one match out. With his contract running out at the end of the season he turned down a move to Leeds United and instead signed a one-year contract extension with Swindon. The 2005–06 season began for Evans with a knee injury, when he was forced to play early matches in pain as the club had no back-up goalkeeper available. When Swindon signed Tom Heaton on loan from Manchester United until 2 January 2006, it allowed Evans to have exploratory surgery on the knee. He also spent time at Lilleshall rehabilitation centre before his comeback to the first team in late 2005, when he again established himself. The season ended in relegation for Swindon Town to Football League Two, and Evans won a clean sweep of all the club's "player of the season" awards. Blackpool With his contract again up at the end of the season, new Swindon manager Dennis Wise, offered Evans a one-year contract, which Evans turned down as he wished to play at a higher level than League Two. On 1 July 2006, he signed a two-year contract with Blackpool on a free transfer. Evans made 39 consecutive appearances in the 2006–07 league season. On 27 February 2006, he was dropped by Blackpool manager Simon Grayson in favour of then on-loan Paul Rachubka for a match at Oldham Athletic, in which Rachubka kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win. In April 2007, Evans picked up a hernia injury that required surgery. This kept him out of the side until May. Both the on-loan Rachubka and Blackpool's third-choice keeper, Lewis Edge, also suffered concurrent injuries, which led to Blackpool bringing in Manchester City's Joe Hart on loan as an emergency stand-in. Following promotion to the Football League Championship Rachubka, who by then had signed permanently for the club, remained the first-choice goalkeeper. Evans' only appearances in the first part of the 2007–08 season came in the League Cup against Premier League club Derby County on 28 August 2007, which Blackpool won on penalties after the game ended 2–2 in extra time, and then in the next round of the same competition against Southend United which Blackpool won 2–1 after extra time. On 5 October 2007, Blackpool sent Evans on a month's loan to League Two club Bradford City in order to help him resurrect his career. He made his debut for Bradford against Milton Keynes Dons, his first