Ian Evatt was a Blackpool player for over seven years, during which he helped the team get promoted twice and went through many highs and lows with the club.

He is currently enjoying his time at Chesterfield where he captained his side to the League One playoff semi-finals, but he hasn’t ruled out going back to the seaside.

“I would love to go back to Blackpool," Evatt said.

"I feel like I have unfinished business there. I was gutted the way my exit was handled. I was one of the original ones who got us into the Championship with Simon Grayson but then the first serious injury I got, I was cast aside. I’m not really sure whose decision that was; whether it was the Chairman’s or the manager’s, but it really hurt the way I was treated."

He added: “You never say never in Blackpool and I hope one day I may return.” Looking back at his time at Bloomfield Road there are some memories which he will never forget. Wigan away the first game in the Premier League was a personal favourite. We had had a typical preseason for Blackpool.

"We were in need of more players, the friendlies hadn’t gone our way and I would admit we were a bit worried but then the week before the season started we brought in four or five players and everything just clicked.

"Going out there and really giving Wigan a game was just an incredible feeling. We couldn’t have even dreamed of winning 4-0,” Evatt said. The season in the Premier League was something which the 33-year-old will remember for the rest of his life, “Doing the double on Liverpool is something I will never forget. I mean we won at Anfield and then on home soil- it was brilliant to be a part of it.

"That group of players was a family and it was split up too early. I really think it could have been even more special if the team had been given the chance to stay together."

Looking back now, whilst he wants to go back, it is hard to see how the club has become.

"It is so disappointing looking into the club from the outside," Evatt said. "There was always a chance it could self-destruct. It was a ticking bomb that has seriously now gone off. It’s so frustrating to see that our hard work has just disappeared now. There’s only one man for the job.

"Ollie has the power to bring the fans back and he is the only person that could stand up to Oyston. I hope he goes back for the sake of the club."

Evatt is now having a well-deserved break but already cannot wait until next season.

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