Neil Critchley: That's not the way Blackpool want to win games

Battling their way to a hard-earned three points paid off for Blackpool at Burton Albion on Saturday – but Neil Critchley says that’s not the way he wants his side to play in the long term.
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Jerry Yates bagged a brace, his first goals for the club, as the Seasiders claimed a much-needed 2-1 victory at Pirelli Stadium.

Blackpool might not have been as free-flowing as previously but they still found a way to win the game.

The Seasiders celebrate Jerry Yates' first Blackpool goal at BurtonThe Seasiders celebrate Jerry Yates' first Blackpool goal at Burton
The Seasiders celebrate Jerry Yates' first Blackpool goal at Burton
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But head coach Critchley, whose side take on Wigan Athletic at Bloomfield Road tonight (7pm) looking for their first back-to-back wins of the season, wasn’t necessarily happy with the way the Seasiders won away for the first time in 13 months.

“This is not how we want to play in the future but we found a way to win the game,” he said.

“The results are important, but how you get those results in the long-term is even more important because that’s what will give you the best chance of being consistent and sustaining your wins game after game.

“We’ll have to play better than that if we want to win consistently, in my opinion. There are wins for now but there are wins for the future.

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“That performance got us a win on Saturday but I believe we’ll have to perform better than that if we want to win more games in the future.”

When asked what pleased him most about Saturday’s victory, Critchley said: “It’s an obvious thing to say but the most pleasing aspect was the three points.

“We’ve played better than that, a lot better than that this season, especially in possession of the ball.

“We’ve had more control in other games and dominated games, particularly when you think about Plymouth away and Crewe away.

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“We had to show a different side to our game on Saturday and we saw the game out very well. The organisation was good and we defended well as a team.

“I just felt we could have kept the ball and passed the ball better, which would have eliminated some of the pressure we came under at the end.

“I say pressure, though I didn’t feel our goal was under massive threat at the end of the game.

“But they had some of the ball, which is probably what you’d expect when they were the home team.

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“But when we were playing Crewe, Plymouth and other teams, we’ve been the side with the ball and in control.

“We had less control on Saturday but we’ve won the game, which was the most pleasing aspect.”

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