Blackpool youngster joins former loanee in Scotland U21 squad
Blackpool players past and present have been named in Scotland’s U21 squad for two friendlies next week.
Scot Gemmill’s players meet Turkey in Istanbul on Monday, June 3, followed by a match against Austria in Wiener Neustadt on Friday, June 7 (both 6pm UK time).
Among Gemmill’s 22-man squad is the Seasiders’ Rob Apter, fresh from a starring role on loan at Tranmere Rovers in League Two.
The 21-year-old played 42 times in league and cup, scoring 13 goals in the process and being named as League Two’s young player of the year.
It is a first U21 selection for Apter who has been capped by Scotland at U19 level, scoring once in six appearances.
He is joined in the U21 set-up by former Seasiders loanee Lewis Fiorini, who has been at Charlton Athletic for the second half of the season.
Fiorini made five appearances for Charlton, having also seen the departure of boss Michael Appleton who had previously taken him to Bloomfield Road and Lincoln City.
Elsewhere, Blackpool have also confirmed the club has been rewarded with Family Excellence silver status for the 2023/24 season following an EFL inspection.
The Family Excellence initiative assesses the matchday experience with gold, silver or bronze status awarded to successful clubs.
Clubs are visited twice throughout the season by independent family assessors.
They looked at a range of different aspects regarding the fan experience for families at Bloomfield Road, such as matchday offers, ticketing, communications and facilities.
Blackpool were praised for their significant improvement on last season’s assessments, in particular the club’s retail store and ticketing.
In all, 68 clubs were honoured with 13 given a gold award, 28 taking silver and 27 receiving bronze.
The scheme was first introduced in 2007/08 with the gold, silver and bronze aspect coming in this season, enabling the EFL to inform clubs as to how their respective family experiences can be improved.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “Attendances across the EFL are at a modern-day high and it’s really encouraging to see more than one million junior supporters attend an EFL match for the third season in a row, highlighting the great work being done by EFL clubs to encourage young people through the turnstiles.”