Neil Critchley gets set for his first game as Blackpool head coach against Fleetwood Town

The 41-year-old takes charge of the Seasiders at Highbury today as they head to Fleetwood Town.

It will be Critchley’s first game as an EFL boss, having worked at academy level at Crewe Alexandra and Liverpool – but having also taken charge of two games for the latter in Jurgen Klopp’s absence this season.

While he admits there might be a bit of pre-match tension, he insists he will have his side as prepared as he can get them.

“I think I’ll have a mixture of emotions. I’ll be slightly nervous, there will be some excitement too,” he said.

“It’s funny because when I managed those games at Liverpool, which were a bit more in the spotlight, when it came to the games I was very calm beforehand.

“You get your calmness through your preparation and what you do. It’s not something I haven’t done a million times before.

“I’ll be ready for Saturday and I’ll be really looking forward to it.

“For me to be given the opportunity to work at a football club like this is truly an honour.”

While today’s encounter will be Critchley’s first experience of being an EFL boss, he believes the preparation is no different to what he was doing in his role as Liverpool’s Under-23 coach.

“I know what goes into preparing a team to win games of football. It’s just been done under the radar before,” he said.

“A lot of my formative years were not spent at Liverpool, they were spent at Crewe Alexandra in League Two, League One and the Championship.

“I’ve seen thousands of those games in those divisions and I’m well aware of the football and the style of football that is played in those divisions.

“I know there’s going to be some basic requirements for Saturday’s game, and if we don’t do that, then we’ll be up against it.

“From what I’ve seen so far I’m confident we can bring that to the table on Saturday.”

Critchley has received a lot of support since taking the hotseat on Monday and the former Liverpool man is incredibly thankful for all the positive messages he’s received.

“There’s been a lot of local people and local supporters who have wished me good luck,” he said.

“I can see they want me to do well and that means an awful lot.

“Of course it’s very nice when people say nice things about you. I’ve not read most of those things but if they have said that then I can’t thank them enough – because they wouldn’t have put it if they didn’t mean it.

“I’m very conscious I’m here for them and the team are here to represent them, so I want that connection between me and the supporters to be really strong.

“I know that comes through what happens on the football pitch.”