Neil Critchley hoping Blackpool youngsters can be rewarded with a plum tie in the last 16 of the FA Youth Cup

John Murphy’s side eased into the fifth round of the competition last night with a convincing 3-1 win against Cheltenham Town.

Despite being a man down for over an hour, the young Seasiders were in command throughout and could easily have added to their tally in the second-half.

As it was, goals from Jake Daniels, Dannen Francis and Will Squires were enough to seal Blackpool’s progress.

“I really enjoyed the game,” Critchley told The Gazette.

“The lads were fantastic again. They got off to a great start and then they got a bit of fortune with their equaliser which could have easily rocked them a bit, but I thought their response to that setback was very good.

“They got better and stronger with 10 men and if anyone looked like increasing the scoreline, it was us.

“We played really good football, we attacked well and the lads showed a lot of bravery and courage to play.

“They’re in a good moment, you can see that. They’re full of confidence and I really enjoyed the evening.”

Blackpool’s encounter at Whaddon Road was one of the first fourth round ties to be played.

It remains unclear when the last 16 draw will take place, although fourth round games will continue to be played until January 15.

When the draw is eventually made, Blackpool’s first-team coach hopes to see the youth-team paired with one of the big boys.

“It’s testament to the work that’s being done in the academy at the moment,” Critchley added.

“You want to produce players for your first-team, that’s part of the academy. But we want to produce good people as well.

“It’s not just about producing players for the first-team. It can’t be because not all of them are going to be playing in the first-team.

“But when I look at what happened against Cheltenham, I think it’s testament to what the staff have done with them and are doing with them.

“You want to stay in that competition for as long as you can because you want the players to feel the importance of winning games and knowing what it takes to win games and important games.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than the Youth Cup at Under-19 level, so it would be lovely now for the boys to draw a big club and have a chance to play either at home, because I’m sure our supporters would come out to support them, or away at a fantastic stadium somewhere.”

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