Joey Barton: Fleetwood Town meeting Blackpool is a derby clash in our eyes

Joey Barton comes up against his second Blackpool manager of the season after Simon Grayson's exit

Fleetwood moved up into sixth in League One with their midweek win over Ipswich Town but a game against mid-table Blackpool is no less of an occasion.

Barton is looking to get one over on the Seasiders after defeat at Bloomfield Road earlier this season.

He said: “We consider it a derby but it seems, off the last showing, that they don’t.

“We’ll be ready for this. They beat us 3-1 at their place, they were better than us on the day.

“Nobody has beaten us twice this season and we don’t intend for that to start this weekend.

“Our culture is that strong that no matter what comes from here to the end of the season, that nothing will get between us.

“We look forward to the next challenge, we look forward to Blackpool on Saturday because they beat us 3-1.

“I’d made a mistake by trying to noise them up in the build-up to the game and I had to take that on the chin.”

Since that first meeting, Simon Grayson has left Blackpool with former Liverpool U23 coach Neil Critchley named as his successor after David Dunn’s spell as interim boss.

Barton admitted to surprise at the timing of Critchley’s appointment earlier this week.

He explained: “I went to the Blackpool game on Saturday and David Dunn was in charge; Dunny did his coaching badges with myself and Clint (Hill, assistant manager) out in Northern Ireland.

“We’d left the stadium by the time (Joe) Nuttall scored the winner against Ipswich.

“I thought they were a good side and in a false position because of, firstly, the money they spent in the summer.

“They spent fortunes really and then they’ve gone again in January and invested heavily.

“To see a manager (Grayson) that brought that many players in, to not be given time, was a surprise because that’s what managers need.

“Secondly, they’d won two games. I thought Dunny might have got a bit more time.

“I didn’t expect the managerial appointment this week. In terms of his playing career, he didn’t really have one so I don’t really know him.

“In terms of coaching he’s done an incredible job at Liverpool’s U23s, I’ve watched them an awful lot, I’ve probably watched Liverpool’s U23s more than I’ve watched Blackpool.”