Blackpool have been one of the teams to watch so far in the Championship this season, with Neil Critchley managing to lead his team to sixth in the table - but they may have to continue to battle on without key players Chris Maxwell and Shayne Lavery until towards the end of the month, as confirmed on the club's official website.

Maxwell has been the club's main shot-stopper since he helped the side gain promotion back into the second tier last season.

This year, he has played in 11 matches so far and has looked equally as solid, picking up two clean sheets along the way. Another key figure for the Seasiders has been Shayne Lavery, who has caught the eye of many with his goalscoring antics.

In just 11 games so far this year, he has already bagged five goals and at just 22-years-old, he is already catching admiring glances from clubs and coaches across the divisions.

Both have been key to the success of Blackpool this season but both have recently been sidelined with injury. It's meant that Neil Critchley has had to try and win games without them - and so far he has succeeded but it will be important to get them both back as soon as possible.

However, fans of the club have been handed a blow with the news that both players could remain out of action until the end of the month, with both of them expected to only be available for selection again after the international break in the middle of the month.

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Speaking to the club's official website, boss Critchley said: "Maxi [Maxwell] and Shayne [Lavery] have been doing a little bit.

"They’ve been back on the grass and doing some light work. Maxi has done a little bit of handling work with Banksy and Shayne has done a little bit of running.  They’re getting closer, but I wouldn’t think they will appear before the end of this week and the international break.

"I think we’ll looking more like after the international break with those two.”

The club haven't struggled to pick up results without them but, as the season draws on, they will need as many key players as possible fit and firing to help them solidify a top six spot.

The Verdict

Neil Critchley has done a wonderful job at Blackpool so far and they are rightly sat in the top six places in the league right now. They've even managed to do it in recent weeks without some of their most important players, with a win over rivals Preston proving this.

However, it's a blow to hear they will both be sidelined for even longer and they'll both be desperate to return to the fold soon. The club though have plenty of other options to turn to in the meantime and have handled their injuries well so far.