'Warrior' Kyle Joseph provided Blackpool with something they've been missing away from home this season admits Neil Critchley

It’s been a tough start to life for the 22-year-old at Bloomfield Road, with injuries defining the early stages of his time with the club, but in the last month he’s been able to get a lot more game time under his belt. The striker provided the assists for both of the Seasiders’ goals on Saturday afternoon, with CJ Hamilton and Karamoko Dembele finding the back of the net, before Chris Martin claimed what proved to be a consolation for the Pirates.

Blackpool manager Neil Critchley believes there’s been a spring in Joseph’s step since his performance in the FA Cup third round replay against Nottingham Forest. Although the Premier League side came away with a 3-2 victory, the ex-Swansea City man had a big impact off the bench and helped to take the game to extra time.

"Any forward gets confidence from scoring goals, and Kyle wants to hit the back of the net,” he said.

"It was a big moment for him against Forest, and I know it was the same for Kaddy (Karamoko Dembele) to get one against Bristol Rovers because he’d gone a while without scoring as well. If Rhodesy (Jordan Rhodes) isn’t scoring; if you can get them from other areas it certainly helps.

"I thought Kyle was brilliant in the first half, a real thorn in their side and a real handful. He showed real skill and composure- and had that bit of quality that we’ve not had in games away from home this season.

"I’ve got complete faith in the player he’s going to be. He came to us part way through pre-season with an injury, then got injured early on and missed a significant part of season, so that always sets you back and he’s playing catch up, but he’s now looking much sharper, fitter and confident. The goal the other night has done him the world of good.

"He is a brilliant lad. His attitude is top- he’s a fighter, he’s a warrior. He gives you absolutely everything on the pitch. We didn’t expect him to play so long on Wednesday so it was probably a slight risk to play him, but Shayne (Lavery) in truth isn’t ready to start; although he also played 60 minutes the other night, which gave us a dilemma over who to pick. “We can never guarantee that we’ll win, but we can guarantee that these players will give everything they’ve got. After the schedule we’ve been on, I felt they all put a real shift in. It’ll give them a big lift to come away from home and pick up three points.”