.
“I thought we controlled the game and then second half, the sending off changed the game. I still think we were comfortable in the game and we managed it well, but they got the set piece and scored from it.”
Though his first full week at Wanderers had its fair share of frustration, as games at Mansfield and Salford fell foul of the weather, Williams feels there is a confident mood building among the players that they can finish this season strongly.
“I’ve loved every minute of it so far,” he said. “But I couldn’t wait to get going and really get a feel for things.
“From what the gaffer has said the new lads who have come in have been a real boost.
“I knew this was a big club, it’s going to go places and I thought for the next challenge for me, I thought it would be a great move for me. The gaffer showed faith in me to bring me in, so I just need to repay that now.”
Wanderers beefed up their midfield ranks in January, adding Williams and Kieran Lee to their existing options of Andy Tutte, Brandon Comley and George Thomason.
And competition for the two positions in Evatt’s ‘safety box’ will be even more intense this weekend when Lee returns from a 10-day self-isolation period.
“From what I have seen so far there are some top midfielders here and obviously it’s down to me to make sure I am in there. I’m sure I’ll be comfortable with whoever I play alongside.
“Every game, you’ve got to show to the gaffer that you deserve your place in the team and that’s what I’m going to try and do. There is top players here and top midfielders, so everyone’s fighting for the same shirt and obviously we all know whoever is in the team is going to do the job.”
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The midfielder was made to wait for his Whites debut after two postponed games, which has given him ample time to assess his new surroundings.
And though Williams left an upwardly mobile Blackpool side to join Seasiders old boy Ian Evatt at the UniBol, he believes it will not be long before his new club is also heading in the right direction.
“I want to get straight back to League One,” he said. “I think that’s the target for all of us and obviously this club needs to be higher than where it is now and I’m sure if we all push in the right direction, we’ll get there.
“It can be difficult to integrate so many new players in a short space of time, but I’ve seen signs in training, Dapo (Afolayan) and Madders (Marcus Maddison), they’ve been brilliant, and I’m sure once we get everyone on the pitch it’ll be a great team.”
Williams had played 14 times for Blackpool this season, his last outing being a 5-0 hammering of struggling Wigan Athletic last month. Though not generally considered a first team regular in his time at Bloomfield Road, the former Liverpool trainee said it would have been easy to stay put and potentially be involved in a push for the play-offs.
“Funnily enough, I played the last two games before I came here,” he said. “It was a hard decision and I loved my time there, it was a great group of lads, but there was a lot of players there and really good quality players as well.
“At times I found it hard to stay in the team. I picked up an injury, which when I came back from I think we hadn't lost in nine games, so it was difficult to get back in. But I just thought this was the right move for me and I’m delighted.
“It has changed at Blackpool and they’ve signed a lot of Championship players as well, they’re trying to get right back up there. It’s a great club and I’m sure that they will get back up there.”
Williams’ debut on Tuesday night was blighted somewhat by the controversial red card handed to Marcus Maddison – one which has split opinion among the Wanderers supporters, if not those inside the dressing room.
“I didn’t see that much of it at the time,” he explained. “I was looking to see where I was going to pass the ball next but I have seen a little clip of it and it looks a bit harsh.
“Madders is upset. He didn’t think it was a red and he was upset.
“I thought we controlled the game and then second half, the sending off changed the game. I still think we were comfortable in the game and we managed it well, but they got the set piece and scored from it.”
Though his first full week at Wanderers had its fair share of frustration, as games at Mansfield and Salford fell foul of the weather, Williams feels there is a confident mood building among the players that they can finish this season strongly.
“I’ve loved every minute of it so far,” he said. “But I couldn’t wait to get going and really get a feel for things.
“From what the gaffer has said the new lads who have come in have been a real boost.
“I knew this was a big club, it’s going to go places and I thought for the next challenge for me, I thought it would be a great move for me. The gaffer showed faith in me to bring me in, so I just need to repay that now.”
Wanderers beefed up their midfield ranks in January, adding Williams and Kieran Lee to their existing options of Andy Tutte, Brandon Comley and George Thomason.
And competition for the two positions in Evatt’s ‘safety box’ will be even more intense this weekend when Lee returns from a 10-day self-isolation period.
“From what I have seen so far there are some top midfielders here and obviously it’s down to me to make sure I am in there. I’m sure I’ll be comfortable with whoever I play alongside.
“Every game, you’ve got to show to the gaffer that you deserve your place in the team and that’s what I’m going to try and do. There is top players here and top midfielders, so everyone’s fighting for the same shirt and obviously we all know whoever is in the team is going to do the job.”
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