Blackpool striker 'getting closer' as Neil Critchley issues injury update ahead of Cheltenham Town test

The 27-year-old has been out of action since the Seasiders’ final game of 2023 away to Port Vale, but has made good progress in the last week. He alongside Jordan Rhodes on the club’s list of absentees, with the Huddersfield loanee missing the last three outings after suffering a blow to the ribs.

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley doesn’t expect any changes to his squad for Tuesday night’s trip to The Completely-Suzuki Stadium to take on Cheltenham Town.

"There’s nothing new- there’s progress from Jordan (Rhodes) but he won’t be fit for the Cheltenham game,” he said.

“We’ve got the usual bumps and bruises from the match on Saturday but nothing that will keep anyone out, so it’ll be as you were squad wise.

"Jake Beesley is getting closer but we’ll have to make a decision on if he’s back into the squad yet and if he’s done enough training. He joined in at the end of last week, having had five or six weeks out.

"We’ve not made a decision for Cheltenham yet, but he won’t be far away. He’s feeling positive and he’s desperate to come back, he’s been telling us for weeks that he’s fit. He’s looking in good spirits back out on the grass, and he’s feeling better.

"We feared the worst when that injury happened, so him not being out too long has been a good thing. He’d built up a real rhythm in his performance before the Port Vale game, we’ve always seen him at his best when he’s playing regular football.”

Critchley states he needs to find the right way to ease Beesley back in amid the Seasiders’ busy schedule across the next month.

"It was similar with Shayne (Lavery) a few weeks ago,” he added.

"We speak about what is right for every player and how we get enough football into them to get them ready for the demands of a game. Sometimes you have to do that through coming off the bench and getting your fitness that way, because we can’t give them the amount of training they need with bigger numbers. With Jake, he might need to get his bearings as a substitute.”