Defender James Husband will fight tooth and nail in his bid to help Blackpool complete a great escape!

Blackpool's task is black and white in the eyes of defender James Husband.

With time running out, and points at a premium, there are no grey areas as far as the 29-year-old is concerned.

The Seasiders are four points adrift of safety in the Championship, with an inferior goal difference in comparison to Cardiff City, who also own a game in hand.

And the left back knows that Mick McCarthy's men have to make the most of each and every opportunity that comes their way if they're to beat the drop to League One.

“We have to be excited for the next eight games," he said.

"We need to be ready for what's ahead because it's going to be an important month for us.

"Everyone is aware so you can't be blind to what is going on, but we can't change anything, we can only control what we're going to do on Saturday and plan to win three points."

In terms of assignments, they don't come any bigger than what is next for the Tangerines. The West Lancashire derby against rivals Preston North End has the potential to make or break Blackpool's campaign.

The Seasiders beat the Lilywhites 4-2 at Bloomfield Road in October as Charlie Patino and Chris Hamilton added to Jerry Yates' brace, ensuring Ben Whiteman's equaliser from the spot and Callum Connolly's own goal counted for nothing.

But that victory came just a week before the club's last victory on the road [against Coventry City] and they've been unsuccessful in 10 attempts on their travels since in the second tier, losing six on the bounce.

With Blackpool winless at Deepdale since 2009, when Charlie Adam scored the only goal of the game, Husband said: “Any time a derby game comes along it’s probably the right time.

“You know what a win does and you know where it can take you confidence wise.

“If we can take six points from Preston this season, not only is it a boost for our campaign, it's obviously a boost for everybody around the place."