After Oliver Casey broke into the lineup, Blackpool boss Neil Critchley thinks the player is reaping the benefits of his patience.
Over the past few weeks, the 23-year-old has pushed his way into the Tangerines starting lineup, starting 13 of the 14 League One games that Blackpool has played so far this season.
This summer, following a productive loan spell at Forest Green Rovers during which he played 44 games, he returned to Bloomfield Road. After spending a complete season in the third division, Casey was relegated with the Gloucestershire team but is currently fulfilling his potential after joining in June 2021.
He played regular games at Forest Green last season while out on loan, and I believe that had a significant advantage for him. He had a difficult season, but in a way, that might have worked to his advantage. He had to defend himself a lot, and he’s recovered greatly from that experience.
Even at the start of the season, he had to wait patiently for his opportunity here, but ever since joining the squad, he has performed admirably. He appears to be mature and has really stepped up. Right now, he’s functioning far above his years.”
This summer, Casey came back to Lancashire with a new lease on life. Although it’s a team effort, he has replaced the valuable Marvin Ekpiteta in the starting lineup. Although Ekpiteta was named Blackpool’s Player of the Year for 2021–2022, he has only made five league appearances for the team.
As Critchley enters his second stint with the team, he has noticed a significant change from the player who joined in the summer of 2021. At just 20 years old, he signed a three-year contract with Leeds United for an undisclosed sum that expires this summer.
When Casey arrived at Blackpool, he had three senior appearances under his belt at the Whites. He was thrown into the deep end of the Championship, where he made six appearances. He just passed the 50-appearance milestone in League One, and under his boss, he appears to be maturing into a significant player.
“He’s definitely improved since I was here last,” Critchley continued
We were in the Championship when he arrived here during my first tenure, and we anticipated that he would require some time. Since there aren’t many young center backs that play every week, we anticipated that he would need to travel a little to reach his destination.
“I believe that he is still in a decent age range, around 22 to 23. It was evident to me when I returned to the facility that he had made progress in his development. He was understanding when the season first began, and after our talk, he joined the squad and has performed admirably.
