Why Blackpool’s Battle of Bramall Lane was so invaluable for Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino

The midfielder, who only turned 19 on Monday, produced a battling display at Bramall Lane on Saturday against a side that was top of the Championship prior to kick-off.

The hot-headed affair – which ended 3-3 – threatened to boil over at times with referee David Webb losing control of proceedings and dishing out four red cards as a result.

But Patino stood up to the task well and still found time to show his unquestionable quality on the ball against a high level of opposition.

He played a major part in Blackpool’s third goal, with his pass diverting to the feet of Kenny Dougall to slot home.

But it was the Arsenal loanee’s all-round game that caught the eye, the England Under-20 international not looking out of place whatsoever in the heat of battle.

“It’s a great education for him,” Appleton told The Gazette.

“I’ve been asked about the physical side of his game before but I thought he stands up with most, because he’s capable of doing it.

“In terms of his frame, he’s clearly not going to start knocking people over and jump through people into second balls, but he’s clever enough to get into areas and intercept the ball. He uses his intelligence to nick the ball off players and look to start off attacks.

“From his point of view, games like Saturday are brilliant for him because he would have never experienced anything like that before.

“But there’s going to be times in his career where looking back at a game like Saturday will help him.

“This is why I’ve always been a big advocate of bringing young players on loan to clubs and giving them an opportunity to play and develop.

“The biggest thing is the trust, because you’ve got to put your trust in players. Sometimes they will make mistakes and they will let you down and do something daft, or make a poor error, but eventually over time if you believe in their ability and what they’re about they will come up trumps up for you.”