Blackpool and Preston North End go head-to-head in the Lancashire derby with the Tangerines raring to go

Blackpool fans have been through it all since Preston North End last visited Bloomfield Road, and it is about time they put a marker down against their fiercest rivals.

This day has been on the calendar of every Blackpool and Preston North End fan since the fixture list was announced and now a sell-out Bloomfield Road awaits with both feeling they have something to prove.

A dramatic comeback victory over Reading in midweek will give the Seasiders’ a major boost in confidence at the perfect time with arguably their best performance since Neil Critchley walked through the door.

Relentless pressing, high intensity, smart interchange and hefty chance creation saw Blackpool run rings around an in-form Royals side in their own backyard, and on any other day, it could well have been five or six.

North End picked up a vital win themselves against an impressive Coventry City side at Deepdale, a much-needed one for Frankie McAvoy who has come under pressure in recent weeks for a relatively passive approach to games.

The visitors to the Fylde Coast have drawn too many games this season and are over-reliant on a moment of magic from Emil Riis Jakobsen or a quality set-piece to provide attacking spark but they have remained defensively solid in order to counteract that.

On the other hand, Blackpool were at their free-flowing best at Reading, a polar opposite to the weekend defeat to Nottingham Forest where they looked impotent.

Five changes and a tweak in formation from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1 paid dividends as that extra creative outlet opened up Reading at will, much like Blackpool did in the opening stages against Blackburn Rovers in their last home outing.

The emergence of Sonny Carey and Owen Dale in particular from the trip to Reading has added an array of creative options to the squad that can enable some much-needed rotation for Critchley when needed.

Dale, in particular, added that final ball quality that Blackpool were lacking amidst an abundance of wasted chances to provide a goal or assist to turn the game on its head and you would expect to see him start here given such a remarkable impact.

Critchley has wanted to play this system in this manner since he first arrived at the club and he now has the players at his disposal to do it. It was the relentless pressure that Reading simply could not get away from and a similar approach to that level of intensity on Saturday will only see one winner.

However, it leaves plenty of decisions for Neil Critchley in terms of his starting lineup.

Keshi Anderson has been a pivotal creative figure this season but other players showed more both on and off the ball than him in midweek, potentially enough to force a start, which would enable Anderson to be available to dictate the tempo from the bench in the dying stages of the game if required.

Sonny Carey was immaculate in possession and smart out of it in that number 10 role and the youngster from Kings Lynn firmly put himself in contention for the biggest game of the campaign so far, as did Josh Bowler who as ever looked lively and drove at his full-back whenever possible in the second half.

Despite Chris Maxwell and Shayne Lavery being injured, Dan Grimshaw was able to provide important saves when required in midweek and Jerry Yates is back to his old self with four goals in three games highlighting this squad’s ability to step up when required.

Everyone in and around the club knows how important this fixture is for Blackpool and Lancashire as a whole, it has been a big absence on the calendar for many and given the turmoil of the years in between it will mean everything to supporters of the Seasiders if they can come home victorious.

Neil Critchley and his side have stepped up to the plate on every occasion they have needed to, they thrive in this kind of environment and you have to have every confidence that they are going to provide yet another magical moment at Bloomfield Road.

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