League One Preview – Accrington to Charlton

Blackpool

Av Attendance 2019/20: 8770

Manager: Neil Critchley

Preferred Formation 2019/20: 3-4-1-2

Last game v City: Imps 1-0 Pool 16th January 2020

Summer Ins: Keshi Anderson – Swindon, Marvin Ekpiteta – Leyton Orient, Oliver Sarkic – Burton, Jerry Yates – Rotherham, CJ Hamilton – Mansfield, Ethan Robson – Sunderland, Jordan Williams – Rochdale, Alex Fojticek – Manchester United

Summer Outs: Ryan Hardie – Plymouth (Loan), Tony Weston – Rangers, Ryan Edwards – Dundee United, Nathan Delfouneso – Bolton, Calum MacDonald – Tranmere (Loan), Myles Boney, Yusifu Ceesay, Armand Gnanduillet, Sean Graham, Mark Howard, Chris Mafoumbi, Sean Scannell, Owen Watkinson, Jay Spearing (All Released)

Blackpool were one of the biggest disappointments for me last season; they had all the ingredients to cook up a fine promotion challenge, but chef Simon Grayson ended up making a dog’s dinner of it. Enter Neil Critchley, a man with little senior managerial experience, but plenty of exposure to top-quality players and success with Liverpool Under 23s.

It isn’t just the manager that has impressed me about the Seasiders. Jerry Yates is a great signing if they can get him firing, the same can be said for Anderson and Hamilton too. They’re going to be fast in their attacking play and that will be in sharp contrast to the painfully slow, laboured side we beat 1-0 in January.

I fancy the Seasiders for a promotion push if Critchley can work his coaching magic on what looks like an exciting and able squad. They are also one of the few teams who have spent money who can justify it following furlough through player sales: Tony Weston’s move to rangers netted them a nice little sum to spend on their squad.

Bristol Rovers

Av Attendance 2019/20: 7397

Manager: Ben Garner

Preferred Formation 2019/20: 3-5-2

Last game v City: Imps 0-1 Gas, 16th September 2019

Summer Ins: Josh Grant – Chelsea, Jack Baldwin – Sunderland, Max Ehmer – Gillingham, Sam Nicholson – Colorado Rapids, Jonah Ayunga – Havant & Waterlooville, Zain Westbrooke – Coventry, David Tutonda – Barnet

Summer Outs: Ollie Clarke – Mansfield, Rollin Menayese – Mansfield, Jonson Clarke-Harris – Peterborough, Tony Craig, Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, Liam Sercombe, Sam Matthews, Tom Nichols, Gavin Reilly, Ben Morgan, Josh Bailey, Lewis Clutton, Rhys Kavanagh, Theo Widdrington (All Released)

The Gas served up one of the most memorably poor afternoons at Sincil bank for years as we last met, with us reeling from losing the manager and them getting a weak and undeserved penalty through a Tom Nichols dive. Like many of their underperforming players of the last year or two, Nichols is gone and in his place are a host of exciting looking incomers.

Jack Baldwin is a former Peterborough captain and along with Max Ehmer, he’ll add experience to their back four. I like the capture of Westbrooke from Coventry City too, he was an exciting emergence for the champions last season and I’m shocked he’s rocked up in the south-west. I suppose their big worry right now is goals: Jonson Clarke-Harris has moved to Peterborough for a big fee and that means recruitment before the season starts. That’s why I won’t be doing a 1-24 until the last minute because I expect a decent signing from them before we kick-off.