Blackpool FC: Neil Critchley gives his verdict on the Seasiders' victory over Carlisle United

A second half brace from Jordan Rhodes followed Andy Lyons’ opener to help the Seasiders on their way to three points at Bloomfield Road.

After their 2-1 defeat to Northampton Town in their last League One outing, Critchley was happy with how his side returned to winning ways.

"You’ve got to enjoy any win this league because they’re so hard to come by,” he said.

"We can’t expect to turn up and just beat Carlisle. Every match is competitive and every team is fighting for points. You always have to be there.

“We’re scoring on a regular basis, and we kept a clean sheet which helps the goal difference.

"The response from the Northampton game was very good- it was the right one. We’re at home and we want this place to be difficult to come to.

“I’m sure at the end of the season we might not even remember this one, but you still get the same amount of points- it’s always important.

"You can feel that the team is coming together on and off the pitch. When you’re forming a new squad it just takes a bit of time for them to find who they are.

"It was difficult with the conditions, I didn’t realise how bad it was until I walked across the pitch- I was nearly getting blown over.

"These next few months are where you can earn your crust. It’s not free-flowing football all of the time; you have to grind out a result and find a way to win, and I felt we did that in good fashion.

"We looked like a good team in trying circumstances against a team fighting for their lives. It wasn’t easy to break them down, so sometimes you need to show patience, and we did that.

"Sometimes you put the ball into the box and things can happen. Getting the first goal in any game is really important, especially against teams that want to frustrate you. Other than the one big chance we had, I felt we were comfortable.”