Steve Bruce took over as Blackpool head coach last month - and number of players have already excelled under the experienced manager.

Prior to Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Mansfield Town at Field Mill, the Seasiders enjoyed an unbeaten run in their opening five league games with the 63-year-old at the helm.

When able to, Bruce has made minimal changes to his starting XI, with only injuries tending to force his hand. This has meant some players have missed out on game time, due to the strong performances of their colleagues.

Ryan Finnigan and Zac Ashworth both featured in Neil Critchley’s final game with Blackpool back in August, but are yet to pick up minutes in the league under the new boss.

The pair were signed by the former head coach this year from Southampton and West Brom respectively, and among the younger members of the Seasiders senior team.

“I’ve got a squad of 20-odd players so some will be disappointed,” Bruce said last week.

“I’ve picked a team and they’ve done extremely well so I think they understand that, but of course later on in the season you might think about rotation and giving people a break.

“At the moment there’s been no physical drop off, the numbers are still good and they’ve all hit the figures - which is testament to how fit they are.

“I don’t know why we can’t have nine substitutes like we do in the cup competitions - that’s another one that baffles me. It keeps people happy if you can include people on the bench, but don’t get me started bitching again, I’ve only been going for a month.”