Bowyer: Substitutions gave us momentum

Kyle Vassell came off the bench to score the winning goal on his return to the side after spending a month on the sidelines with a broken foot.

Jordan Flores and Ian Black also came on to add more quality to Pool's midfield as they picked up a fifth win out of their last six games to see them climb back into the League Two play-offs.

Bowyer said: “I thought we needed to make the changes to get some momentum back into the game.

“Leaving Jordan Flores out was probably the toughest decision I’ve had to take, certainly this season for sure.

“Bringing him on brought that composure and his ability to pick a pass was needed.

MATCH REPORT: Blackpool 2-1 Hartlepool

“I felt sorry for Mark Cullen because he worked tirelessly up front on his own because the service we gave him wasn’t great.

“But he didn’t moan and he kept making those runs. We got him in once but he probably had a bit more time than he thought.

“So we decided to make the change and bring in the physicality you get with Vass and I’m delighted with the way we’ve gone about it.”

The win saw Blackpool climb back into the play-offs for the first time in December ahead of what will be a crunch game against promotion rivals Luton Town next Saturday.