Blackpool boss sees some positives in friendly loss to Accrington Stanley

The match, played behind closed doors, came at the end of a week in which the Seasiders had been away at a training camp in Edinburgh.

It replaced the previously arranged match with Newport County AFC and added to Pool’s preparation for Wednesday’s match against Rangers.

Critchley took the opportunity to mix and match his line-ups, featuring a combination of senior and younger players.

He told the club website: “We’ve had a physically tough week of training, and the test came at a good time for us.

“It was a challenging afternoon with the heat, but there were areas that were pleasing to see.

“You know exactly what you’re going to get from Accrington.

“That was probably their strongest starting XI that played the majority of the game, and we decided to mix our teams up.

“We’re only two weeks into pre-season, so it was a good 45 minutes for a lot of the lads.

“Fingers crossed everyone came through unscathed and we can look forward to another good week next week.”

Blackpool keeper Chris Maxwell made an early save from Dion Charles, while at the other end, Oliver Sarkic spurned a chance for the Seasiders.

The opening goal came 10 minutes before the break when Charles took advantage of a defensive error to find space and fire home.

However, Blackpool were level moments later when Demetri Mitchell was brought down.

He picked himself up and scored from the resulting penalty to make it 1-1 at half-time.

Stanley went back ahead 10 minutes after the break when Harry Pell netted their second.

With the heat proving a test for both sets of players, it was Stanley who completed the scoring.

Joel Mumbongo was the scorer, finishing off a good move in slipping the ball beyond Charlie Monks for their third goal.

Mitchell’s strike was his second in as many games after netting in the opening pre-season victory at Southport a week earlier.

“He’s come back hitting the ground running and has really impressed us,” Critchley added.

“He had a strong end to the season and has brought it into pre-season so far.

“He won the penalty and dispatched it brilliantly, so we’re pleased to see positive performances from him and the squad.”

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