Blackpool are making a late push for the final play-off place in League One, with two difficult fixtures to come before the end of the regular season which could make for an entertaining finale once more.
Having been relegated from the Championship last term, the Seasiders may not have had the season they desired by bouncing straight back up to the second tier. Instead, Neil Critchley’s men have been left to battle it out with Oxford United and Lincoln City for the last spot in the top six.
Blackpool are on quite a good run of form since the turn of April, picking up ten points from a possible 12 in the league, which included three consecutive 1-0 victories and a goalless draw at Bloomfield Road with Wycombe Wanderers.
However, the next two matches will be crucial. On Saturday, Crtichley’s side host fellow promotion hopefuls Barnsley before making a trip to the Select Car Leasing Stadium on the final day of the season as they take on Ruben Selles’ valiant Reading.
A cup victory at Bloomfield Road the last time we faced Barnsley, with Jake Beesley on the scoresheet. 🐝
🍊 #UTMP pic.twitter.com/KOrVJnUp7C
— Blackpool FC (@BlackpoolFC) April 15, 2024
Unfortunately, reaching the play-offs is now entirely out of Blackpool’s hands as the Seasiders are reliant on both Oxford and Lincoln dropping points in their final two matches, but the Lancashire outfit also have an inferior goal difference on their promotion rivals.
Should Blackpool fail to get into the top six by the end of the month, fingers will be pointed at Critchley, but club legend Brett Ormerod believes that he is still the right man for the job. Speaking in an interview with the Blackpool Gazette, the 47-year-old said:
“Who else is there? I know there’s some managers out there, but he’s done it at that level and he’s as good as anyone. His team hasn’t been as consistent as they were a couple of years ago, but they’re still in with a shout. I still think he’s the right man for the job, but it has been a tough season. He’ll be desperate to get the club back into the Championship.
“They’ve shown at times what they can do, and they’ve played some fantastic stuff, but they’ve lost too many games on the road against teams you’d expect them to beat. They’ve won at places at Peterborough and Portsmouth, and not many teams have done that, but then they’ve not performed against teams like Burton.”
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Writer’s View
Critchley has guided Blackpool to the Championship once before and he can certainly do it again. While this season may come a little too soon for the club, the 2024/25 campaign will be a fairer judge of his ability to take the team where they want to go, particularly after a summer transfer window.
Nevertheless, Ormerod is correct. There are not many obvious candidates out there. Critchley knows the club and the players and has proven before he has what it takes to reach the second tier. It’s likely that the board know this too.
