Neil Critchley on Blackpool's unsuccessful red card appeals, Ben Woodburn's positive Covid test and Matty Virtue's scan

Ethan Robson was shown a red card in last week's defeat to AFC Wimbledon

Neil Critchley remaining cautious despite Blackpool's much-needed win at Burton ...

The pair were both dismissed in Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon, making it four red cards for the season already.

Having reviewed the footage on Thursday, the Seasiders attempted to overturn the red cards, but it was to no avail.

Both Ballard and Robson served the first of their three-game suspensions during yesterday’s 2-1 win at Burton Albion and will now miss Tuesday’s game against Wigan Athletic and the FA Cup first round tie at Eastbourne Borough.

Explaining why the appeals were unsuccessful, Critchley told The Gazette: “We were told there was insufficient evidence to overturn both, which is very unfortunate to say the least.

“But it’s out of our hands, it’s out of our control, it is what it is.

“We weren’t happy about it obviously and it’s caused us a bit of a problem, but you’ve always got to find a solution and we’ve done that against Burton.”

The Seasiders were then dealt a fresh blow on the eve of yesterday’s game when it emerged Ben Woodburn had tested positive for Covid-19.

“He’s fine. He had some mild symptoms on Thursday so he was tested and we sent him home straight away,” Critchley added.

“We got the test results back and unfortunately it was positive, so we have to follow the EFL protocols now.

“He will self-isolate for the next 10 days, but he’s fine.

“He was on his own, so it’s been confined. There’s no problems or issues with anyone else, so he’s away from the place, he’s on his own and there’s no issues.”

One man Blackpool have yet to see in league action this season is midfielder Matty Virtue, who recently underwent a scan on an injury that has kept him our since the Carabao Cup game at Stoke City.

When asked about the results of that scan, Critchley said: “We’ve had some good news but we still need to take it baby steps with him a little bit because it’s a tendon in his hamstring, which is a sensitive place.

“If you push too much too soon, it can cause a problem, so we have to take it gently with him and ease him back into a little bit of running and see where we get to in the next few days and weeks ahead.”