Blackpool players are backed to respond against Bristol Rovers

The Seasiders will be looking to get back to winning ways after slumping to a 1-0 defeat against Shrewsbury Town in midweek.

Nevertheless, Pool remain in good form having been beaten just twice in their last 14 games, a record they will be looking to continue as they enter 2021.

“I’ve got to say, the players have not been found wanting whenever we’ve needed a reaction this season,” Critchley said.

“There’s been very, very few occasions when I’ve really questioned our appetite for the game.

“I don’t mean motivation, but are we showing the right intentions on the pitch? I didn’t think we were in the first half on Tuesday.

“This group of players have always responded to everything that has been thrown in front of them or responded to what I have asked them to do. I expect nothing different on Saturday.”

Tomorrow’s opponents haven’t played since December 12, having been one of the first League One clubs to suffer a coronavirus outbreak.

The Gas endured a poor start to the campaign but have picked up a little of late following the arrival of former Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale, who replaced Ben Garner.

While Rovers remain in the bottom four, they’ve won four of their last six games in all competitions.

“Paul Tisdale has come in but they’ve had a bit of a disruptive run themselves with games being off, so they haven’t found the rhythm that Paul would have liked,” Critchley said.

“He’s an experienced manager, a good coach and he’s probably searching for their best team and their best formation.

“They’ve changed quite a bit, but they’ve got some good players in their team and they probably felt they should have been doing better, which is why Paul has come in. At some point they’ll be expecting that to turn around.

“We have to make sure we were better than we were the other night if we want to get a result.”

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