NATHAN CLARKE summed up tonight's Blackpool trip and the promotion chase in general with one keynote cry: "It's up to us!"

Town's talented 22-year-old defender believes both a victory at Bloomfield Road tonight (7.45) and a place in the top two can be achieved this season.

But only with dedication, application and concentration from a Town squad hunting their first back-to-back League victories since mid-October.

"To win two out of every three games to push for the top two is a big ask, but we are more than capable of doing it," said Clarke, a League ever-present so far.

"The important thing is not to get distracted by results elsewhere and what other teams are doing.

"We have to concentrate on ourselves and make sure we get another good run going - it's up to us!

"This last couple of months has been a horrible run for us, but the great thing is that we haven't slipped out of the play-off places and, hopefully, we can now put that behind us and push ourselves forward.

"We've got a strong squad and the gaffer, Taff and Martyn Booty have been working hard on the training ground to get us as fit and motivated as we can be.

"There's tough competition for places and we all recognise that. When you look at our bench at the moment we've got some very good back-up and, beyond that, there are people who can't even get in the 16 at the moment who are playing well, so it's looking good for the club.

"The lads who are waiting in the wings are just as eager as those in the side to do well and everyone in the dressing room is still up for a big promotion chase. It might be a big ask to go up automatically, but we're ready for the challenge and looking forward very positively indeed."

Town have won just once at Bloomfield Road since that stunning 4-1 opening to the 1994-95 play-off promotion campaign - that was back in 2002 - and Clarke well remembers the last time there.

"It was in the LDV Vans Trophy and Blackpool gave us a right showing up, 6-3," he recalled. "It would be nice to make up for that and to take the three points before we face MK Dons at home."

Blackpool - Jones, Parker, Clarke, Murphy, Prendergast, Fox, Lasley, Morris, Edwards, Wilcox, Kuqi, Blinkhorn, Taylor, Bean, Vernon, Pogliacomi, Wiles.

Town - Senior, Mirfin, Holdsworth, N Clarke, McIntosh, Smith, Adams, Worthington, Collins, Brandon, Taylor-Fletcher, Schofield, Booth, Graham, Abbott, T Clarke, Ahmed, McAliskey, Rachubka.

Referee - Trevor Parkes (Birmingham).