Morecambe v Blackpool RECAP: Updates from Seasiders' final pre-season friendly

“It’s not ideal the situation we’ve got.

“Some players came back after missing the Carlisle game on Saturday and we’re hopeful we’ll get one or two more back for the Morecambe game on Saturday.

“It can interrupt the flow of the game. A lot of the supporters don’t get to see what goes on at the training ground every day so it can be tough sometimes for them to know why we’ve made certain decisions.

“But there’s always a lot of thought that goes into the team we pick and how long they play and who comes on for who.

“It can get a little bit disruptive and it was a little bit against Burnley on Tuesday night, but I thought the players that came on for the last 25 minutes acquitted themselves well.”

Neil Critchley is hopeful of having Marvin Ekpiteta and Keshi Anderson back fit for today’s game against Morecambe.

The pair were left out of Blackpool’s squad for the midweek game against Burnley as a precaution, after picking up slight knocks.

Critchley admitted to The Gazette that he could have risked the duo on Tuesday night, but he felt it would have been too big a risk ahead of Blackpool’s league opener at Bristol City next weekend.

The Seasiders are still depleted following the club’s recent Covid outbreak and were without 13 players for Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat to Burnley.

Daniel Gretarsson (shoulder), Matty Virtue (ACL) and Gary Madine (groin) are all injured, alongside Ekpiteta and Anderson.

Teddy Howe and Joe Nuttall haven’t been utilised at all in pre-season, while Bez Lubala remains unavailable due to a ‘club matter’.

Stuart Moore, Jordan Thorniley, Kenny Dougall, Kevin Stewart and Jordan Thorniley have all been absent in recent weeks.

This afternoon’s game is the final chance for Neil Critchley to watch his players in live action ahead of Blackpool’s league opener at Bristol City next weekend.

It’s been a disrupted pre-season for the Seasiders to date, a Covid outbreak among the squad causing the friendly against Rangers to be scrapped.

The positive tests and players forced to isolate has also depleted Critchley’s squad, with 13 players missing for Tuesday night’s game against Burnley - when injuries are also taken into account.

Today’s opponents are gearing up for their campaign in League One, having won promotion via the fourth tier play-offs last season.

Derek Adams has since departed to join Bradford City, with former Oldham Athletic and Motherwell boss Stephen Robinson now in the hotseat.

Robinson’s men have beaten Workington and Kendal Town in pre-season, drawn with Barnsley and lost to Chorley and Burnley.

The Shrimps get their league campaign underway away at Ipswich Town next weekend.

Pool’s pre-season results so far:

- Southport (won 2-0)

- Accrington Stanley (lost 3-1)

- Carlisle United (won 1-0)

- Burnley (lost 1-0)

And welcome to today’s live blog.

The Seasiders head to the Globe Arena this afternoon to take on League One newcomers Morecambe in their final pre-season friendly of the summer.

Follow the blog for build-up, team news and updates.