Mick McCarthy explains absence of Leeds United's Ian Poveda, bad luck and 'discipline' view

Poveda had featured in all four of Blackpool’s games leading up to the weekend’s clash against the Clarets, starting two of them and scoring the only goal of the game in last month’s 1-0 victory at home to Stoke City.

The 23-year-old was brought on as a first-half substitute in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Reading in which he replaced the injured Shayne Lavery but Poveda was missing from Saturday’s matchday squad against the Clarets and McCarthy has explained why.

McCarthy told the Blackpool Gazette: “Ian had a bit of a knock in his back early on. I think he went for a scan on Friday and he was still feeling it. He told me after I left him out that he was okay. Well, that’s unlucky because I left him out. That game wasn’t for him, though, in terms of him being that loose player, he’s not that disciplined in a 4-4-2 where he’d have to drop in and stop Burnley playing, so that was an easy decision for me."

Blackpool held Burnley to a goalless draw which left the third-bottom Tangerines six points adrift of safety. Blackpool are back in action next Saturday lunchtime at Bristol City.