Blackpool's derby against Preston North End a pivotal moment in time for Michael Appleton

Mastermind a much-needed victory against Blackpool’s fierce rivals and Wednesday night’s stinker against Hull City will be forgotten about in an instant.

Lose and those dissenting voices, which have been kept relatively quiet since the return from the international break, will begin to rear their head again, especially on social media.

Football is a fickle business, we all know that. Prior to Wednesday night’s game, optimism was beginning to flow back among the supporters who were rightfully encouraged by the displays against Norwich City, Sunderland and Watford and Sheffield United.

But that progress was stopped in its tracks in midweek with a worrying display and result against a struggling Hull side that had lost seven of their last eight games coming into the fixture.

A worrying night

It wasn’t necessarily the result that agitated me the most, as frustrating as it was. Defeats will happen in the Championship. But it was the nature of it that startled me. Blackpool were so far off the pace it was untrue.

Appleton is the first to accept that Blackpool need to be firing on all cylinders, from number one to 11, just to be competitive in the Championship. Neil Critchley was of a similar mindset. When one, two or three are off it, the deck of cards comes tumbling down, because the Seasiders simply don’t have the budget or quality across the board to grind out wins with players under-performing.

In fairness, every player that started against Hull looked 10 to 15 per cent off their normal level, which backs up what Appleton said after the game in terms of fatigue and tiredness playing its part.

“The game against Sheffield United on Saturday has absolutely killed us in terms of our energy levels,” he told The Gazette after Wednesday night’s game.

“If you look at the personnel I’ve had to play again, there was a sluggishness which meant it didn’t quite happen for us.

“I’ve not had to make any excuses for the players for a number of weeks now and it just seems to be one game that has caught up with us.

“It’s easy to throw sticks at the players but the reality is they are giving me everything, I can’t ask for any more.

“Yes, we had half chances that we made look like quarter chances at times because of fatigue of having to play game after game after game, but the reality is it’s the Championship and you’ve got to deal with that.

“We’re stretched at the minute, we’re down to the bare bones but I’m hoping and expecting that will be a little bit different on Saturday.

“I can’t think of a better game that what we’ve got on Saturday.”

I think anyone watching the Hull game could see something just wasn’t right, it was clear from very early on. It wasn’t the tactics or the setup, every player just seemed a yard or two off their opponent at all times.

That won’t exactly calm the nerves among the fanbase though, given Blackpool only have two days to prepare for the Preston game compared to their three.

I understand the somewhat extreme circumstances of having to play with nine men for almost 20 minutes on Saturday as well, but the drop-off was still quite alarming – especially when the Seasiders were playing a day later than they normally would for a midweek fixture.

One would hope that, even if tiredness and fatigue is still an issue, the energy and intensity a derby brings will be enough.

Selection issues

Appleton will be boosted by the return of Marvin Ekpiteta and Dom Thompson, who will probably slot straight back into the side.

Ekpiteta is a certainty, but Thompson is also likely to come back given Luke Garbutt looked understandably rusty on his first appearance of the season and James Husband’s cameo off the bench was an enforced one that came earlier than anticipated due to the lack of options.

Appleton also hinted after the game on Wednesday that he could have “three or four players” back for the derby, which raised an eyebrow.

If we’re to take those words on face value, that suggests one of the five injured players could return. The only player previously reported to be anywhere near a comeback is Keshi Anderson, with Jordan Gabriel, Kevin Stewart, Lewis Fiorini and Jake Beesley all expected to remain sidelined until the World Cup break at least.

The picture still looks pretty bleak in terms of team selection, there’s no doubt Blackpool’s results have been harmed by injuries and suspension.

But the Seasiders can’t afford to use it as an excuse this weekend, Appleton must find a way to get a tune out of the players on what is a massive occasion.

Let’s not kid ourselves, this weekend is a big, big game. Let’s ignore the rivalry for a second, Blackpool are now 21st and could slip into the bottom three with another defeat. Despite all the positive recent performances, they’ve still only won one in seven.

This could be the perfect game to arrest that form and get back to winning ways. The players certainly shouldn’t need any added motivation.

We all know the lukewarm reception Appleton received when he took the job during the summer. Beat Preston and send them backing down the M55 and that will certainly go a long way to changing that perception.