THE stage would have been more than fitting for him to end his career on - but Barry Ferguson has no intentions of bowing out with a runners-up medal round his neck.

The former Rangers captain has starred in many a big occasion, but few could come close to the npower Championship play-off final at a sun-soaked Wembley.

With a place in the Barclays Premier League as well as a £90million cash bounty on the line for the winners, the incentive was significant.

However, despite the feeling of disappointment after his Blackpool side were defeated 2-1 by West Ham, the home of English football will not be the scene of Ferguson's farewell to football.

Instead, the 34-year-old will spend time with his family back in Scotland and ready himself for another rigorous campaign next season.

The midfielder said: "I will go away and enjoy my holiday and get ready for next season.

"It doesn't bother me, I love playing with Blackpool. It is a great set of boys, a great manager and a great staff. I am happy. It has been hard. The gaffer has rested me in some games, it is a lot of games at my age.

"As long as I keep looking after myself in the right way and have that desire to keep winning, I will keep playing.

"It is a joy to play here. That is why I came to Blackpool, the manager wants to play the way I think football should be played – on the ground. You could see that on Saturday.

"Some of the football we played was different class. We don't panic, we just get the ball and pass it. We will give it another go next time and hopefully we can go one better."

With time left on his Bloomfield Road contract and years left in his legs, Ferguson will remain pivotal to Blackpool for some time to come as they attempt to make up for their Wembley heartache.

His focus remains striving for on-field success, but the former Ibrox idol has already started planning ahead for the day when he is forced to call time on the career that has seen him star at the top level for both club and country.

He will head to Northern Ireland next month to begin his Uefa coaching licences, with a well-earned break after another impressive season on the horizon.

Ferguson said: "I am doing them [coaching badges] in the summer, I am looking forward to it, my missus isn't, she isn't happy. It is a long time.

"I am going to concentrate on playing but I need to start my badges. I am doing them in Northern Ireland at the start of June. I am doing my B and A licences at the same time. It will be a busy summer. I am over there for 10 days then off on holiday to try and relax for two or three weeks."

The Wembley showpiece may have been a disappointing way for Ferguson and fellow Scots Matt Gilks, Stephen Crainey, Matt Phillips and Stephen Dobbie to end their campaign, but the Seasiders have once again proved the doubters wrong under Ian Holloway's guidance.

Seeking an immediate return to the Premier League, they travelled to London as underdogs and will surely rue a host of missed chances as West Ham inflicted a late blow, Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te netting either side of Thomas Ince's leveller.

Scots duo Phillips and Dobbie spurned the best chances Holloway's side created, with their profligacy proving costly as their dreams were dashed.

Ferguson said: "I definitely thought we were going to do it. We are all disappointed. I thought we were the better team on the day. I think if you ask anybody they will say the same thing. It is not about any-body taking their chances. We are a team.

"We came in at half-time and the gaffer had a chat with us and told us to just play our normal game and that is what we did. We dominated the second half."