Blackpool boss lays down a challenge after Gillingham defeat

The Seasiders suffered their second defeat in just three league games on Saturday, going down to a 2-0 loss at Gillingham courtesy of Dominic Samuel’s double.

Blackpool fell victim to Gillingham’s guile and direct style of play, while often playing into the hands of the tactics employed by Steve Evans.

Following the defeat, Critchley says his players must learn how to grind out results even when they’re not at their best.

Pool’s head coach said: “We’re a new group, we’ll get better and we’ll improve but we need to learn fast. We’re not talking about 18 and 19-year-old kids in there, a lot of them have experience.

“We will get better, we will improve, but we’re going to need to because the game isn’t a beauty contest. It doesn’t matter who is the easiest on the eye, it’s about finding a way to win. Gillingham found a way to win.

“Our goalkeeper has hardly had anything to do but he’s picked the ball out of the back of the net twice.

“Having said that, their keeper hasn’t had too much to do until the end of each half probably.

“We need to improve, we need to get better. I believe we will but even when we’re not playing well, we need to find a way to get something out of the game.”

Michael Nottingham endured a nightmare afternoon, playing a role in both of Samuel’s goals for the home side.

But Critchley said he wasn’t the only player not at his best, adding: “I’ve got to be honest, I thought there were a few under par.

“I’m struggling to look at people who played well and work out who was our top performer.

“I think we had plenty against Swindon but who had a good game on Saturday?

“One or two you could say were okay but I thought there were a lot of players who were under par.”

The result means Blackpool have now lost both of their away games in the league so far this season, the long trip to Gillingham following their opening day defeat at Plymouth.

But Critchley refused to use the distance as an excuse, adding that he expects to see a response from his players when they return to action at Bloomfield Road on Saturday.

“We stay at a hotel, we travel on a nice bus so I don’t care if we travel all the way around the world, we have to find a way of winning,” he said.

“I don’t care what pitch we play on, what time we play at, we’re here to do our job and we didn’t do that on Saturday.

“Hopefully we will see a reaction against Lincoln next week.

“The players have certainly given me something to think about in the week, that’s for sure.

“We had a strong bench, so we need to think carefully about the team we’re going to pick for Lincoln next week.”