New Blackpool boss Lee Clark will look to get off to a winning start this Saturday when his side host Ipswich Town at Bloomfield Road.

The tumultuous Jose Riga era came to an end earlier this week after just five months, although in truth it was a surprise that his reign lasted even that long.

The Belgian boss was faced with an unenviable task following a mass upheaval in the summer transfer market, and Clark is no better off going into his own spell at the helm.

The Tangerines have lost 10 of their opening 14 outings, winning just once and amassing a measly six points to leave themselves bottom of the table.

Indeed, even at this early stage of the season, it is tough to see a way back for the club, who are already seven points adrift of safety.

Quite where Clark plans to start in sorting out the mess that Blackpool find themselves in remains to be seen, but it would be some feat if he were to maintain their Championship status this season.

The Seasiders come into this match on the back of three consecutive defeats, the most recent of which saw them comfortably beaten 3-0 by Reading last weekend.

They are the league's lowest scorers having found the net just eight times in their opening 14 matches, while they have scored just six times in their last 11 home outings.

Their solitary victory this season did come at Bloomfield Road, but they have also lost nine of their last 11 matches in front of their own fans.

Clark will be without David Perkins for his first game in charge due to suspension, but he has no new injury concerns to worry out.

Ipswich, meanwhile, are in relatively poor form themselves and have now gone five matches without a victory following a run of four wins in a row.

That has seen them slide down to 10th in the Championship table, although they remain just two points off the playoff places.

Mick McCarthy's side are undoubtedly a tough team to beat having lost just one of their last 10 outings, but four draws from their last five games represents too many dropped points for a side chasing the top six.

Perhaps the most concerning thing for the Tractor Boys will be that they were leading in the latter stages of three of those draws, only to succumb to late goals that saw the spoils shared.

That was again the case last time out as Huddersfield Town scored twice in the final 20 minutes to overturn a two-goal deficit and rescue a point at Portman Road.

Ipswich have won just once on the road all season, but will see this weekend's match as a very winnable game having also held the likes of Derby County and Nottingham Forest to respectable draws on their travels.

McCarthy has highly-rated full-back Tyrone Mings back available to him this weekend, and he is expected to be reinstated to the starting lineup.

Recent form

Blackpool: LLLWDL

Ipswich: DLDDDW

Possible starting lineups

Blackpool: Lewis; Daniels, Clarke, Rentmeister, Edu Oriol; Orlandi, Cywka, Lundstram; Delfouneso, Zoko, Miller

Ipswich: Gerken; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Mings; Hyam, Skuse, Bishop; Murphy, McGoldrick, Sammon

Sports Mole says: 0-2

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