Neil Critchley addresses Jake Beesley and his patient wait for game time at Blackpool

The striker enjoyed a first start to remember on Easter Monday as he bagged a brace in Blackpool’s 6-1 demolition of Birmingham City.

Prior to that, the 25-year-old had only seen eight minutes of action in two sub appearances since arriving at Bloomfield Road during the January transfer window.

While Beesley hasn’t had the chance to show the supporters what he can do until now, Critchley believes he’s already made improvements behind the scenes.

“He’s had to wait really patiently since January because of the form of Gary (Madine),” Pool’s head coach said.

“He’s been training brilliantly well, his attitude every day…he does extra, he wants to improve, he wants to learn and they’re the type of players we want here.

“He’s actually improved in his three months of being here, it’s just that that’s going on in the background, it’s hidden and no-one gets to see it.

“I’m really pleased for him and that he’s been able to show the supporters because it’s what we’ve seen from him in training.

“What he’s got is athleticism, he’s got legs and when CJ is breaking, he’s got the legs to keep up with him. It was a great cross and a great finish.

“For the second goal, he was brilliant. He was on the move, he feeds off instinct, he gets the rebound off the goalkeeper and taps it in.

“He nearly got a hat-trick with his header that hits the post, but it was a brilliant day and I’m absolutely delighted for him.”

Both of Beesley’s goals on Monday came from crosses from wide positions, a tactic that worked well for the Seasiders throughout the game against a beleaguered Birmingham side.

“We knew they’ve got Onel Hernandez playing wing-back and Jordan Graham playing wing-back, so in transitional moments we could really hurt them and we did. Every time we won the ball back we looked dangerous,” Critchley added.

“The pleasing aspect from this performance is turning those promising moments into goals, which we failed to do in previous games.”