Odel Offiah has made a bright start to life with Blackpool - after joining the club on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion on Deadline Day.

A number of factors meant the defender had to be patient before making his Seasiders debut.

The 21-year-old wasn’t registered in time to face Wycombe Wanderers in League One the day after his arrival on the Fylde Coast, while he was cup tied for the EFL Trophy tie against Crewe Alexandra a few days later - with both games coming directly before the recent international break.

He eventually made his first appearance in Tangerine in the 2-1 victory over Exeter City at Bloomfield Road just under a fortnight ago, and has also started in the away wins against Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town.

Offiah’s arrival at Blackpool came at a time when the club were without a head coach following the sacking of Neil Critchley, with Richard Keogh in interim charge.

Prior to the appointment of Steve Bruce, the Brighton youngster admits there were plenty of factors that attracted him to the League One outfit.

“I spoke to the sporting director (David Downes) and the scouts, and they talked me through the style of play that they wanted, and it felt like a good match regardless of which coach came in,” he said.

“I just wanted to play. It was an attractive option so that’s why I chose Blackpool. Everything sounded really positive, and they knew the way they wanted to play.

“I spoke to Richard Keogh early on, and I watched the Wycombe game where they played some really good stuff. We didn’t come away with the win that day, but it was good to see the style of play and the way they played out.

“There was excitement when Steve Bruce was appointed - he’s managed some top clubs, so to have a gaffer like that, I know I can learn so much, especially with him being a defender as well.

“It was a shame I had to wait for my debut, but it was good in a way I could train more to understand what he wanted from me, and it’s worked out quite well.”

Blackpool’s 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night was their third consecutive win in League One since Bruce’s appointment.

It was also their first clean sheet under the new head coach, with Offiah forming a strong partnership with Olly Casey at the heart of the Seasiders’ defence.

“It’s good that we’re winning games and getting points on the board, especially today with the clean sheet,” he stated after the game at the John Smith’s Stadium.

“Before every game you want a clean sheet. If we can do this in this team, we know we’ll score goals and create chances, so it puts us in a really good position to win the game.

“It’s about communication (with Olly Casey), spending a lot of time together at the training ground, and playing games to develop the partnership. We’re all young in the back four, and we’re all learning, but there’s a wealth of experience in the coaching staff.”