Rock-bottom Blackpool’s plight saddens former player Luke Varney, but the Ipswich striker will be in no mood to be charitable at Portman Road tomorrow.

The Tangerines, already relegated to League One for next season, still require a further two points to better Stockport’s tally of 26 points in the 2001-02 season, which makes them currently the worst-ever team to have played in the Championship.

However, Town have their own problems, having put themselves in danger of missing out on the play-offs altogether, following Monday’s loss at Huddersfield.

“We will have to start well and unless we apply ourselves properly, we will get stung again,” said loan striker Varney, who expects to leave Blackburn Rovers at the end of the seaosn.

“Huddersfield was probably not as big a setback as we first thought, although that will depend on the next two results.

“But it’s given us a lot more impetus to put that result right and put in a good performance to start with.

“If we do that then we have a better chance of winning the game, because we let ourselves down in the first half (at Huddersfield) that’s for sure.”

Varney, 32, has enjoyed something of a nomadic career since making his name at Crewe as an exciting goalscorer 12 years ago.

He can list Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Leeds and Charlton as former clubs, but it was at Blackpool, during their time in the Premier League, where he spent arguably the best time of his career.

“It was one of my best years in football,” remembers Varney, who part of the team relegated on the final day of the season at Manchester United.

“The team were brilliant until Christmas and terrible after it.

“I scored on my debut against Fulham, having only signed two days earlier and spent a night in a hotel with hen and stag do’s running all over the place. I was thinking to myself ‘I am making my Premier League debut tomorrow’.”

He added: “There isn’t a single player of member of staff still there from my time. To change so much in four years is horrific.

“I hope one day they can get back to where they were because the club had a great buzz about it.

“It’s unfortunate to see how far they have come down and stability is sometimes the way forward.”