Chris Maxwell: Defeat by Luton can be turning point in season for Blackpool

The Seasiders performed fairly well at Bloomfield Road on Saturday but were put to the sword after failing to take their chances.

Neil Critchley’s side, who have slipped to 15th in the Championship ahead of Saturday’s trip to Derby County, have only scored twice in their last six games, winning none of them.

But Maxwell believes the latest setback could prove a valuable turning point. He told The Gazette: “It was a very strange game. The conditions obviously played a massive part and the goals.

“Their style of play perhaps suited the conditions a little bit more but we certainly had our fair share of possession and chances, and we were well in the game for the majority of it.

“Unless you’re at the top end of the Premier League, games like this will happen.

“We had conversations last season about certain games being turning points and you learn from certain experiences. Sometimes when you lose you get more out of it than winning in terms of learning as a group.

“We’re not the finished article and we’re developing each week. The performance against Luton was there but the result wasn’t.

“We’re not playing poorly and we’ve not been dominated by anybody this season. If you told us at the start of the season that would be the case come December, when you’ve nearly played every team, we’d have been really happy with that.

“We’re moving in the right direction. The recent results may not look like that but we certainly are.”

Maxwell will be the first to admit he was a little rusty on his return after tearing a quadricep at the start of October.

Luton’s first two goals came from deep crosses which Maxwell and his defenders failed to deal with.

“It was certainly a test for me, not only physically but also mentally, coming into a game of such calibre with the conditions and intensity,” he said. “Striking balls into that wind for 90 minutes was a new one for me.

“I’ve come through it unscathed, which is good. I’m taking a few positives out of the game but there are a few things I need to look at and address, like every player should whether we’re winning or losing.

“It’s just about getting back to where I was before I got injured, that’s the aim.

“It’s about rediscovering that decision-making and getting back up to the speed of games – that comes through minutes.

“Trying to take a cross in windy conditions for the first goal was always going to be a difficult task. I’m not beating myself up about it, I’m just fully focused on being ready for the next game.”

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