Are Blackpool close to inflicting a heavy defeat? Neil Critchley discusses converting chances, momentum and tactical approach ahead of Doncaster trip

The Seasiders picked up their fifth straight victory on Saturday, overcoming high-flying Peterborough United 2-1 thanks to Gary Madine’s last-minute strike.

The margin of victory really ought to have been far greater though, Pool squandering four or five clear-cut other opportunities before Madine's last-gasp winner.

Should Blackpool finally click into gear and discover a ruthless streak in front of goal, Critchley admits a convincing victory could soon be on the cards.

“At some point, you’d like to think if we do really click into gear in front of goal then we’d be capable of giving someone a heavy defeat somewhere,” Pool’s head coach told The Gazette.

“But if we keep creating the number of chances we’re currently doing then the stats will tell you you’re going to take some of those chances at some point.

“We should have put the game to bed much earlier than we did on Saturday and hopefully we can do that against Doncaster (tomorrow night).

“It’s probably something we were very guilty of earlier in the season, missing chances at important moments in games.

“Goals change games, change the feelings of the players on the pitch and there’s no better feeling than a 90th-minute winner away from home.”

Blackpool’s impressive recent run of wins marks a remarkable turnaround in form from the beginning of the season, where at one point they had lost six of their opening nine games in all competitions.

Critchley insists not a great deal has changed in terms of their approach, despite their recent winning streak coinciding with a switch to 4-4-2.

“Some of the moments have gone for us in the games, it’s as simple as that,” Critchley added.

“I have to say on Saturday we were excellent, it was as well as we’ve played this season.

“But we’ve had a similar standard of performances in lots of the other games this season, you only have to look at our displays away from home against Plymouth and Crewe.

“But on Saturday we scored a 90th-minute winner, which we deserved. In some of the other games we deserved to win as well, but you don’t always get what you deserve.

“We’re a new team getting to know each other and play together and I think that little bit of consistency and time together, maybe we’re beginning to see the benefits of that.

“Managing the games and seeing games out, maybe there’s a clearer understanding of what each other’s strengths are on the pitch.”

With momentum on their side, the Seasiders will want to pick up as many points as possible in a hectic period between now and January 2021.

“We were speaking about Ben Woodburn recently. He was self-isolating for 10 to 14 days and within that time he missed four games. That’s a lot of games to miss,” Critchley said.

“You play a lot of games quickly and you look at how tight the league is, you can quickly jump a number of places in a matter of days if you string some victories together.

“We’re on a good run of form, we want that to continue, but being humble and staying consistent is going to be crucial.

“While it can change one way, it can also change the other way as well. I said at the beginning of the season it’s not always as bad as it appears when you’re losing but it’s also not as good as you might think it is when you’re winning games. Somewhere in the middle is normally true.”