Blackpool boss looking forward to playing in front of supporters again - but wants to keep Shrewsbury Town fans quiet

After having back-to-back league games postponed, the Seasiders return to action after a 10-day break with a trip to Shropshire.

The county remains in tier two, which means 2,000 fans will be permitted to attend tonight’s League One encounter.

Critchley is looking forward to the occasion but Pool’s head coach admits the Seasiders don’t want the Shrewsbury fans to be making too much noise.

“It will be fantastic. I can’t wait for it,” he told The Gazette.

“Just to have some people in and some noise in the ground, whether it’s home or away, it will just be a nice feeling to play in front of some supporters.

“If you asked players whether they would rather play in front of supporters or not, whether it was home or away, they’d always choose to play in front of supporters.

“It will be nice to go and feel some emotion in the ground and hear some noise, but hopefully we don’t give them too much to shout about and we can keep them quiet a little bit.”

Blackpool face a Shrewsbury side bang in form since Steve Cotterill took charge last month. The Shrews are unbeaten in seven league games, a run that includes impressive away wins against promotion contenders Hull City, Lincoln City and Doncaster Rovers.

Blackpool’s opponents, who were one point above bottom side Wigan Athletic before Cotterill’s arrival, were held to a 1-1 draw by the Latics at the weekend.

Critchley added: “They played well in that game. They were the better team and deserved to win.

“I thought they showed a really good response to going 1-0 down and they’re a team that has belief and momentum. You can see that when you watch them play.

“They’ve picked up some fantastic results recently. To beat Hull away from home, Doncaster and Lincoln as well – those results show you what they’re capable of. They’re very well organised.

“Steve Cotterill has gone in there and had an immediate impact on the group. They will be really tough to play against.”

While Chris Maxwell and Matty Virtue are unavailable following their positive Covid-19 tests, Pool have no other selection concerns.

“We’ve still got one training session to go but everyone is okay,” Critchley said yesterday morning.

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