Blackpool FC: Neil Critchley reflects on the Seasiders' 0-0 draw with Port Vale

The Seasiders were unable to score for the second consecutive match, as they drew 0-0 with Port Vale at Bloomfield Road.

Critchley states he was more disappointed with the result; not the performance of his side.

"It was frustrating with a capital F,” he said.

"It’s not easy when teams come and put loads of men behind the ball, and have a game plan to stop you- which they did very well.

"You have to be patient and persevere in what you are trained to do.

"It’s not easy to push teams back in their own half in the early stages, you need to fight for that.

"It might not be how you want it to look in the first 20 minutes, but if we keep at it then you can see what happened in the second half where we had complete control and dominated the game.

"We just missed the final bit in and around the goal.

"I’m not disappointed with the performance, just frustrated with the result.

"We put them under a lot of pressure in the second half- I was really pleased with how we played.

"We just need to stick at what we’re doing and keep repeating it.

"We just need to keep being us and learn when teams do that to us to see if we can do it better.

"The boys really played in the second half and pushed them back.

"We’re learning and we’ll continue to do that.”

Critchley was pleased with the way his side performed in defence, as they kept their fourth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions.

"They had a couple of moments in the first half where they picked up some of the second balls and gained momentum in and around the goal,” he added.

"Other than Grimmy (Dan Grimshaw) saving one low to his right, I don’t remember any other chances in the game.

"You have to defend first balls, second balls, and make sure you do the basics right.

"Keeping a clean sheet is always a good start because it gives you the chance of picking up at least a point.”