Blackpool still possess Championship quality according to Plymouth Argyle manager

Plymouth Argyle boss Steven Schumacher believes playing Blackpool over the weekend was like playing a Championship side. The Seasiders were relegated from the second tier last season and are aiming to return there at the first time of asking in the next campaign.

The Pilgrims were promoted from League One last term alongside Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday and locked horns with the Tangerines at Bloomfield Road on Saturday. They won 2-1 courtesy of goals by Mickel Miller and Ryan Hardie.

Blackpool pulled a goal back in the second-half through attacker Shayne Lavery. However, they weren’t able to find an equaliser and the visitors returned back down south with a win under their belt.

Schumacher had this to say after the match to Plymouth’s club website: “This was as close to a Championship game as we’re going to get. These were a Championship team last season, and have kept the majority of their squad together. We knew it was going to be a tough test.

“We played really well, especially for the first hour. We made a few changes on 60 minutes and got some young lads on which was really pleasing.”

He added: “I was a bit disappointed that we conceded the goal. We would have liked the clean sheet, but there were loads of good signs today, and some things we can still improve on as well. We’re going in the right direction.”

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley will be pleased to give his players another run out and like Schumacher alluded to, the majority of the Seasiders’ squad has been kept together. They lost Jerry Yates to Swansea City last week but have replaced him with Kyle Joseph.

Next up is a trip to Barrow at the weekend with a big week of training coming up first. The Tangerines also have Morecambe and Hibernian coming up before the end of the month as preparations ramp up.