Neil Critchley hails birthday boy Josh Bowler after late winner in Blackpool's win against Stoke City

Neil Critchley has paid tribute to Josh Bowler for scoring Blackpool’s late winner at Stoke City on his 23rd birthday.
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The Seasiders ought to have put the game to bed during a dominant first-half, but there were special scenes in the 86th minute when Bowler scored the winner in front of the delirious 2,100 away fans.

“I’m really pleased,” Critchley said.

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“Over the course of the 90 minutes we were the side that deserved to win the game.

“In the first-half we were outstanding. We really took the game to Stoke, we were on the front foot, our organisation and pressing was excellent and some of the moves we put together…the only thing missing was a goal.

“We had some good opportunities to score and we didn’t take them.

Neil Critchley's side made it back-to-back wins thanks to Josh Bowler's late strikeNeil Critchley's side made it back-to-back wins thanks to Josh Bowler's late strike
Neil Critchley's side made it back-to-back wins thanks to Josh Bowler's late strike

“The second-half was more even, but we always carried a threat and you know the longer the game goes, the game opens up. That suits us.

“We win it with a terrific goal late on.”

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Substitute Jerry Yates was instrumental in Blackpool’s winning goal, holding the ball up before laying it off to Bowler to lash home.

“The front four are a big threat,” Critchley added.

“Jerry has played a big part in the goal coming off the bench, he’s linked up well with Josh and it’s his birthday today so it’s a great gift for him. Three points and it keeps his run of form going and it was a terrific goal.

“In the first-half, he maybe could have got in the box a little bit better when the ball went wide once or twice, but with him, Gary (Madine), Shayne (Lavery) and CJ (Hamilton), we do carry a big threat at the top end of the pitch.

“In the first-half, if we had got our final pass right or the final decision right and that little bit of quality, we would have been one or two goals up at half-time.”On his decision to swap Lavery for Yates, Critchley said: “Sometimes the substitutions work, sometimes they don’t.

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“It didn’t necessarily need a change but we felt we might as well change something different near the end because something might work.

“Jerry came on and he did really well for the goal. When you watch it back, he showed real composure to knock it back into Josh’s path on his right foot and he celebrated in front of our supporters, which was a brilliant moment.”

It would have been a feeling of relief for Pool to snatch the win late on having squandered so many gilt-edged chances in the first-half.

Critchley was delighted his side weren’t left to rue those misses, adding: “You know in this league you don’t get loads and loads of opportunities.

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“You know with the quality they’ve got on the pitch and the quality they’ve got on the bench that they only need one moment.

“They nearly had that in the first-half, but they didn’t really threaten us. They had a big moment towards the end of the game as well but (Dan Grimshaw) Grimmy has made a fantastic save.

“The longer it goes on and it’s still 0-0, you are thinking ‘we should be winning this game’ and you don’t want that feeling at the end of the game of ‘what if?’

“Thankfully we’ve not got it.”