Blackpool 1-0 MK Dons: Sullay Kaikai scores on return from injury to hand Neil Critchley a much-needed victory

Sullay Kaikai scored on his return from injury to hand Blackpool a much-needed three points against MK Dons.

The forward found the back of the net with a well-taken effort midway through the second-half, a goal that decided the game to hand Blackpool only their second win of the campaign.

It was a lacklustre affair between two sides low on confidence, but all Blackpool will care about is the end result that sees them climb out of League One’s bottom four and up to 17th place.

MK Dons, who are now second bottom with only one win to their name, offered very little throughout and look to be facing a tough season ahead.

Neil Critchley opted to make three changes to the side that lost 1-0 at home to Charltron Athletic in midweek.

One was enforced, Dan Ballard replacing the suspended James Husband, who sat out following his red card against the Addicks.

Elsewhere, Sullay Kaikai returned to the fold to make his first appearance since Gillingham, the winger replacing Ethan Robson who dropped down to the bench.

Jerry Yates was also handed a start, seeing Gary Madine named among the substitutes alongside Daniel Gretarsson, who was involved for the first time since arriving from Norway during the transfer window.

Teddy Howe and Jordan Thorniley were not involved again, while Luke Garbutt, Matty Virtue and Keshi Anderson remain injured.

Critchley hinted before this encounter that he would be willing to change from the 433 system he’s stuck to so rigidly since the start of pre-season.

True to his word, Ben Woodburn was pushed into a slightly more advanced role, shadowing midfielder David Kasumu to stop MK Dons from playing it out from the back, while CJ Hamilton swapped from the right flank to the left.

The changes saw the Seasiders line up in a 4231 formation, although at other times Woodburn would drop deeper, seeing Pool revert back to their 433.

The tactical tweaks made for a cagey start to the game as both sides, perhaps approaching the game a little cautiously given their poor form, looked to work each other out.

Blackpool slowly but surely grew into the game and looked to be the side more likely to make the breakthrough.

They wasted a glorious chance to do exactly that midway through the half when Hamilton used his pace to surge past his marker down the left flank. All he had to do was play a simple ball across goal to the unmarked Yates but, as we’ve often seen this season, his final ball let him down.

A minute later, Woodburn was also guilty of a poor pass when played through down the right, failing to pick out either Hamilton or Yates who were in space in the middle.

The away side were offering very little in an attacking manner but Pool were gifting them free-kicks in and around their own box, a risky approach that almost cost them when Marvin Ekpiteta was forced to head over his own bar from Regan Poole’s goalbound shot.

Blackpool were clearly intent on pressing high up the pitch but every time they attempted to win the ball back, an MK Dons player would fall to the ground and win a free-kick.

Pool squandered another presentable opportunity two minutes before the interval when Sullay Kaikai squared the ball to the awaiting Yates, only for Kasumu to recover well and slide the ball behind for a corner.

The tactical change to play Hamilton on the left proved to be a failed experiment, the forward reverting back to the right at the start of the second-half.

The second period was passing without much fanfare up until the 66th minute, when Blackpool finally broke the deadlock with a goal out of nothing.

The decision to put Hamilton back on the right paid dividends, the winger seeing his pullback deflect into the path of Kaikai who steered home with a first-time effort to cap off his return from injury with a goal.

It must be said, the goal - Pool’s first shot on target and the only bit of quality we’d seen all afternoon - disguised the fact Blackpool were still performing poorly.

So much so, MK Dons almost hit back immediately, Regan Poole seeing a goalbound shot well blocked after cutting inside from the right.

While Hamilton’s final ball can often be frustrating, the winger is usually Blackpool’s biggest threat in the final third.

In the space of 60 seconds, the winger fizzed a dangerous ball across the face of the six-yard box before teeing up substitute Dan Kemp, who saw his first-time effort well saved by Andrew Fisher.

MK Dons, who haven’t won away from home since beating Blackpool 3-0 at Bloomfield Road in September 2019, were unable to muster much of a response, Blackpool eventually seeing the game out to claim a much-needed victory.

TEAMS

Blackpool: Maxwell, Turton, Ekpiteta, Ballard, Mitchell, Williams, Ward, Woodburn (Sarkic), Kaikai (Kemp), Hamilton, Yates (Madine)

Subs not used: Sims, Gabriel, Gretarsson, Robson

MK Dons: Fisher, Williams, Lewington, Keogh, Poole, Kasumu, Harvie, Thompson (Gladwin), Mason (Walker), Fraser, Morris (Jerome)

Subs not used: Nicholls, O’Hara, Houghton, Sorinola

Referee: Marc Edwards