Who is the ex-Oldham Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion striker that could make his Blackpool debut in the biggest game of the season?

The 19-year-old is among the Seasiders bench for their game away to Reading- with Shayne Lavery and Kylian Kouassi both dropping out of the matchday squad.

This afternoon’s fixture is crucial for Neil Critchley’s side, who need to pick up maximum points at the Select Car Leasing Stadium and hope results go in their favour elsewhere in order to reach the League One play-offs. The Fylde Coast club currently sit in eighth, with fifth place Barnsley two points ahead of them, and Lincoln City and Oxford United both one clear.

Emmerson is a regular part of Blackpool’s development squad, and was on hand with a second half hat-trick in his most recent Central League outing, which was a 3-0 victory over Barrow.

The striker has also picked up game time elsewhere this season, scoring five times in 11 matches for Eastbourne Borough. He’s no stranger to senior football, having made his competitive debut for Oldham Athletic at the age of 15.

After making three appearances for Latics, Emmerson joined Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee in 2020. While at the Amex, he was selected for the England U18s squad.

In 2022, he made the move to Bloomfield Road, where he has worked closely under the guidance of Stephen Dobbie.

Here is the full team to take on Reading: Dan Grimshaw, Matthew Pennington, Marvin Ekpiteta, James Husband, CJ Hamilton, George Byers, Sonny Carey, Hayden Coulson, Karamoko Dembele, Jake Beesley, Kyle Joseph.

Substitutes: Richard O’Donnell, Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel, Ollie Norburn, Albie Morgan, Matty Virtue, Olly Casey, Zak Emmerson.