Port Vale 1-2 Blackpool: Sullay Kaikai and Keshi Anderson on the scoresheet again as Seasiders claim hard-earned win

The Seasiders made the trip to Vale Park for their second friendly of the summer after earning a comfortable 4-0 win against National League North side Southport last week.

Neil Critchley’s men recovered from a shaky start to take the lead just two minutes before the half-time break through Kaikai, who was in the right place at the right time to steer home from close range.

Pool were pegged back shortly after the interval when the home side capitalised on a defensive mix-up, but their lead was quickly restored thanks to a smart finish from Anderson.

That’s how the scoreline remained as the Seasiders gained some much-needed minutes under their belts, with David Dunn’s Barrow up next on Tuesday afternoon.

Critchley named a side to play for the first 60 minutes which featured the likes of Marvin Ekpiteta, Keshi Anderson, Sullay Kaikai and Jerry Yates.

The line-up for the final 30 minutes, meanwhile, saw Ethan Robson and Oliver Sarkic given debuts while trialist goalkeeper Alex Fojticek - who played the first half at Southport last week - was included once again.

James Husband and Adi Yussuf weren’t involved, while Jamie Devitt missed out for the second week running amid rumours linking him with a move away.

Former Seasider Mark Cullen watched on from the stands but wasn’t named in Port Vale’s 23-man squad.

The first opening of the game came the way of the League Two hosts as returning keeper Chris Maxwell was beaten by David Worrall’s dangerous cross, but fortunately for the Seasiders the winger’s delivery was also too high for striker Tom Pope who could only get the faintest of touches.

Nathan Shaw, deployed at left back, was then caught out by a long diagonal but Rhys Browne couldn’t capitalise, his pullback deflecting behind for a corner.

John Askey’s men continued to press well, giving the Seasiders no time to settle as they looked to launch attacks from deep.

Blackpool’s first opportunity of the afternoon fell the way of Liam Feeney, who saw a close-range shot well blocked after Keshi Anderson did well to keep a deep corner alive.

Anderson was involved in the thick of the action once again on 20 minutes when he went down in the Vale box under pressure from Luke Joyce, but the referee waved away his passionate appeals for a penalty.

The summer recruit wasted a golden chance to break the deadlock when he was played through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, only to be denied by the keeper Dino Visser before seeing his follow-up well blocked.

Pool should have been made to pay for that miss when the home side were awarded a fairly soft-looking penalty, Teddy Howe the man to be penalised for what was adjudged to have been a shove on Pope.

Pope sent Maxwell the wrong way from 12 yards but his spot kick, which was always rising, clipped the outside of the post and went behind for a goal kick.

The Seasiders came inches away from capitalising on that miss when Anderson threaded through a clever ball into Jerry Yates, but the striker’s effort narrowly missed the far corner.

Five minutes before the break, Shaw did well to head behind at the far post under pressure from Pope, who was behind him ready to pounce.

The deadlock was finally broken on the stroke of half time and it came the way of Blackpool, Sullay Kaikai scoring for the second week running.

It came after Vale had failed to clear their lines from a Blackpool corner, with both Yates and Marvin Ekpiteta being denied from close range before Kaikai tapped home from close range.

The Seasiders made just one change for the second half, trialist keeper Alex Fojticek replacing Maxwell in between the sticks, while the Valiants changed their entire XI.

Despite the wholesale changes, Vale pegged back the Seasiders just six minutes into the second period after some hesitant defending.

Firstly, Fojticek’s clearance was charged down by Dan Trickett-Smith before Ekpiteta stumbled, allowing Scott Burgess the chance to burst through on goal - the substitute making no mistake with a shot into the roof of the net.

The home side were on level terms for just three minutes, however, with Anderson restoring Blackpool’s lead with a well-taken finish.

The midfielder did well to win the ball back on the edge of the area before slotting a calm effort past the keeper.

On the hour mark, Critchley made the remainder of his allotted changes, a further 10 entering the fray with debuts handed to Ethan Robson and Oliver Sarkic.

The pace of CJ Hamilton was used straight away, the rapid winger found in space by Calum Macdonald’s superb crossfield ball only for the former Mansfield Town man to be denied by the Vale keeper.

The Seasiders were forced into a change on 69 minutes when substitute Joe Nuttall went to ground clutching his leg, the forward unable to carry on.

In his place came the returning Nathan Shaw, who had played the opening 60 minutes at left back.

Robson caught the eye with some eye-catching crossfield balls while Sarkic passed and moved well, but by and large the remainder of the game played out with little in the way of goalmouth action.

With seven minutes left on the clock, Devante Rodney picked out the Blackpool wall with a 25-yard free-kick only for the deflection to fall kindly for David Amoo, who was denied by a super stop from Fojticek from point-blank range.

On 88 minutes, a well-worked move saw Gary Madine play in Hamilton but for a second time he was denied by the frame of Scott Brown in what proved to be the final action of the game.

TEAMS

Port Vale: Visser, Gibbons, Legge, Crookes, Montano, Beckford, Joyce, Conlon, Browne, Worrall, Pope

Subs: Brown, Smith, Mills, Brisley, Whitehead, Amoo, Burgess, Rodney, Trickett-Smith, Hurst, Fitzpatrick, Hayes

Blackpool XI for first 60 mins: Maxwell, Howe, Ekpiteta, Thorniley, Shaw, Antwi, Virtue, Anderson, Feeney, Kaikai, Yates

Blackpool XI for final 30 mins: Fojticek, Garrity, Nottingham, Turton, Macdonald, Robson, Ward, Sarkic, Hamilton, Nuttall, Madine