Heneghan: Nothing can stop Blackpool returning to Championship

Blackpool finished the season 10th in League One, 11 points outside the play-offs, but Heneghan says that with the right recruitment over the summer the club can compete for promotion.

The defender told The Gazette: “I think they can achieve a lot. It’s a big club, a great club.

“It just needs a few tweaks, which I’m sure will happen over the summer.

“There’s no stopping this club going back to the Championship, so if I’m here or not I wish the club the best – I really do – because they looked after me and I wish them nothing but success.”

Heneghan says he and his team-mates were disappointed Pool didn’t maintain their push for the top six.

“I think we are frustrated we didn’t get the play-off spot,” he added. “There’s no denying we’ve got a really good group, with talented players. We just messed up on a few occasions when we knew we shouldn’t have.

“You look back and it’s clear we’ve not scored enough to get us over the line. But to get a top-10 finish, given we were among the relegation favourites at the start of the season, you’ve got to pat the lads on the back.

“I think scoring is the main issue. That’s not digging anyone out – it’s collective. I feel I should have scored a lot more than I did. It goes for everyone on the pitch.

“But we kept a good number of clean sheets, even though I wanted more.

“I had 25 in mind in all competitions but we fell short of that. Being a defender it was drilled into me to keep as many clean sheets as possible. I take pride in it.

“If I want to progress, I’ve got to get as many clean sheets as possible. I just have a pride in keeping the ball out of the back of the net and I will put my body on the line.

“I do it in training and I take that into games. If I have to take a whack, I will if it helps the team.

“But overall I think the lads have done well, considering what we dealt with on and off the pitch. It was a close-knit group, who stuck together no matter what.”