Blackpool boss Neil Critchley on tough choice between Stuart Moore and Daniel Grimshaw to replace Chris Maxwell at Nottingham Forest

Head coach Critchley must decide which of them will face Nottingham Forest tomorrow in the absence of the injured Chris Maxwell.

Moore was the man to come off the bench and replace Maxwell when he tore his quad in the victory over Blackburn Rovers before the international break.

But Grimshaw, a summer signing from Manchester City, has also performed well on his two outings this season – the cup displays against Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

“I don’t think there’s a lot in it,” Critchley said. “Stuart obviously came on against Blackburn and performed well, but Grimmy has also had a couple of games this season and played well.

“It will be an opportunity for one of them and that’s one of the upsides of the job sometimes – to show belief in a player and then it’s up to them to grasp the opportunity. That will happen for one of them this weekend.

“It’s a difficult call, though, because there’s an argument for either to play.

“Just because one plays this weekend, that doesn’t mean they’ll play in every game.

“We have to judge them on what they do, as you do with all the players, but they’re both good professionals. They both work extremely hard.

“We have a good environment here, where the players train properly whether they’re in the team or out of the team, which always makes my decision-making difficult.”

The timing of Maxwell’s injury will be all the more frustrating for Blackpool’s captain, who was champing at the bit for next weekend’s derby against his former club Preston North End.

Nevertheless, the 31-year-old will still have a big role to play, according to Critchley.

“Maxi missing any game is frustrating,” the Pool boss said. “He’s restless and he always wants to be involved.

“He’s already spoken to me about coming to the away games because he wants to be around the dressing room and the team.

“As captain, his influence in the dressing room is important, which I’m more than happy with.

“I know he was looking forward to the Preston game, so that will be a disappointment for him. But it’s not just the Preston game – it’s the other games as well.

“Steve Banks, the goalkeeping coach, is quite often reining him back in because he wants to go back out there straight after the games and the day after in training.

“We just have to say, ‘Hold on a minute – we’ve got another game coming up!’

“But he’s a workaholic and he’s very conscientious about preparing properly because he always wants to improve.

“He’s our captain for a reason, so we’ll miss him but it just gives opportunities to other players in the squad to play and I’m looking forward to seeing how they do.”

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