Blackpool can't rest on laurels for Doncaster test says boss Neil Critchley

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley has challenged his players not to allow complacency to creep into their game.
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Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Portsmouth means the Seasiders now sit top of the League One form table, having won four of their last six.

But the head coach believes that impressive win at Fratton Park will count for little if they fail to follow it up with another positive result against Doncaster Rovers tonight (7pm).

The quality of Jerry Yates' winning goal at Portsmouth was praised by his boss Neil CritchleyThe quality of Jerry Yates' winning goal at Portsmouth was praised by his boss Neil Critchley
The quality of Jerry Yates' winning goal at Portsmouth was praised by his boss Neil Critchley
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Critchley said: “That was the message to the players after the game on Saturday.

“It’s a nice three points, it shows what we’re capable of and it should give us a real lift and some confidence.

“But we can’t become complacent. We’ve got Doncaster at home on Tuesday and we know how good they are. We have to recover and get ready for a really important home game now.”

Saturday’s win completed a league double over Kenny Jackett’s side, both games finishing 1-0, meaning Pool have won on their last three trips to Pompey.

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Asked if the Seasiders have saved their best displays of the season for Portsmouth, Critchley replied: “It’s a difficult one because when you win you often judge the game on the result.

“Many times this season we’ve performed well and not got the result.

“My job is sometimes to go away, analyse and reflect for 24 hours. I think we’ve played well in a lot of games this season but not always got the result we deserved. That was not the case on Saturday.

“Everyone played their part. It was a real team performance against the quality that Portsmouth have got, especially at the front end of the pitch.

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“So to keep a clean sheet away from home and nullify their threats was really pleasing.

“The longer the game went on, we were looking more threatening at the other end and thankfully Jerry (Yates) scored a terrific goal, a proper goalscorer’s goal, and that’s got us three big points.

“He stayed on his feet on the halfway line, ran and created that half a yard in the penalty box. He dropped his shoulder and then fired it across the goalkeeper. It was a really top, top-quality goal.

“It’s always a nicer journey home after a win because we’ve had a few long trips back this season off the back of a defeat.

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“The bus journey gave us the chance to talk about the game and the next game coming up. You can start planning for the next game straight away, which is always a bonus.

“You talk about what happened, who played well, what we did well and what we can improve.”

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