A story of redemption: Matt Scrafton's verdict as Blackpool edge past Millwall to make it back-to-back wins

Neil Critchley largely kept faith with the same side that was dumped out of the FA Cup a fortnight ago at the hands of League Two Hartlepool United.

While James Husband and Keshi Anderson inevitably made way following the injuries they suffered during that nightmare ‘cupset’ in the North East, the Seasiders boss opted to keep Dujon Sterling, CJ Hamilton and Shayne Lavery in the starting line-up when most were widely expecting them to be dropped.

The trio weren’t the only poor performers at Hartlepool, far from it. But they took most of the flak.

Critchley himself conceded he would have been well within his rights to make wholesale changes, but wanted to give certain players a chance to redeem themselves.

“I felt some players at this moment in time need to feel my support and need to feel the trust of the coach,” he told The Gazette.

“Some of the players got another opportunity to put that right and they’ve gone and done that.”

He’s not wrong. Sterling provided a near-faultless display and was Blackpool’s Man of the Match and Hamilton played a leading role in the match-winning goal, which was converted by one Mr Lavery.

I think it’s fair to say Critchley’s faith was certainly repaid.

I must disagree with Critchley’s assessment of his side’s overall performance though, because I thought he did his players a slight disservice.

“It was really hard fought and it wasn’t particularly pretty at times, but we got the job done,” was his verdict.

He’s right in one sense, because it was a predictably scrappy, tight affair between two sides that began the day level on points with one another.

And in the end it was considered “job done” as the Seasiders had to hold on a little towards the end, which has become something of a recurring trend this season. But it should never have got to that point because the game ought to have been put to bed long before then.

Blackpool delivered a measured and mature display and rarely, if ever, looked in danger of conceding as they won 1-0 in the league for the second game running to maintain their 100 per cent record in the league in 2022.

The hosts squandered good chances to boast a wider margin of victory, too, but how often have we said that this season? But we’re splitting hairs.

While there’s no doubt Blackpool came to life in the second-half, I’m not sure I agreed with the criticism of their offering in the first 45 minutes.

While it wasn’t action-packed, get-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat stuff, I was impressed with the patience they demonstrated.

Millwall pressed high up the pitch and would close down the likes of Kenny Dougall and Callum Connolly pretty aggressively in the midfield areas, but that didn’t stop the Seasiders showing bravery and playing short passes out from the defenders anyway, risking losing the ball worryingly close to their own goal.

We’ve seen that happen on a few occasions this season, especially during the opening months of the campaign. But they now appear to be well-versed to playing that way should the game require it.

In the first-half against Millwall, more often than not it paid off, the passes out from the back found their intended target and the home side would end up exploiting a gap further up the field due to their ability to beat the press. They just weren’t able to capitalise on it in the final third.

In terms of getting from back to front, Blackpool were performing well, it probably just wasn’t as noticeable as it was calm and measured, rather than the more “heavy metal”, up-and-at-em’, in-your-face approach we witnessed at the start of the second-half.

Whatever the approach, there’s no doubting Blackpool were the dominant side.

But if we’re being hyper-critical of the Seasiders, and that’s exactly what this is, they’ve simply got to find a way of killing off teams. The last 10 minutes of this affair were a lot more nerve-jangling than they ought to have been.

Saying that, other than a full-stretch Dan Grimshaw save to deny substitute Tyler Burey nine minutes from time, it’s not like the injury-hit away side came close to stealing a late leveller.

But even then, we know how clinical sides can be in the Championship. Sometimes all it takes is one sniff of goal and you’re behind or being pegged back.

The logical next step of Blackpool’s development has got to be ensuring their strong performances are backed up by two or three goals, because – while it’s worked for the last two games – one goal won’t always be enough.

Otherwise it’s a big ask to rely on Blackpool’s keeper and their defenders, as heroic as they were on Saturday – particularly Sterling, Marvin Ekpiteta and Richard Keogh.

But let’s focus on the positives, because there are plenty.

The Seasiders are now back into the top half of the table and are eight points off the top six with a game in hand.

I’m not sure there’s any point in even looking that far down the table anymore, but for context, the buffer to the relegation zone now stands at 15.

With 36 points to their name, Critchley’s side realistically only need another three or four wins from the remaining 19 games to secure their survival and we’re not even in February yet.

It’s some achievement for the supposed relegation favourites, a feat that appears to get very little recognition outside the Fylde coast, but such is the Blackpool way - a side that are permanently under the radar.

But you won’t hear Blackpool complain. They’re the perennial underdogs and love to be written off, as they will be when they head to the banks of the Thames next week to take on a free-scoring Fulham side that have plundered 22 goals in their last four games and 73 all season – bidding to complete a double over the league leaders.

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