Blackpool 1 Huddersfield Town 0: Motivation is not the issue, says Town chief

“Things will improve, there is no doubt about it, but it will take a little bit of time and a bit of work,” claimed Robins, whose side are 12 points clear of the drop zone.

“We have got nine games to go and if we don’t pick up points we are certainly going to be lower in the league than we want to be.

“We were talking this time a few weeks ago about being top 10. We have just got to get back to being as good as we can be because we have not been.

“Motivation shouldn’t be an issue and I don’t necessarily think it is an issue. They’re working hard in training. I think the temptation is to work them a lot harder and at this stage of the season it’s very difficult to do so.”

Barry Ferguson admitted Blackpool’s win was not the result of the prettiest football as the Seasiders enjoyed just their second victory in 21 games.

Veteran striker Ricardo Fuller’s fourth-minute strike proved decisive as Huddersfield failed to find a way past Matt Gilks, going down to a third defeat in four outings.

Nahki Wells had a ‘goal’ disallowed after the break and fellow striker James Vaughan was wasteful. Substitute Andy Keogh also had the chance to put the result to bed late on for Blackpool but could not find the finish.

Blackpool: Gilks, McMahon, MacKenzie, Broadfoot (Foley 31), Robinson, Cathcart, Basham, Perkins, Grandin (Bishop 67), Fuller (Keogh 80), Goodwillie. Unused substitutes: Halliday, Haroun, Osbourne, Martinez.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies, Clarke, Gerrard, Wallace (Woods 38), Hammill, Southern (Ward 80), Clayton, Hogg (Norwood 46), Dixon, Vaughan, Wells. Unused substitutes: Scannell, Bennett, Holmes, Bunn.

Referee: R Lewis (Shropshire).

Man of the match: David Perkins.