Holloway eyes new keeper

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway faces a goalkeeping crisis after Paul Rachubka injured his knee in training and could be out for up to six months.

With Matt Gilks, the club’s first-choice stopper, still six weeks away from returning to action due to a knee problem of his own, Holloway will have to rely on Ghanaian Richard Kingson for Saturday’s game with Aston Villa.

Kingson had started 11 games in Gilks’ absence but was dropped for last weekend’s 5-3 defeat to Everton after suffering from head and knee injuries himself – and Holloway admits he will try and sign a keeper on an emergency loan.

“Paul Rachubka has gone and injured himself again, which leaves us with only one fit goalie,” said Holloway.

“He’s come through all that over the last five or six months, he’s got himself fully fit, and then an injury in training and he’s gone. And he might be out for another five or six months.”

“We are going to have to try (to sign another goalkeeper). Richard won’t mind me saying this – he is probably more patched up than anybody I’ve got in my squad.”

“He is a wonderful lad, but he was injured last week when he split his head open, and he had a bad knee the week before that. So I think we can easily prove that we are a little bit short and hopefully common sense will prevail.”

“We reported it straight away and I’m sure we can prove we need another one in – it’s just who, and from where.”

Holloway admits he is still unsure whether his side are good enough to avoid relegation. A fine start to the season saw Blackpool ease clear of the bottom three but a run of five successive defeats has left them just two points above 18th-placed Wigan.

“Are we strong enough? No-one knew at the start of the season, and we still don’t know now because a win this week and a win next week and we could be way up the league,” he said.

“Last season, some teams at this level went down with 30 points, and one more win, whether that keeps us safe or not, puts us on 31 points.”