A fitting way to mark Neil Critchley's 100th game: Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's pulsating Sheffield United draw

Blackpool’s display had all the ingredients of a trademark Critchley performance. It had the hunger and the desire, but also the tactical nous and the gumption to go toe-to-toe with another top team.

They didn’t just match Sheffield United though, they arguably got the better of them. They certainly did in the second-half when they had the Blades pinned back in their own half for much of it.

While the visitors were well on top in the opening 45 minutes, the best chances actually came Blackpool’s way - Josh Bowler rattling the crossbar and Gary Madine heading just over against his former club.

Billy Sharp, meanwhile, squandered Sheffield United’s most presentable chance, surprisingly shooting wide when you were expecting him to pick out the bottom corner.

Other than the late controversy over Sheffield United’s offside ‘goal’, which transpired not to be that controversial at all, the Seasiders limited their opponents to very little.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, and whether you feel there’s any chance of making the play-offs or not, the Seasiders can be incredibly proud of the way they’ve taken to life back in the Championship.

Cast your minds back to the start of the season, where the Seasiders were looking to adapt their game to the second tier by playing out from the back in an attempt to beat the press.

Like any new system or new approach, it takes time to bed in and inevitably there were errors and bounces in the road along the way. But just look at how far they’ve come.

Sheffield United’s off-the-ball work, especially in the opening 20 minutes, was as good as anything I’ve seen from a Championship side this season (Blackpool aside, naturally).

As soon as the ball left Dan Grimshaw’s feet, two, three and sometimes four players would be straight onto Kenny Dougall and Kevin Stewart, snapping at their toes within a split-second.

They went even further than that, also opting to close down Grimshaw and the back three as they looked to pick out a forward pass.

But the Seasiders didn’t panic, they stuck to their game. While yes, the Blades did inevitably win some turnovers, Critchley’s men also found their way through on more than one occasion and earned space higher up the field as a result.

Eventually, the away side backed off and showed them some respect. From that point onwards, both sides just went for it - which made for a breathless, pulsating encounter. Yet somehow it remained goalless.

Critchley couldn’t have asked for much more from his players though, they completely emptied their tank and left everything out there.

If Blackpool do miss out on the top six, which appears likely, it won’t be for a lack of trying.

The gap now stands at seven points, but that will surely stretch this weekend when the Seasiders aren’t in action yet many of their rivals are.

With nine games to go, and eight of those in a jam-packed April schedule, Blackpool can continue to play without pressure and see where it takes them.

Realistically though, they’re going to have to beat Nottingham Forest on their return from the international break before their back-to-back Lancashire derbies against Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers.

If Blackpool were a ‘normal’ side with a ‘normal’ manager in charge, you’d take one look at the table and tell yourself a top half finish would be wonderful, perhaps top 10.

There’s still a great deal of truth in that and even if the Seasiders finish in 13th, where they currently lie, it’s still been a wonderful first season back in the Championship.

But this is Critchley’s Blackpool we’re talking about, you can’t rule anything out. There’s no point heading into the final nine games with a mindset of ‘well it’s been a good season, we’ll settle for this’ because you know full well how that would end. It would result in a complacent end to the campaign and complacency isn’t a word you can ever associate with a Blackpool side under their current boss.

There was something utterly compelling about the way Pool threw caution to the wind during the final 10 minutes or so.

Critchley knew a point was no good in the grand scheme of things, they need victories and a lot of them if they’re to have any realistic chance of hauling in the top six.

Sheffield United, in complete contrast to the borefest served up by Swansea at the weekend, thankfully took the same approach, which made for an enthralling end to the game - as if they were two basketball sides desperately searching for a last-gasp three-pointer.

Or, to use a boxing analogy this time, Blackpool are prepared to go out on their shield during the remaining nine games of the season.

They’re not going to meekly surrender and throw in the towel and accept their fate, they’re going to give it all they’ve got in hope of securing a dramatic final round knockout.

Chances are it probably won’t happen, but you just never know, do you?

What is perhaps most pleasing is that Pool aren’t just wildly swinging punches with no skill attached to them, they’re ducking and diving and picking their moment and timing their strikes to perfection.

All that is missing is that final blow, the bit at the very end – the moment of quality to turns these draws into victories.

Will that come this season or next? You decide.