Matt Scrafton column: Blackpool departure was inevitable for out-of-favour midfielder

For those of you that answered Kaikai, well done!

Remarkably, he’s the only player brought to the club during the interim board era who is still a part of Blackpool’s first team.

Technically, Yussuf remains a Blackpool player although he is currently with Wrexham – his third loan spell away from the club since arriving – and I don’t anticipate the striker ever making his competitive Seasiders debut.

Devitt, another player who never lined up for Blackpool in a competitive outing, became the latest player to depart on Tuesday when his contract was cancelled by mutual consent, freeing him up to join League Two side Barrow.

You have to feel sorry for the 30-year-old, who must have been champing at the bit to test himself in League One with the Seasiders, having enjoyed a fruitful period in the fourth tier with Carlisle United.

It soon went wrong for the attacking midfielder.

Just four days after Devitt’s contract began at Bloomfield Road, the man who brought him to the Fylde coast – Terry McPhillips – opted to step down, leaving Devitt in the lurch.

It’s fair to say he was a victim of the boardroom upheaval that encapsulated the club at the time, which saw the club exit receivership and be taken over by Simon Sadler.

One of Sadler’s first jobs was to appoint a new manager.

Simon Grayson arrived and never took a shine to Devitt, who soon realised his big move was turning into a big nightmare.

He was shipped out on loan to Bradford City, where he tore his hamstring and was forced to undergo surgery. He returned having made just six appearances.

This season, meanwhile, he got a move to promotion-chasing Newport County.

This spell was a bit more successful as he made 13 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice. However, he started just one league game.

Devitt’s progress has been seriously stunted, but there’s no-one really to blame. He’s just been the victim of circumstance.

In truth, it was a questionable signing in the first place. Devitt is a good performer in League Two but Blackpool, a side pushing for a spot in the top half in the third tier at the time, probably ought to have done better than a player of his calibre.

Again, that’s no fault of Devitt’s. If anything, that’s a question mark over McPhillips’ recruitment.

The interim board, in charge of the club on a temporary basis to help oversee the day-to-day management and help pave way for a takeover, felt they had no choice but to back the manager and let him sign who he wanted.

Tollitt, a winger who had been plagued by injuries in non-league, was another poor acquisition from the Seasiders.

Nevertheless, it’s good to see the 26-year-old, who never made an appearance for Blackpool, performing well with AFC Fylde in the National League North.

Yussuf, meanwhile, had played for 13 clubs by the time he had arrived at Bloomfield Road, aged 27.

He had struggled to nail down a permanent home prior to his spell with Solihull Moors, where he netted 19 goals in 57 appearances.

His move to Blackpool came off the back of a couple of bright displays against them for Solihull in the FA Cup, where McPhillips’ side eventually progressed after extra-time in the replay.

This is no slight on any of the players mentioned, they just weren’t of the calibre required.

Some of you might be reading this and thinking ‘there’s no harm done’, three of the five players mentioned were paid handsome salaries without ever playing a competitive game.

It was a costly exercise but alas, we must move on.

Blackpool have only played four games within the last month, a pretty small total given that period involves the typically congested Christmas and New Year schedule.

The Seasiders were originally scheduled to play seven matches during that period, only for three of those to be postponed.

The calling off of Tuesday night’s League One encounter against Northampton Town was the latest blow for Neil Critchley’s side, following the postponements of the Sunderland and Rochdale games over the Christmas period.

By my calculations, Blackpool now have five free midweeks between now and the end of the season.

That will become four should the Seasiders cause an upset at Brighton and Hove Albion tomorrow in the fourth round of the FA Cup, with the next round of the competition scheduled for Wednesday, February 10.

That doesn’t leave much wiggle room for further postponements, otherwise we might be looking at the prospect of the Seasiders playing Saturday-Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday.

That would certainly do no good to Blackpool’s squad, which is already stretched enough as it is.

Let’s hope the addition of Ellis Simms from Everton and a few potential returns can help Blackpool pull off another cup upset at Brighton tomorrow.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 per month for the first two months. Try us today by clicking here