Blackpool winger Demetri Mitchell delighted to be back sooner than he feared after injury

The winger was Blackpool’s standout performer in pre-season until a knee injury during the friendly against Morecambe stalled his progress.

After an eight-week absence, the 24-year-old finally made his return off the bench in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Barnsley.

Mitchell said: “It’s great to be back and to top it off with a win at home is great, so I couldn’t ask for much more, to be honest.

“I think it was good for me to get 60 minutes in the tank (against Fleetwood Town in the Lancashire Senior Cup) last week because that prepared me for Saturday. When I came on, I felt ready.”

Mitchell was visibly angry when he suffered the injury blow at the Globe Arena at the end of July.

The former Manchester United man concedes he was expecting to be out of action for a lot longer.

“I was annoyed but when I watched it back I thought it was going to be something more serious,” Mitchell reflected. “I’ve had lengthy times out before, but when I got the scan results back I was quite relieved it wasn’t as long as I thought it might have been.

“It was disappointing to do so well in pre-season, then not be able to start the season and continue that form.

“But I’m back now and I’m looking into the future. I’m just raring to get going.”

Mitchell will be hoping to make his first start of the season tonight, when Blackpool make the trip to Hull City (7.45).

The winger looked bright during his brief cameo on Saturday, helping Pool wind the clock down as they held on for their second win on the spin and third victory from four.

Mitchell added: “The gaffer just told me to do the right thing and keep the ball in the corner, get down the line and win free-kicks, corners and throw-ins. That’s what I tried to do.

“We could have been a few more (goals) up but we didn’t quite take all the chances we had.

“But we were 1-0 up and it’s important to do the right things at the right time. We found a way to grind the win out.

“Defensively we looked assured and going forward we made chances. Collectively we worked hard for each other.”

Shayne Lavery was Blackpool’s matchwinner against Barnsley, the Northern Irishman scoring for the sixth time already this season.

“He’s a nuisance,” Mitchell said of his teammate. “You just see him closing down all the time. I don’t know how he does it – it’s like watching Carlos Tevez or something.

“It was a great finish from Shayne too after Keshi (Anderson) slipped him in. You trust Shayne to stick it away when he gets into those positions.”

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