Blackpool keeper Chris Maxwell so proud of clean sheet record

The shot stopper has enjoyed nine shutouts in his last 12 appearances, a run which has coincided with Blackpool’s impressive recent form.

His latest clean sheet came at Accrington Stanley on Saturday, where Maxwell was required to make a string of fine stops to ensure Pool left the Wham Stadium with a point.

The 30-year-old said: “I like to pride myself on my clean sheets. It’s always a good platform to build from.

“And it’s not just the goalkeeper who should get the recognition for the clean sheets.

“With the type of game we play, with the pressing and the positional play, all the hard work the manager and his staff have put in over the course of the season and going back to pre-season is there to be seen.

“A clean sheet is something we all take pride in.”

The Seasiders have demonstrated in recent weeks that they are able to alter their approach depending on the opponent.

Against table-topping Portsmouth at the start of the month, Neil Critchley’s side played some lovely one and two-touch, free-flowing football, while at Accrington on Saturday they showed they are capable of digging in to claim a point.

When asked if Pool have become more pragmatic recently, Maxwell said: “We always have been.

“I’ve said previously, even when we were on a losing run, that we’ve always believed in what we do.

“We believe we’ve got a group of players that can be as successful as we want to be in this league.

“We’ve learned some hard lessons early doors but I believe that performance (at Accrington), while not great on the eye, shows how far we’ve come since then.

“The experiences from those first 10 games or so were there to see.”

Blackpool were due to make a trip to the North East tonight to take on Sunderland only for the fixture to be postponed last week following a Covid-19 outbreak at the Stadium of Light.

When asked if Pool’s mini-break – their only Tuesday all month without a game – comes at a good time for the Seasiders, Maxwell said: “In hindsight it might be a good time to have a couple of days off.

“The Ipswich game earlier in the season was brought forward and the result wasn’t great (a 4-1 home defeat in October). But I think the timing of that game was great because we could have some time off towards the end of November.

“But it is what it is. With Covid around and games getting called off, we’ve all got to be prepared for that.

“If it’s meant to be, then it’s meant to be.”

The Seasiders are next in action at home to Rochdale on Boxing Day.

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