"WE WANT TO GO AS FAR AS POSSIBLE IN THE CARLING CUP" - ANDY RITCHIE

From Official site

REDS boss Andy Ritchie gave his thoughts ahead of tonight's Carling Cup clash with Blackpool.

Andy said: "We will be making changes against Blackpool to rest some players and give others a game. We will definitely be resting Brian (Howard) and Sam (Togwell) so Colin Healy and Nicky Wroe will start in midfield. Brian and Sam have worked tremendously hard in every game. They have been awesome this season and do deserve a night off.

"Antony Kay has a sore calf after Saturday so he will not play. He had a bit of a fitness test before the Southampton game so there is no point risking him. Paul Heckingbottom will sit it out again. He has been struggling with a rib injury since the Cardiff game and just aggravated it in training and again in the warm up. Robbie Williams came in and did an excellent job so he will get another chance to stake his claim at Blackpool.

"We need to give some of our players games now. Playing reserve team football is not the best for them so they will get a run out tonight. I think we will see Michael Coulson in there as well at some point tonight.

"Having said that, we want to win the game but we need to have a look at some of our lads who have been unlucky so far this season. The players in the team have set such a high standard in the four games that it has been impossible to leave them out. They have not given the others any chance to get a foot in".

He added: "We created a lot of chances last season but really did not put away a high enough percentage of them. We have been more clinical this year and we are very pleased with that although I still feel that we really could have had three or four more.

"The lads have put in a huge amount of effort and are confident. There is a buzz around this club now and a buzz in the town so we want to keep that going by playing exciting football.

"We want to go as far as possible in the Carling Cup. It is a great chance to get to the Millennium Stadium again and we have to go out to do as well as we can. We have to set out targets high. We will field a team full of players who have a point to prove because they have not been in the team this season. A lot of them - like Dale Tonge, Robbie Williams and Tommy Wright - have been very unlucky because they have all done well when called upon but have not been able to get into the starting eleven. This is their chance.

"Blackpool is always a tough place to go and we are expecting a difficult game again. We would be disappointed to lose but our main priority is staying in the Championship.

"We are still interested in bringing Colin Kazim-Richards to the club although we have not really got anywhere with it. We are still waiting on Brighton and they have not yet put a price on him. We are not going to steam in there and we are waiting on an answer from them. Hopefully we will get that soon although it is frustrating. We are still interested but we are also looking closely at one or two others and could know something more this week".