Blackpool look to atone for home loss to Huddersfield Town

The Seasiders were beaten 3-0 by the Terriers at Bloomfield Road back in September.

It was a tough defeat to take for Neil Critchley’s side, who were the better team in the first half before being undone by a 14-minute blitz at the start of the second period.

In terms of the scoreline, Pool’s head coach is expecting a much tighter encounter today in West Yorkshire.

The two sides, who both got back to winning ways last week, are separated by just three points in the table.

“I hope it will be a good game,” Critchley said.

“I’ve been really impressed with Huddersfield from what I’ve seen of them this season.

“They’re a really well-coached team, they have a clear identity with and without the ball and they’re a difficult team to play against, especially at home.

“That win for them away from home last week will have given them a lift, we’ve had a lift as well, so it has the makings of a good game.

“There was not a lot in our game at home. The scoreline will suggest otherwise but there wasn’t, it was just a crazy 10 minutes for us.

“There’s not a lot between the teams in terms of points, so I’d expect it to be a close game - as most of the games in this division are.

“We’re looking forward to going there and giving a really good account of ourselves in front of what should be a good atmosphere.”

Now Blackpool have reached the halfway stage in the season, they’re now in the position of being able to reflect on games they’ve already played against their next opponents.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t necessarily mean what transpired in September’s defeat will have any bearing on Critchley’s decision-making this afternoon.

The Pool boss added: “You always cast your mind back to the last game you played against them, how did the game go, what went well, what do we need to improve upon, what did the opposition do etc.

“You also have to take into account if they’ve changed since that game, how they play now, what’s the personnel.

“So much thought goes into preparing for games but then you have to make sure you put that into small pieces for the players and tell them the important parts of what they need to know.

“You always think back to the last game, but that doesn’t mean it always has a real bearing on your decision-making.

“What happens on Boxing Day could very well be completely different with different people playing.”

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