'We deteriorated' admits Neil Critchley in immediate reaction to Blackpool's narrow victory over Cambridge United

Sonny Carey’s first half finish proved to be the difference between the two teams, as the Seasiders ended their three game winless run, but very few opportunities followed after the break.

Meanwhile, the visitors forced a good stop out of Dan Grimshaw following the restart, and hit the post in the latter stages, but offered very little else to pull themselves level.

Reflecting on the game, Critchley said: "I think I’ve aged about five years, which is not a good thing for me.

"I felt we were good in the first half against a team that’s very defensive, they play 5-4-1 with everyone behind the ball. It’s not something you face often, you have to be patient and work your openings- showing perseverance and patience, I felt we did that and we created some really good moments. We showed the bit of quality that hasn’t been there in some of the games recently.

"It was nice to see Sonny bend it into the bottom corner for his goal, that’s the quality he’s got, and he needs to produce it on a more regular basis if he wants to be a better player. He had some really good opportunities, and he’s looked dangerous in the games he’s played recently.

"In the second half, we deteriorated and got worse, we got a bit edgy and we needed a second goal to settle us down. We failed in countless situations. They had that one moment on the break where they hit the post, but I felt we were the better team and deserved to win the game. We got over the line and at this stage of the season I’ll take that.

"We had loads of situations where we won the ball back, but we failed, and that’s perhaps a lack of confidence. We should’ve put the game to bed and it should’ve been over, but we didn’t, so the anxiety started to grow within the group- we were a bit edgy. I’m hoping the three points just settles us down a little bit.”