Stevenage return to The Lamex Stadium this weekend as Neil Critchley’s Blackpool come to town…
Boro prepare for their first home game of 2024 after four away fixtures in January, with two ending in victory. Last weekend, Steve Evans’ side travelled to the DW Stadium and earned a thrilling 3-2 victory, as Jamie Reid, Carl Piergianni and Louis Thompson grabbed the goals.
Stevenage have faced Blackpool on just three occasions in the past, and they still look for their first victory and first goal against the Tangerines this Saturday. This season’s reverse fixture ended in Blackpool’s favour back in October as the hosts earned a 3-0 win.
The Opposition
Blackpool sit eighth in the table, just three points behind Stevenage, having played two more games than Boro. The Tangerines are currently on a run of four league games unbeaten, having won three of them.
Last weekend, they hosted Charlton Athletic at Bloomfield Road, and despite Karamoko Dembele’s opening goal, they were held to a 1-1 draw. Three days later, Blackpool advanced into the EFL Trophy Semi-finals after coming out on top in a penalty shootout against Bolton Wanderers.
The Tangerines’ top scorer this season is Jordan Rhodes, with 15 goals and three assists to his name. Earlier in the season, he scored one and assisted one against Stevenage.
The Manager
Neil Critchley has been Blackpool’s Manager since his appointment in May 2023. This is his second spell as Blackpool boss, having guided the Tangerines to promotion to the Championship in 2021. After his first spell with the club he joined Aston Villa as Assistant Manager, and then had a short tenure as QPR Manager before returning to Bloomfield Road.
Officials
Simon Mather has been appointed Match Referee for Saturday’s game with Alex Bradley and Daniel Cook as Assistants, and Abigail Byrne as Fourth Official. Mather has dished out 126 yellow cards and 10 reds in 22 EFL games so far this season.