Blackpool players are warned after moving into League One play-off spots

Neil Critchley has warned his Blackpool players they can slip down the League One table just as quickly as they moved up it.
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That’s the overriding message from Pool’s head coach, who wants his side to maintain the standards that have got them into the top six in the first place.

The Seasiders take on Plymouth Argyle at Bloomfield Road, looking to cement their play-off spot having climbed into the top six for the first time this season thanks to their 3-1 win against Peterborough United in midweek.

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“Psychologically it was a big victory for us,” Critchley admitted.

Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley had a message for his playersBlackpool head coach Neil Critchley had a message for his players
Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley had a message for his players
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“It seems that when we’ve been winning games recently or when we weren’t losing, we didn’t seem to be moving anywhere – or at least that’s what people were telling me!

“To be in the top six now, it means we’ve moved significantly. It shows you how tight the table is though by being able to jump so many places by winning one game of football.

“The players are in good spirits, it’s a happy training ground at the moment, but we’ve just got to make sure there’s no complacency, we keep our feet firmly on the ground like we have done all season.

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“There’s a humility about this group and it’s really important we don’t lose that. That’s why we’ve been on a good run.

“Moving up into the top six, it cements that feeling in your own mind that this is what we’re capable of.

“I genuinely think we’ve had that feeling for quite a while. I certainly have in this group of players because I see a lot of games in this division and the other teams playing – and you can’t help but compare yourselves to the other teams.

“When we play well and when we’re at our best, there’s nothing that I’ve seen we can’t compete with.

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“It’s just confirming in our minds that yes, we can compete with anyone in this division and we’ve proven that in some of the big games against the top teams in this division, because we’ve taken points off them.

“As quickly as you can move up the division, you can move down as well, so getting to sixth place means nothing at this point in time because we’ve not achieved anything.”

Today’s opponents Plymouth sit in 16th place in the table, having put an end to their five-game losing streak last weekend with a 2-0 success over Joey Barton’s Bristol Rovers.

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