'They kept going for more': Blackpool boss sings the praises of his two defensive warriors following dramatic Hull victory

Marvin Ekpiteta and Daniel Gretarsson were both in superb form as Blackpool claimed a dramatic 3-2 victory thanks to CJ Hamilton’s last-gasp strike.

The pair dealt well with dangerous striker Tom Eaves, before having their hands full with Josh Magennis when the Northern Ireland international was brought off the bench.

“They’re two very good players,” Critchley said.

“I know Tom Eaves very well from when he was a young boy as a youth player at Crewe. I know what a handful he can be.

“Then when they bring on Magennis as well, you’re talking about an international player.

“But I thought the resilience of those two centre-halves, because they got knocked about a bit, they brushed themselves off, got up and kept going for more. They were excellent.

“They showed a real spirit and plenty of character.”

Blackpool made five changes from the side that were held to a goalless draw against Oxford United at the weekend, but it made little difference to their level of performance.

“I don’t think you’d notice that we made five changes at all. There was no rustiness, there was a rhythm to how we played,” Critchley added.

“We changed the system and the shape because we thought it was the right thing to do and that’s a real asset to have different systems and players that can step in and play like they did.

“Accrington on Saturday will be different again.”

Despite the disappointment of failing to convert their dominance into three points against Oxford on Saturday, it’s still been a satisfying week for Pool.

Critchley now takes his side to East Lancashire on Saturday to face an Accrington Stanley outfit that sit eighth in the League One table.

“We’re disappointed with the result against Oxford because that should have been three points. It actually felt like a defeat after the game,” Pool’s head coach.

“The lads were really down and that shows you how far we’ve come that we’re disappointed with drawing with a team like Oxford.

“To follow that up with three points in the manner we got against Hull is very satisfying, but it’s only three points and we have a tough game coming up against Accrington now which will be completely different.

“They’re in good form, it’ll be a real test, but we’re in good form and we look forward to every game we play at the moment.”

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