Neil Critchley speaks out on Blackpool after impressive Stoke win

Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley has hinted at an exciting end to the season for the Seasiders after their 1-0 win over Stoke City.

The win on Saturday gave them back-to-back wins in the Championship after defeating Reading 4-1 the week before.

Those six points have meant Blackpool have climbed to 14th in the Championship table and are now just seven points off the play-off places.

“It’s massive. Any three points is so hard to come by this season. To get six points is really crucial,” Critchley told The Gazette.

“We want to make the end of the season interesting for us because we believe with some players coming back, I know how we work during the week and how we train we will stay fresh, so if we produce this type of intensity in every game we will be hard to hold near the end of the season.

“We’ve got two home games to come now and then you go into an international break with nine games to go.

Blackpool face Swansea City and Sheffield United at Bloomfield Road in their next two outings before the international break.

If the Seasiders were to get a positive result in both games, it could see them with an outside chance of gaining a play-off place with nine games to go.

“We can have a good end to the season, but the next two games at home are big for us,” Critchley re-affirmed.

“We were the better side against Stoke, we edged the game so hopefully we can have a really exciting end to the season and something to look forward to.

“If we can be in and around and not far away, Bloomfield Road will be a really great place to be.”

Blackpool face Swansea City at Bloomfield Road on Saturday with a kick-off time set for 3pm.

The Verdict 

After back-to-back wins it is no wonder Neil Critchley was in a buoyant mood this weekend.