A new signing and a promising display against Rangers is just what the doctor ordered for Blackpool

Let’s not beat around the bush, the mood has been a little tense in recent weeks.

While many have since come around to Michael Appleton’s appointment, the seemingly endless wait for a first signing of the summer, coupled with the poor first-half display against Leeds United, had caused a bit of anxiety in some quarters.

But football is a fickle business and things can change at the click of a finger. The arrival of Lewis Fiorini and the Seasiders going toe-to-toe with last season’s Europa League finalists has injected some much-needed positivity.

Given this was the first time we’ve seen anything resembling Blackpool’s strongest line-up under Appleton, I’d suggest Blackpool fans are right to feel encouraged after this display.

Rangers named a strong line-up but the Seasiders dealt with them well, especially in the first-half when they created three or four good openings while the visitors were limited to virtually nothing.

Giovanni van Bronkchort’s side, who were backed by 8,000 or so boisterous fans, inevitably came on strong in the second-half and picked up the win as a result.

But there were still plenty of positives to take away. For a start, Blackpool played some really good stuff, their patterns of play and passing football was exactly what had been promised under Appleton and out of possession they were every bit as disciplined and organised as they’ve so often been under Neil Critchley.

Focusing on individual displays, Rob Apter didn’t look out of place once again despite being forced to fill in at left-back.

Over on the other side, Callum Connolly produced a more-than-adequate display in the absence of a fit right-back, keeping things solid and even going close to scoring at the other end with a close-range header which whistled just wide.

Sonny Carey and Keshi Anderson continue to link up well in the more advanced central midfield positions and appear to be striking up an impressive connection between the two of them, often picking each other out while the other makes darts behind the opposition’s backline.

Josh Bowler was back to his electric best in attack, but it was a shame his two lapses in concentration in the defensive third of the pitch inadvertently led to Rangers’ two goals, because he was otherwise excellent.

Not everything is sunshine and rainbows though, unfortunately. CJ Hamilton lacked a cutting edge in the final third and, disappointingly, backed out of a couple of 50-50 challenges on a couple of occasions.

It’s a shame because his pace alone causes nightmares for defenders, but it’s got to click for him sooner or later otherwise he’ll find himself down the pecking order, given a new winger is likely to be on Appleton’s shopping list as it is.

Beryly Lubala, who appears to be getting his opportunity to stake a claim for the first-team, bagged a late consolation, steering home from Jerry Yates’ ingenious assist to net for the second time in pre-season.

It was also good to see Fiorini don a tangerine shirt for the first time off the bench while Grant Ward also made a surprise return, with Appleton set to run the rule over the ‘trialist’ over the coming days with a view to a potential deal.