An impressive display full of swagger and control, but just lacking one key ingredient: Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's draw at Crewe

After some early-season jitters caused by three straight league defeats, it was imperative Blackpool stopped the rot.
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'We didn't do enough in the final third': Neil Critchley reflects on Blackpool's...

The Seasiders have undergone major upheaval in recent months, with the club’s deadline day double swoop for Ben Woodburn and Kenny Dougall making it 16 and 17 signings respectively since the end of last season. No club in League One has made more additions.

But if you thought that was a lot, Jamie Devitt’s loan switch to Newport County on Friday was the 21st departure, the 30-year-old also becoming the eighth of last summer’s nine permanent signings to have already left. The constantly revolving door at Bloomfield Road never ceases to fascinate and frustrate me in equal measure.

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Despite the significant turnaround, and the attempt to implement a completely new style of play, head coach Neil Critchley has assured supporters the Seasiders are more than capable of picking up positive results while ‘learning on the job’, so to speak.

By this, I mean it will take time for a new group of players to build relationships, to develop an understanding and to work out how Critchley wants them to play.

This isn’t Football Manager, this is real life. You could pluck the best players from around the globe and plonk them into a dream XI, it doesn’t mean they will instantly gel and play like Brazil circa 1970.

That of course does beg the question why the club made so many signings in such a short period of time given their well-documented ambitions to clinch promotion this season, but that’s another matter for another day.

Grant Ward celebrates after drawing Blackpool levelGrant Ward celebrates after drawing Blackpool level
Grant Ward celebrates after drawing Blackpool level
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What matters right now is results on the pitch, a need only intensified by last week’s 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Ipswich Town.

With four defeats to their name from their opening five league outings, the pressure – rightly or wrongly – was already mounting on Pool’s head coach, who has still only taken charge of 11 competitive games. Such is the may of the modern game.

But given Blackpool’s opening 20-minute display at Gresty Road on Saturday, you wouldn’t have known this was a team low on confidence and languishing inside League One’s bottom four.

Crewe, fresh from a 3-0 victory against Wigan Athletic last week, couldn’t get near the Seasiders and were pinned in their own half. Critchley’s charges played with a swagger, with an impressive maturity and their intricate one-and-two touch football was a delight to behold.

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There was only one problem though and that was Blackpool’s failure to create a single clear-cut chance of note, despite often getting themselves into some hugely threatening positions. Rinse and repeat from previous weeks then.

In fact, Blackpool’s first opportunity of the afternoon, which took 28 minutes to arrive, came from Crewe’s own doing rather than anything they did to carve their opponents open.

David Artell’s side insisted on passing it out from the back, but one attempted backpass from Luke Murphy to goalkeeper Will Jaaskelainen almost resulted in an embarrassing opener as it sailed past the attempted target and towards his own goalline. Fortunately for Crewe, Jaaskelainen was just able to scramble back in time to clear.

While Pool were lacking a cutting edge in the final third and their decision-making was again called into question, there were still plenty of positive signs. The Seasiders, adorning their delightful third kit for the first time, were much improved from Ipswich last week and had a clear plan of action which, up to a certain point, was clearly working.

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But the longer the game went on, the more Crewe grew in confidence. Gaps that previously weren’t there were now beginning to appear.

The Railwaymen fired a warning shot not long after half-time when the supremely talented Charlie Kirk got into some space down the left before seeing his pullback well dealt with by MJ Williams, who was in impressive form on his first league start for the club in place of the injured Keshi Anderson.

The Seasiders clearly didn’t heed the warning though, as just three minutes later Crewe took the lead – very much against the run of play – through the same route.

Mikael Mandron was the beneficiary, scoring with Crewe’s one and only shot on target of the game, steering home from close range after Kirk had once again been allowed the time and space to roam free before chipping over a delightful ball.

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Blackpool’s response wasn’t exactly an onslaught of pressure, they huffed and puffed without ever looking wholly convincing.

But the Seasiders maintained the pressure, pressure that finally told when Grant Ward drew them level with his first goal for the club on his 16th appearance, becoming just the fourth player to score a league goal for Pool this season in the process.

It was an emphatic finish from the 25-year-old, although it did sail past Jaaskelainen with the aid of a slight deflection after the ball had fallen kindly for him after Gary Madine’s attempted back-heeled effort was blocked in the six-yard box.

Pool still had time to press ahead and find a late winner, but - in keeping with the remainder of the game - the chances never arose.

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That’s despite Critchley’s side producing 15 shots on goal to Crewe’s three, the fourth time in just six games the Seasiders have created 15 shots or more in a league game. In fact, Blackpool haven’t failed to produce fewer than 10 shots in any league game this term.

Something is clearly right, but the one thing that commands the most attention - scoring - is the thing currently lacking. Solve that particular problem and the Seasiders will be laughing.