The four Blackpool players who used midweek platform to create Barnsley headache
Blackpool welcome Barnsley to Bloomfield Road on Saturday afternoon.
A number of Blackpool players could’ve played themselves into contention with their midweek performances.
Tuesday’s night’s 5-0 victory over Barrow in the EFL Trophy was a rare win for the Seasiders, who have struggled in League One this season.
The visit of Barnsley this weekend is a daunting one based on recent form, but some players would’ve given themselves a confidence boost with what they produced against the Bluebirds.
With the full squad, bar James Husband, available and with minutes under their belts, it once again feels like Steve Bruce has everything at his disposal to succeed.
Here’s a look at the players who used the Barrow game to throw themselves into contention:
Fraser Horsfall
It was good to see Fraser Horsfall feature for the first time since the opening day of the season.
Throughout the past month, Michael Ihiekwe has struggled at times, and has probably been in need of a breather.
With 90 minutes under his belt against Barrow, Horsfall is now in a good position to step in against Barnsley, to see if he can form a stronger partnership with Olly Casey.
This is not to write off Ihiekwe, he was playing in the Championship last season and has great experience, but a bit of competition will do him the world of good.
Scott Banks
Off the bench against Northampton Town at the weekend, the early signs were positive from Scott Banks in a limited amount of time, before his first start gave a real flavour of what the St. Pauli loanee is about.
The winger was on hand with a brace, and showed a touch of class throughout in the wide areas.
Josh Bowler
Josh Bowler’s third debut for Blackpool didn’t go to plan in the 1-0 defeat at Sixfields. The 26-year-old just looked miles off the pace, and couldn’t really do much to trouble the Cobblers.
While his appearance against Barrow was merely a cameo off the bench, it was enough to get people excited.
As soon as he was introduced his clear quality was evident to see, and he should’ve had a couple of goals alongside his assist for Dale Taylor.
He may have been playing against a League Two side, but it’s a platform to build on.
Ashley Fletcher
Ashley Fletcher was also on the scoresheet for Bruce’s side, and offered a reminder of what he can bring to the table.
As well as his goal, his overall hold-up play is a major reason why he should be considered for the line-up on Saturday.
Taylor’s confidence will grow having scored his first for the club, but he’s still struggled when starting games, and it may benefit him to be used as an impact sub.
Other notable mentions
It feels right to mention a few other players as well, starting with Franco Ravizzoli.
On his competitive debut for the Seasiders, the 28-year-old didn’t have too much to do beyond an impressive save during the first half to deny Tyler Walker from close-range.
While the Argentine made a positive first impression, he’ll probably need a couple more cup opportunities to displace Bailey Peacock-Farrell - who has been able to stabilise his own performances in recent weeks following a tough start.
Elsewhere, Andy Lyons did a solid job at right back, and the minutes would’ve done him the world of good, alongside the goal, but probably still finds himself behind the impressive Danny Imray heading into this weekend.
Meanwhile, it was also a good night for Zac Ashworth at centre back. The downside for the ex-West Brom youngster is he didn’t get to demonstrate what he can on the left side of the defence, which is where he’s more likely to be competing to play in the league.
Hayden Coulson has been the preferred option on that side this season due to his attacking qualities, but a more defensive-minded player could be more beneficial.
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