Blackpool FC: Three talking points from the Seasiders' victory over Carlisle United

On his return to the Seasiders’ starting 11 in League One, Andy Lyons gave Neil Critchley’s side the lead in the first half, before a Jordan Rhodes brace after the break secured the three points.

It proved to be a controlled and measured performance from the home team, as they look to build a good run of form heading into a busy festive period.

Here’s some of the talking points from the game:

Managing the conditions

As well as battling each other, both teams had to deal with the conditions.

Despite Carlisle’s position in the table, the high winds could’ve swung in their favour to provide the Seasiders with another hurdle to overcome.

That proved not to be the case, with Critchley’s side stepping up superbly- showing the patience that was required to eventually break down the visitors.

Unlike the Northampton game, they managed things well and controlled the tempo of the fixture.

While a little bit of time was required to adapt to the wind, Blackpool coped with it the better of the two teams.

Right place at the right time

We’re running out of words to describe Rhodes, but his importance to the Seasiders is immense.

For the first goal he was in the right place at the right time to finish on the rebound after Jake Beesley’s header was saved.

Meanwhile, for the second, after Kyle Joseph was initially denied, the Huddersfield loanee picked up the ball and calmly got himself in a position to finish.

With 13 goals under his belt now, it’s going to be a nervy few weeks waiting to discover if his parent club decide to recall him.

Back in the team

Lyons was back in the Seasiders’ league starting XI for the visit of Carlisle. Game time has been limited for the wing-back in recent times, but he certainly made the most of the opportunity.

On the left side he looked full of energy and helped to stretch the visitors- as well as getting back for his defensive duties.

As for the goal, he took his chance expertly. An initial Kenny Dougall cross into the box caused all sorts of problems for Carlisle’s Tomas Holy- who was unable to get a clean punch to deal with the situation after coming off his line.

The ball dropped to Lyons, with the wing-back calmly lifting the ball over the keeper to make it 1-0.

This will no doubt be a confidence boost for the 23-year-old, and will hopefully provide Critchley with another solid option over the busy festive period.

Ollie Norburn also featured off the bench in stoppage time, following a frustrating period on the sidelines.

The midfielder was initially out for a number of weeks due to a neck problem, before suffering a knock to his ribs on his return to action against Bolton Wanderers- which has kept him out since.

At some points during his absence, Critchley’s side missed his leadership and couldn’t quite manage games in the way in which they wanted to.