Squad Annoncement vs Colne

Blackpool return to league action for the final time in 2018 hoping to keep themselves in touch with the promotion spots with tough away trip to Colne & Nelson. The travelling squad is much changed from the one that recorded a resounding 31-0 win last time out at Bury. Developing hooker, Sean Craven, will get his first league start for Blackpool and there will also be a first league start in the backline, as Harry Gregory comes in at centre. Second row, Niall Crane, plays his first game this season following his return to training this week and is expected to be a regular now after a change in jobs. Blackpool will also welcome back their top try scorer Adam Jacobs following a broken finger and winger James Carty returns from a month out with injury. A strong bench will also be named, with Pete Farrington expected to make his league debut at some point on the front row. With Craven starting at hooker and the back-row duo of Kev Porter and Will Hunt both missing this weekend, captain Chris Parlour will join Wayne Daws and Brady Barcock on the back row, with John Robinson, Pete Wilkinson and Louis Shelton all retaining their places from the Bury fixture. In the backs, the halfback partnership of Lucas Crosbie and Adam Glover continue, James Wade comes back in on the wing after unavailability last time out, which sees Antony Clark switched to full back. Going into the game player/coach/skipper, Chris Parlour, said: “I expect this to be a tough fixture as Colne have been proven to be no pushovers in recent weeks, even tucking a couple of victories under the belts. It is important that we do not get complacent and execute the game plan we have worked on in training. The squad this week has been slightly tinkered but the pleasing thing is that the majority of the starting team trained on Thursday night and rightly receive their rewards. I look forward to seeing how Sean Craven and Harry Gregory get on in their first games and the same goes for Pete Farrington coming off the bench. All three have impressed with their attitudes and will hopefully enjoy the game. There is plenty of competition at the club at the moment so the players in our squad know they have to commit to training and more importantly on a matchday to get their shirt.”