Blackpool handed Ollie Norburn injury update ahead of Fylde Coast Derby vs Fleetwood Town

Neil Critchley has revealed that Ollie Norburn will be in contention to feature in Blackpool's Fylde Coast Derby with Fleetwood Town on Wednesday night.

Norburn has been nursing a neck injury, and has missed the last three League One matches as a result. He was at Bloomfield Road on Saturday and was seen speaking to his former teammates at Peterborough United, before the Posh won 4-2.

It's been a mixed bag of results since he got his injury with a draw against Oxford United, a win against Cheltenham Town and the aforementioned defeat to Peterborough. He returned to training last week, and now with a couple of sessions under his belt he could be a part of the 18-man squad at Highbury Stadium tomorrow evening.

Asked if he will be in the equation to play, Critchley said: “He will be. He’s desperate to play. It was last week when he had a couple of days on the pitch and we’ve had a couple more days. He’ll be a late one but he wants to play, and he’s desperate to play. It’s a conversation I am going to have to have this afternoon.”

Derby matches require a certain degree of composure and discipline, and that will be key if they are to get a positive result against Fleetwood Town. Norburn is the club captain, and his manager revealed that he had made an attempt to bring him to the club during his first spell. His ability to manage his teammates on the pitch and get the best out of them is something that the manager believes is being seen less and less in players in this modern era of football.

Norburn has 358 appearances to date in senior football, and has been capped four times for the Grenada national team. His arrival from Peterborough saw him appointed as captain instead of long-serving players at the club, and to have his presence back would be a welcomed boost, especially during a busy period in the fixture schedule.

"He’s the captain of the team, and he’s captain for a reason," Critchley added.

"I was keen to bring him to the club in my first spell and I’ve now managed to bring him here and it’s for a reason. He has leadership skills that I think every manager and head coach will say they’re diminishing in the game a little bit.

"He’s a brilliant professional and he’s got the respect of his peers around him because of the way he speaks and how he conducts himself. He’s competitive, he’s got an edge to him and he wants to win and when you take him out of the team, you miss his influence."