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Neil Lennon hopes his players are refreshed and ready to hit the ground running again at Blackpool on Saturday.
Back-to-back home wins against Cardiff and Wigan sent the squad into the international break on a high.
And after giving his players who were not away on national duty a few days break, Lennon and his squad have been back in training ahead of another Lancashire derby at Blackpool on Saturday.
The Whites boss said: "I said to the players at half-time (of the Wigan game) 'we really need this win, this is crucial, then you can enjoy your break'.
"The way we're playing, sometimes you don't want it to come.
"However, the rest will do some of them the world of good.
"It's been a turbulent first three months of the season for them.
"Sometimes it's good to get away, get a bit of sun or spend some time with the family, get away from the mental and physical demands that is put upon them."
There may be demands on the players but they have so far risen to the challenge under Lennon with four wins from six games.
And the result against Wigan also took them out of the bottom three for the first time in six weeks – since home defeat to Derby in late September saw them fall into the drop zone.
They stayed out, too, after the rest of the Championship fixtures 24 hours later and Lennon says that is a big psychological boost as they look to put a run of results together to climb the table.
He added: "Wigan was a huge game in the context of our season. We couldn’t afford to lose it.
"What it did psychologically by taking us out of the bottom three was massive.
“It’ll change quickly but it just shows you what two wins can do for you.
"We went up four places and put some pressure on the teams around us.
"I am pleased with the last few games.
"Now we are looking up the table.
"We are still in a dogfight but we’ve got a couple of wins.
"We still need that cushion before we consider anything else this season. There are still plenty of good teams around us.
“There’s a long way to go but we’ve made that step now, we’ve started to push up the table, now we can see what’s around us.
“Bournemouth are near the top of the league because they put that burst of form together.
"We need to put a run together like that."
Source
Back-to-back home wins against Cardiff and Wigan sent the squad into the international break on a high.
And after giving his players who were not away on national duty a few days break, Lennon and his squad have been back in training ahead of another Lancashire derby at Blackpool on Saturday.
The Whites boss said: "I said to the players at half-time (of the Wigan game) 'we really need this win, this is crucial, then you can enjoy your break'.
"The way we're playing, sometimes you don't want it to come.
"However, the rest will do some of them the world of good.
"It's been a turbulent first three months of the season for them.
"Sometimes it's good to get away, get a bit of sun or spend some time with the family, get away from the mental and physical demands that is put upon them."
There may be demands on the players but they have so far risen to the challenge under Lennon with four wins from six games.
And the result against Wigan also took them out of the bottom three for the first time in six weeks – since home defeat to Derby in late September saw them fall into the drop zone.
They stayed out, too, after the rest of the Championship fixtures 24 hours later and Lennon says that is a big psychological boost as they look to put a run of results together to climb the table.
He added: "Wigan was a huge game in the context of our season. We couldn’t afford to lose it.
"What it did psychologically by taking us out of the bottom three was massive.
“It’ll change quickly but it just shows you what two wins can do for you.
"We went up four places and put some pressure on the teams around us.
"I am pleased with the last few games.
"Now we are looking up the table.
"We are still in a dogfight but we’ve got a couple of wins.
"We still need that cushion before we consider anything else this season. There are still plenty of good teams around us.
“There’s a long way to go but we’ve made that step now, we’ve started to push up the table, now we can see what’s around us.
“Bournemouth are near the top of the league because they put that burst of form together.
"We need to put a run together like that."
Source
