Blackpool head coach sees reasons to be cheerful after Fleetwood Town victory

Neil Critchley believes Blackpool’s win over Fleetwood Town should give his players plenty of optimism for the rest of the season.
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The Seasiders continued their impressive run of form on Saturday, edging Joey Barton’s side 1-0 thanks to Gary Madine’s early header.

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“I’m not sure we’ve sent out a statement, but it keeps our momentum going. It keeps the belief we’ve got growing,” Pool’s head coach said.

Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley has his sights set highBlackpool head coach Neil Critchley has his sights set high
Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley has his sights set high
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“In the last four league games we’ve played Peterborough, Doncaster, Portsmouth and Fleetwood, teams you would expect to be in the top eight and we’ve won three of them.

“I’ll say it again, and I keep saying it, we should have beaten Doncaster as well. We should have won all four of those games.

“It gives us optimism for the future of this season. If we can come here and win and we can beat Portsmouth, then we’ve got to be looking at the top end of the table this season.

“It’s not going to be done without any hard work. Every game is difficult, every game.

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“It doesn’t matter if you’re playing someone in the bottom half or someone near the top, there’s very little between the teams.

“You only have to look at some of the results on Saturday and that proves it. You have to scrap and fight for everything.

“If we don’t show the right mentality, if we’re off it and we don’t compete, then we’ll get beaten.

“Consistency in how we train and how we prepare is key to that. I am excited but, also, I know we’ve got some tough games coming up as well.

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“It’s an old saying but you don’t get too down when you lose and you don’t get too up when you win. That’s something I try to do.

“Well done to the lads, it’s three points, but we’re back at Fleetwood in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday and that’s a competition we want to do well in.

“We’ll make some changes but I want us to come here and win again on Tuesday.”

Blackpool’s winning run has been even more impressive given their hectic schedule, which has seen them play five games in the space of just 15 days.

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However, Critchley believes his squad is more than capable of dealing with the upcoming busy festive period.

“We’ve got a lot of players on the bench and a lot of players not involved, so managing those players is going to be crucial,” he said.

“They will get an opportunity. It will come because there’s lots of games over the Christmas period.

“The ones that come in seem to fit in seamlessly at the moment and I think we’re looking fit and strong. We can go right until the end of games.”

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