Neil Critchley thanks Blackpool fans for their support

Those fans who made the trip to the Vitality Stadium provided the players with support throughout, even after watching them go 2-0 down inside the first 20 minutes.

Their reward was to see second-half goals from James Husband and Jerry Yates give the Seasiders their second point of the season after the opening-day draw at Bristol City.

Asked about the supporters’ backing, Critchley said: “I keep saying it and I want other people to know: at 1-0 down, 2-0 down, they carry on supporting the team – incredible.

“To see them happy at the end, with the tangerine shirts on in the sunshine, it was a really good moment.

“I’m so, so pleased that we’ve given them a performance that they can be proud of.”

Critchley has also played a part in strengthening the relationship between club and fans after holding a Zoom conversation with some of them on Saturday morning.

It was an opportunity for Critchley and the supporters to interact, something which generally hasn’t been possible since he arrived at Bloomfield Road in March last year.

The pandemic meant he only oversaw two matches in front of fans during the curtailed 2019/20 season.

Then, last season, only a handful of matches were played with supporters present – most notably the play-offs and Wembley final – as Pool won promotion back to the Championship.

Having taken time out of his morning routine to meet the Blackpool fans – albeit on a virtual basis – Critchley outlined just how much the squad values the supporters’ backing.

He said: “Because of what we’ve all faced in this country over the last 12, 15 months, that connection between us and the supporters has obviously been missed and now it’s about re-establishing that connection.

“For some strange reason, the connection between our supporters and our players became stronger and a lot of the players had never played in front of the Blackpool supporters before.

“I know they really appreciate how supportive they are and when they get that support, it inspires the players to give everything for them.”

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