Blackpool v Reading: Live match updates as Paul Ince returns to Bloomfield Road

Blackpool’s squad have just gone upstairs for their pre-match team meeting and it appears Marvin Ekpiteta is among them.

That would be a big bonus to have him back today.

An extra dynamic to today’s game is the return of Paul Ince to Bloomfield Road.

The 54-year-old oversaw a 2-1 victory for the Royals at home to Birmingham City during his first game in charge.

Next up for Ince on Saturday is a return to Bloomfield Road, where he experienced an all too brief spell in charge of the Seasiders.

The former England and Liverpool midfielder left Blackpool in January 2014 after less than a year in charge, becoming the club’s fourth-shortest-serving manager.

Under his management, Blackpool won 12 out of 42 games and, at the time of his sacking, the club had won just two points from their last 12 games.

Prior to his move to Reading, it was the 54-year-old’s last role in management.

What are your memories of Ince’s time at Bloomfield Road? Re-jog your memory here.

After the disappointing performance and result against QPR in midweek, Neil Critchley would be well in his rights to make a few changes for today’s encounter.

In defence, a lot will depend on whether Marvin Ekpiteta is fit enough to feature, otherwise Oliver Casey could continue alongside Jordan Thorniley.

Reece James has struggled a little since returning from his injury, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dujon Sterling return at left-back and Jordan Gabriel continue at right-back.

That’s assuming Pool revert back to 4-4-2, which of course isn’t set in stone.

Kevin Stewart will be pushing to reclaim his place in the side after being given a rest in midweek. If he does, he’ll surely partner Kenny Dougall, who was Blackpool’s standout performer against QPR.

Who gets the nod on the left wing, CJ Hamilton, Charlie Kirk or Owen Dale, is anyone’s guess, while Shayne Lavery and Jerry Yates will be battling it out to partner Gary Madine in attack.

Here’s how we think the Seasiders might line up.

“Reading have just won their last two games and psychologically they’re in a better place than what they were in the last few weeks.

“We now have to go again. Saturday becomes an important game for us because we want to get that winning feeling back and we’re facing a Reading side that have hit a bit of form.

“It’s up to us to respond, so the character of the players is tested and let’s see how we respond on Saturday.”

The Seasiders will hope to have Marvin Ekpiteta back fit after the defender was left out against QPR in midweek.

It comes after the 26-year-old suffered a knock during the recent defeat to Bournemouth, which at the time appeared to be a fairly serious looking hamstring injury.

But Ekpiteta (above) was able to recover in time for the trip to Cardiff City, only to be left out at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium last night.

When asked why that was the case, Critchley told The Gazette: “The issue he came off with against Bournemouth, which we thought was going to be a serious one, we had good news on.

“It’s a bit of a neural problem, which is aligned to his back a little bit, so he still felt that towards the end of the game against Cardiff on Saturday, so we didn’t want to risk him again.”

Elsewhere, Chris Maxwell (quad), Richard Keogh (calf), Luke Garbutt (knee), James Husband (hamstring), Matty Virtue (ACL), Grant Ward (achilles), Sonny Carey (metatarsal) and Keshi Anderson (hamstring) are all likely to remain sidelined.

It was expected Husband would return to training last week, however, so he shouldn’t be too far away.

The Seasiders will be desperate to get back to winning ways after slumping to a disappointing 2-1 defeat to 10-man QPR on Wednesday night.

Neil Critchley’s side had a man advantage for over 50 minutes, but were unable to capitalise. Having equalised through Josh Bowler late on, they inexplicably conceded in the 89th minute.

It wasn’t just the result which was concerning though, the performance left a lot to be desired too. Pool were defensively resolute but struggled to create many clear-cut chances all evening.

Today, they came up against a resurgent Reading side that have won their last two games on the bounce to pull slightly away from the bottom three.

Bizarrely, Veljko Paunovic was relieved of his duties last week barely an hour after leading his side to a 3-2 win against Preston North End at Deepdale.

Former Pool boss Paul Ince was then installed as interim boss and the 54-year-old enjoyed a strong start thanks to a 2-1 home win against Birmingham City on Tuesday night.

The former England, Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder has son Tom among his squad.

And welcome to tonight’s live blog.

After the disappointment of Wednesday night and the excitement of Thursday night, the Seasiders return to action on home turf this afternoon as they take on Reading.

The game takes on an extra element given their opponents are now managed by former Blackpool boss Paul Ince, who endured a difficult time on the Fylde coast, let’s say.

Follow our blog for build-up, team news and live match updates.