Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley feels his squad face a “pivotal” summer of rebuilding after missing out on the Sky Bet League One play-offs this season following a 3-2 defeat at Reading.
Karamoko Dembele gave Blackpool a fourth-minute lead only for Sam Smith to equalise for Reading on the brink of half-time.
Goals from Harvey Knibbs and Femi Azeez in a three-minute spell in the second half gave the hosts a 3-1 lead, with Jordan Gabriel’s late effort a mere consolation.
“I think that we face an important summer,” Critchley said. “If you look at the players that we inherited or signed when I first came here, the natural cycle of that squad is coming to an end.
“The summer is a chance for us to refresh and move forward. It’s a really pivotal time for us.
“This game did sort of reflect our season, a case of what might have been.
“We started well, got the goal and I felt that we were quite comfortable in the first half.
“But we gave away a really poor goal just before half-time.
“We started the second half better, we had the ascendancy, but Reading knew that we had to win the game.
“They’ve got some good attacking players, with great athleticism, and they were encouraging them to stay up front.
“To them, losing the game meant little. They broke and they scored but we kept going to the end.
“But it wasn’t today that we missed out on the play-offs. It’s over the 46 games and – in certain games, not every one – we’ve fallen short.”
Reading finished in 17th place, having clinched their safety with two games to spare.
“It was a great way to end our season,” Reading manager Ruben Selles said. “It’s always important to finish with a win and a good performance.
“That just gives us a flavour of what we want going forward. We want to get more of that next season. That’s our motivation to come back fit.
“We now have the off-season to review this season and prepare for the next challenge ahead. It’s a good feeling.
“Our first five to 10 minutes wasn’t that good. We’ve had that a few times this season, I don’t like that.
“We have to correct that and it will be one of our keys points during the summer.
“In the games that we can be more comfortable, when we have nothing to play for, we shouldn’t concede that early goal that makes us have to come from behind.
“But we managed to come back and score the goal before half-time and then we came out stronger in the second half.
“Today was probably a perfect example of what has been the season for us.”
Pep Guardiola paid tribute to Manchester City’s back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega after a 2-0 win at Tottenham and claimed his “incredible save” could be the difference in the Premier League title race.Guardiola insisted before the match that City’s prospects of a fourth consecutive league championship would be over if they failed to win at Spurs.After a disjointed first-hal...
Philippe Clement told his Rangers players he cannot keep being Mr Angry to get them back on track following their 5-2 comeback win over Dundee at Ibrox.Tony Docherty’s men scored two goals in two minutes in the first half through Jordan McGhee and Antonio Portales before Rangers winger Ross McCausland pulled one back just before the interval.Light Blues striker Cyriel Dessers headed in an eq...
Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan was buoyed by his side’s second-half display despite a 2-1 first-leg defeat by Raith Rovers in the cinch Premiership play-off semi-final.Emphatic first-half strikes from Scott Brown and Lewis Vaughan gave Raith a half-time lead at Firhill and the latter came close with an ambitious strike just after the interval.But Blair Alston pulled a goal back in the 7...
Manchester City went within one game of being crowned champions after Erling Haaland’s brace gave them a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in the Premier League.Haaland’s 51st-minute goal and added-time penalty – moments after substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega saved brilliantly from Son Heung-min – sent City back to the top of the table at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of thei...
Rangers prolonged their cinch Premiership title race with Celtic after recovering from a rocky start to beat Dundee 5-2 at Ibrox.Tony Docherty’s men needed a win to stay in the hunt for European football and they took a 2-0 lead inside 40 minutes through defenders Jordan McGhee and Antonio Portales.Rangers winger Ross McCausland pulled a goal back just before the interval and striker Cyriel ...
Blair Alston’s late goal handed Partick Thistle a play-off lifeline but it is advantage Raith Rovers in the battle for promotion to the cinch Premiership.First-half strikes from Scott Brown and Lewis Vaughan at Firhill earned Ian Murray’s side a 2-1 lead after the first leg of the play-off semi-final.Thistle have now gone six games without a victory against the Kirkcaldy side, who fini...
Dumbarton seized a first-leg lead in their cinch League One play-off final against Spartans with a 2-1 victory at the moreroom.com Stadium.Tony Wallace and Finlay Gray struck in the first half to put Dumbarton in command before Ayrton Sonkur halved the deficit ahead of Friday’s return game in Edinburgh.Wallace prodded home from close range after 21 minutes after Gallagher Lennon’s effo...
Let's start our 7M Daily Laugh today. Epl week 37 PL Champions is loading to Man city Meme of the season Iconic Arsenal fans watching their biggest rival lose while their title hopes take a massive blow Ah s--t, Man City overtake Arsenal in the Premier League again Tottenham fans at the stadium trying to figure out how to react to conceding Erling Haaland hurts Arsenal's title challenge again Pl...
Celtic, Liverpool and Newcastle United are among the three teams chasing Southampton's Alex McCarthy.The veteran shot stopper is on the market as his contract expires at the end of the season.Per The Mail, the veteran is not likely to renew his deal, as he may be ready for a move.The Reds and Newcastle are both seeking the veteran for a backup no.2 role next season.Celtic is the club where he may ...
Juventus defender Gleison Bremer may finally get his dream Premier League move.The Brazilian is set to leave the Turin club in the summer, as they want to cash in on him.Per Gazzetta dello Sport, Manchester United have serious interest in his services.Bremer is said to be available for a £52 million fee, which may appeal to the Red Devils.Their new investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to sign a c...
- 1 Jude Bellingham hails Real Madrid’s desire to seal Champions League final berth
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Marc Skinner wants to stay at Manchester United after ‘historic’ FA Cup win
- 4 Danilo Orsi nets hat-trick as Crawley thrash MK Dons to reach play-off final
- 5 Madelene Wright returns to football four years after she was sacked
- 6 Mbappe bids farewell to everyone at PSG... except the most important person
- 7 Man Utd fans stunned after seeing what Antony just got tattooed on his body
- 8 Man Utd eyeing Fulham CB Adarabioyo
- 9 Major Liverpool star still an option for Real
- 10 Eddie Howe hopes Newcastle can secure a top-six Premier League finish