'Nowhere near': Blackpool loanee's honest Portsmouth admission about his goals and assists

Now the hard-working winger is gunning to finish the season with a flourish as he sharpens up his cutting edge.

The tireless Blackpool loanee has proven a popular recruit this season, impressing with his energy levels and commitment.

However, a return of one goal and three assists from 25 league outings is, by Dale’s own admission, a disappointing one.

Certainly the 24-year-old doesn’t need reminding that more creativity is required to drive Pompey towards the battle for the play-offs.

And he is determined to improve on his personal attacking output during the second half of the campaign.

Dale told The News: ‘Unfortunately I’m in a bit of a drought in front of goal, but I feel my performances have been good.

‘I haven’t been doing enough. I could have 10 goals and 10 assists and still say that. By my own standards, this is nowhere near, but if I wasn’t getting the chances then I would be worried.

‘The fact that I’m getting in there and making things happen, it’s almost like waiting for the penny to drop, and I'm confident and have the belief that it will.

‘Maybe I’ve not put the ball in that dangerous area enough, just giving Colby (Bishop), the opposite winger or whoever to attack.

‘But it’s definitely something I am working on – and I know I have the ability to provide more of that. I will do.

‘Sometimes assists can be a tough one, you’re relying on someone else to score, but I can definitely put the ball in dangerous areas more. Scoring I am disappointed with.

‘It’s not something I am going to focus too much on because it can get into your head, but it’s definitely something I’m working on on the training ground.

‘Goals and assists are part of my job. By my standards, at the moment I haven’t done enough.’

Certainly one part of Dale’s game which cannot be questioned is his work-rate.

Yet it’s an aspect he is adamant should be considered a bare minimum of the job rather than applauded.

He added: ‘If I’m buzzing about and doing the other side well, in terms of running around and working hard, I feel I’m more involved in the game – and that helps me on the ball, it keeps me switched on.

‘I can tell in the first few minutes if I’m not on it, then I’ll have a word with myself, maybe go on a bit of a sprint, or try to get stuck into someone, just something to get me up.

‘You look at the game now and everyone's an athlete, running around. Working hard is a bare minimum.

‘You can have a bad game, that happens, sometimes things just don’t go well for you on the ball, but every player can run and run hard.’