Blackpool player ratings V Crawley Town: Four score 4/10 in disappointing opener

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Junior Quitirna were both on the scoresheet for the Red Devils on their return to League One, while Ashley Fletcher marked his Seasiders debut with a goal off the bench.

Away form was a major problem for Neil Critchley’s side last term, and it proved to be more of the same in the opening game of the new season.

Here’s how the Seasiders performed:

Dan Grimshaw- 5

Dan Grimshaw could’ve done better with his positioning with Crawley’s first goal of the afternoon, with 26-year-old leaving too much of a target for Hepburn-Murphy.

Meanwhile, there wasn’t much he could do about the second, as the ball deflected over his head.

Matthew Pennington- 4

Matthew Pennington was unfortunate with the way the ball deflected over him for Junior Quitirna’s goal, but there was far too much space down that right and he should’ve been quicker to close down the Crawley man.

That moment of misfortune probably summed up a poor afternoon for the defender and some of his teammates.

Olly Casey- 5

Olly Casey looked strong enough in the centre of the back three, but it was far too easy to play through the back three at times.

James Husband- 5

James Husband made a crucial tackle in the first half to stop Crawley from getting another potential goal, but far too much space was left in behind the back three on too many occasions.

CJ Hamilton- 4

CJ Hamilton did make a couple of positive runs down the right side, but far too often he looked lost in the game, with his final product lacking when he found himself in good positions.

Lee Evans- 5

Lee Evans provided some quality with a couple of good free kicks in the box, but he was far too sloppy in possession in open play at times, which just allowed Crawley to apply more pressure.

Ollie Norburn- 4

Ollie Norburn had a shot towards the end of the first half that struck the post, but had a couple of attempts prior that were far too erratic.

The midfielder was replaced by Elliot Embleton on the hour mark, with it proving to be an afternoon to forget for the 31-year-old, among others.

Sonny Carey- 5

Sonny Carey had a couple of opportunities to score either side of the break, but pulled both efforts from the edge of the box wide of the target.

Hayden Coulson- 5

Hayden Coulson didn’t enjoy too much success down the left side, with space not really appearing for the wing-back.

Jordan Rhodes- 5

Not much went the way of Jordan Rhodes, with the service just not there for the striker.

Kyle Joseph- 4

On the back of a positive pre-season, it was a really disappointing day for Kyle Joseph, who couldn’t get himself in the game.

SUB: Elliot Embleton- 5

Elliot Embleton had a few bright moments after being introduced off the bench, and forced a save from Jojo Wollacott in the closing stages.

SUB: Ashley Fletcher- 6

Ashley Fletcher was rewarded for his energy soon after coming on, with a clearance from goalkeeper deflecting off the striker into the back of the net.

The ex-Watford man could’ve levelled things for the Seasiders, but couldn’t get a clean contact on a Jake Beesley pass.

SUB: Jake Beesley- 5

Jake Beesley came on and put in a decent shift up front.

SUB: Rob Apter- 5

Rob Apter was introduced for the latter stages.