Neil Critchley could welcome players back for Blackpool’s clash with Northampton

Posted Tuesday, February 02, 2021 by PA

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley could be boosted by the return of several players for the Sky Bet League One clash with Northampton.

Critchley said his team will be healthier by the end of the week, which suggests Grant Ward, CJ Hamilton and Keshi Anderson (all hamstring) could be in contention for Saturday’s trip to Ipswich if they are not available for the Northampton game.

Left-back Demetri Mitchell should be available after he was forced to miss the FA Cup fourth-round loss to Brighton and the 5-0 win over Wigan due to testing positive for coronavirus on January 19.

Kevin Stewart is pushing for his full debut after coming on as a substitute against Wigan, as is Ellis Simms after he came off the bench to score the Seasiders’ last two goals.

Mickel Miller remains sidelined for Northampton ahead of their trip to Bloomfield Road.

The forward, on loan from Rotherham, suffered a hamstring injury on his debut against Lincoln last month and is still a couple of weeks away from returning.

Jack Sowerby (knee) and Alan Sheehan (muscle injury) remain unavailable, while Scott Pollock (groin) is in training but is not fit to feature.

Goalkeeper Steve Arnold (back) is back in the fold, while Mark Marshall is set to feature in the matchday squad after missing out in recent weeks for tactical reasons.