Neil Critchley warns his players not to allow Blackpool's season to fizzle out

Neil Critchley has warned his Blackpool players not to allow their season to fizzle out.
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Neil Critchley says Blackpool's lack of quality needs to be addressed during the...

The club’s admittedly faint play-off hopes have now been ended by back-to-back defeats, leaving the Seasiders with nothing to play for other than their final league position.

But Critchley says his players – who take on Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park today – can’t afford to take that approach and mustn’t allow what has been an excellent first season back in the Championship “dwindle away”.

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“The aim now is to finish as high as we can,” he told The Gazette.

“We’ve come a long way in a short period of time and we’ve given so much this season and enjoyed some memorable games.

“We had that little bit of hope before coming back from the international break, we knew it was an outside chance but it was still a chance, but you’d have to say that’s gone now.

“In football there’s always that professional and personal pride, there’s always something to play for.

Neil Critchley's side still have seven games left to playNeil Critchley's side still have seven games left to play
Neil Critchley's side still have seven games left to play
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“What a great challenge, we’re going to Blackburn on Saturday. Look at the stadium, look at the facilities, a big club pushing for the play-offs, what a game for us to look forward to, so let’s just remember where we are.

“But come on, we’ve got four weeks left, seven games to go and we want to finish as high as we can in this division.

“Let’s not let the season dwindle away because that would be a disappointing end to what has been a relatively decent season so far.”

Critchley also wants his side to show resolve and issue a response, especially after their disappointing midweek defeat to rivals Preston North End - which came three days after a 4-1 loss to Nottingham Forest.

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“It’s been two disappointing defeats, both games haven’t gone the way we wanted them to go,” Critchley conceded.

“Not that you ever need a reminder, but it just shows you how tough this division is, it makes us understand where we are, who we are, where we need to improve and we’ve got seven games to go now to make sure we do improve and get better.

“There are four weeks of the season to go and my message to the players and staff is: we keep going. Nothing changes here, I can assure you.

“Our training schedule, the processes we follow, they will stay the same and if anything, after a defeat, it always makes me and the staff and the players doubly-determined to work harder and get things right.

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“Regardless of the situation we’re in or the league position, the process is quite simple that we follow and that’s just one of continuous improvement and that’s what we’ll do.”

Jordan Gabriel could return for the Seasiders today, but Dujon Sterling (ankle) and Kevin Stewart (thigh) will miss out.

It’s hoped Stewart’s knock isn’t too serious though and he could play a part in the coming weeks.