Blackpool boss sends warning to Portsmouth, Oxford, Barnsley & Co as Seasiders put down a marker against Stevenage

Delighted Blackpool boss Neil Critchley reckons his side are more than capable of becoming ‘a force to be reckoned with’ at the top end of League One this term, writes Simon Smedley.

The Seasiders highlighted their undoubted credentials with a convincing and hugely impressive 3-0 beating of high-flying Stevenage at Bloomfield Road.

The maximum haul lifted Critchley’s men to within just a single point of the top six.

“I’ve said to the players at the end of the game that I think we’re getting up a head of steam,” said Critchley.

“I think that’s only one defeat in six now. We should really have won at Charlton last week. We threw that away really from being 2-0 up.

“We spoke about that as a group this week and showed the lads a few things about what we can learn and what we can do so much better. When we were 2-0 up against Stevenage, and then 3-0, it was important that we saw the game out in a much better fashion, and we did that to perfection.

“We’ve beaten a good team here, and that gives us some good momentum going forward, particularly with a tough game against Oxford to look forward to now. We’ve shown that we can compete.

“We went to Barnsley and won, could have won at Charlton, so we know we’re capable of beating anyone in this league. We’ve got to start showing a bit more belief and confidence in ourselves. I believe we can be a force to be reckoned with this season.”

The Seasiders led at the interval thanks to Jordan Rhodes’ predatory finish as he diverted skipper Ollie Norburn’s initial strike past a flat-footed Taye Ashby-Hammond. The hosts then turned in a hugely impressive and dominant second-half effort, with Owen Dale doubling the lead on the hour mark via a deflection.

CJ Hamilton coolly slotted home the hosts’ third late on following a perfectly-executed one-two with Rhodes.

Critchley added: “We knew we’d have to fight very hard to get anything today. It’s never easy against a Steve Evans side. They’re tough and they have a method that they stick to and they’re very good at it.

“It’s a really good win for us, though, and a clean sheet is very pleasing.

“We’ve had a bit of luck here and there, particularly just before half-time with their offside shout, but we’ve had decisions go against us too this season, and they do tend to even themselves out.

“This just keeps us moving forward in the right direction now. I thought we were really comfortable in the second half and we scored some good team goal.

“We need all of our players to contribute, and we saw that today. That third goal was all about the type of team we want to become.

“Sometimes you have to be patient, and expectations are different this season, but I’m delighted because I think this was a relatively comfortable win for us against a quality team.”