Matt Scrafton column: Blackpool fans have plenty to shout about

If the midweek cup tie against Middlesbrough was the appetiser, tomorrow’s first home league game of the season must be the main meal.
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While Wednesday night’s attendance was fairly modest – the Carabao Cup doesn’t have the same appeal as a league game and many fans will be saving their cash for Saturday – the Seasiders in attendance still managed to make some racket.

Pound for pound, there can’t be many fanbases out there that generate a better atmosphere than the tangerine faithful.

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You think back to the second leg of the play-off semi-final against Oxford, when ‘only’ 4,000 fans were allowed to attend.

Blackpool's players and fans celebrate against Middlesbrough in midweekBlackpool's players and fans celebrate against Middlesbrough in midweek
Blackpool's players and fans celebrate against Middlesbrough in midweek
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Somehow it felt like 10,000 were packed inside Bloomfield Road.

The same goes for Wembley, where Blackpool’s contingent of 4,000 supporters managed to outsing their Lincoln City counterparts, even when their side were trailing.

That’s why there is so much anticipation for tomorrow’s clash against Cardiff City, when a bumper crowd is expected.

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With 7,500 season tickets already sold – at the latest count, at least – thousands of others likely to pay on the day and the visiting Cardiff fans, who will no doubt want to enjoy a weekend on the coast, you’d like to think Bloomfield Road will be playing host to its biggest gate in years.

And if Wednesday night is anything to go by, Neil Critchley’s men will rise to the occasion and take inspiration from the noise the terraces generate.

Having been fairly limited in terms of team selection for the season opener at Bristol City last weekend, the picture is now beginning to look a little healthier for Blackpool’s head coach.

Kenny Dougall made a successful return from the knee injury he suffered in pre-season and, despite only playing 45 minutes in midweek, the Aussie looked like he had never been away.

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Last season’s Wembley hero fitted back in seamlessly and made a big difference in the centre of the park.

You certainly notice his presence in the side, so you’d like to think the midfielder would be a shoo-in to start tomorrow as long as the legs are okay.

Elsewhere, Daniel Gretarsson and Gary Madine are back in training.

The duo might take a little longer to rediscover their match fitness, given they’re both recovering from summer operations, but the outlook remains positive.

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Kevin Stewart, meanwhile, could return sooner than expected after the club received good news on the knock to the midfielder’s ankle he suffered in the pre-season friendly at Man City last week.

Demetri Mitchell is likely to remain out for a while with a knee injury, although – like Stewart – the prognosis isn’t as bad as Critchley first feared when the winger screamed in frustration on being forced off the pitch during the friendly against Morecambe.

It’s only Matty Virtue who is out for the long-term with an ACL injury, which will keep him sidelined for the first half of the season.

Aside from that, things are heading in the right direction and Critchley now has a number of options at his disposal. One of the biggest plusses from the comprehensive midweek cup win against Middlesbrough was the positive first impressions of a number of the club’s summer signings.

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Shayne Lavery and Josh Bowler were utterly magnificent and, at times, nothing short of unplayable on their first starts, having initially impressed off the bench in the league opener at Bristol City last weekend.

Elsewhere, Daniel Grimshaw, Oliver Casey and Sonny Carey all produced strong showings on their debuts.

A good win really does put a spring in your step, doesn’t it?

Let’s hope we’re all bouncing come Saturday night.

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