Neil Critchley provides injury update on Kevin Stewart and Demetri Mitchell after Blackpool's friendly defeat to Man City

Neil Critchley is waiting for good news on both Kevin Stewart and Demetri Mitchell ahead of Blackpool’s league opener at Bristol City on Saturday.

Stewart was forced off with an ankle injury during tonight’s 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat against Manchester City.

It comes after Demetri Mitchell suffered a knee complaint during the weekend encounter against Morecambe.

The timing of the knocks comes at the worst possible time for the Seasiders, who make their return to the Championship in just four days’ time.

On Stewart’s injury, Critchley said: “It was from a tackle or a run he made in the first-half I think.

“He just went over on his ankle a little bit, so we’re just hopeful of good news really.

“The fact he came off so quickly and got some ice on it and stuff might mean we’ve prevented it from getting any worse.

“As for Demi, we saw him on Sunday. He was similar to what he was on Saturday and then you just have to wait 24 to 48 hours to let a little bit of swelling go down before you can get a true result from the scan.

“He’s been for his scan this afternoon, so fingers crossed we get some good news.”

The Seasiders competed well against the reigning Premier League champions in tonight’s behind-closed-doors friendly, despite eventually being beaten in comfortable fashion.

Critchley’s side made a nightmare start, going a goal down after just three minutes.

But Pool responded well, levelling through Luke Garbutt’s penalty after the excellent Shayne Lavery had been fouled for a spot kick.

The star-studded hosts would go on to take their game to another level in the second-half, with both Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan starring.

Despite the heavy nature of the scoreline, Critchley was still encouraged by how his side performed, adding: “I was really pleased with how we played.

“For long periods we were in the game as much as we could be in the game.

“We got off to the worst possible start, but we grew into the game and we grew in confidence.

“First-half, we were causing them some problems with how we were playing and we were controlling them without the ball as much as you can control how they play.

“At half-time, I was really pleased with how we had done.

“Again, we conceded straight after half-time. Maybe it was a little bit of misfortune, I’m not sure the lad meant to get the ball to Mahrez but it was a fantastic finish.

“The third goal was really disappointing, but they were on top in the second-half. Nevertheless, we still had some good moments ourselves.

“Maybe we overplayed at times, but I thought we showed real courage and belief in how we wanted to play.

“We’re playing against a special football team, a team that plays in a unique way. No-one plays like them. They have a special manager and special players.

“We said before the game we’ve got to practice being us, forget the scoreboard. I was proud of how we played tonight.”

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