St Johnstone 0-1 Blackpool

Blackpool and manager Neil McDonald brought down the curtain on the trip North with a one nil victory over St Johnstone.

Following on from the draw against Ross County earlier in the week, Blackpool took to the pitch at McDiarmid Park and trialist Jim McAlister staked his claim by firing home what proved to be the winner four minutes before the half time break.

The one nil means that McDonald so far has an unbeaten record in the pre season preparations for life in League One in 2015-16 and it’s all largely been positives for the manager given our week in Scotland.

Blackpool:

Doyle, Aldred, Jones, Robertson, Ferguson, Rivers (Osayi-Samuel 62), McAlister (Oliver 62), Potts, Dunne (Cameron 85), Redshaw, Cullen.

Speaking generally about the trip, McDonald told the Official Site that he believed it had been a very productive training camp for the lads boosting both fitness but also team spirit and bonding.

‘The week`s been very good. The boys have all got to know each other and a few people have come out of their comfort zone. We`ve tested them all the way through fitness wise. We set times for when they need to be on the training field and everybody`s there half an hour early, so they’re really looking forward to it. The training sessions have been good, they`re learning all the time. We`ve still got lots to do, we`ve got to sharpen up a bit, and be a little crisper with our passing but we`ve got a couple of weeks until the season starts so we`ll work around the clock.’

Speaking more generally about the game against St Johnstone itself, he went on to say that he was pleased with both the workout but also the performance of the players and how they stepped up the passing game whilst under pressure.

‘I`ve learned that we can pass the ball when we`re under pressure. We moved it on really well and created a few chances. That`s the best we`ve played, both with and without the ball. I`m really pleased with their application and they`re enjoying themselves, which shows on the pitch. The last ten or fifteen minutes showed they don`t like getting beaten and the same with coming from behind against Ross County. They want to keep that run going.’

With trialist McAlister getting on the scoresheet having spent the week training with the lads, McDonald confirmed he would also be spending the next week with the club as he looked to make a final decision on his particular future.

‘Jim is going to come back and share next week with us. We`ll have another look and see where we`re at. It was a really good finish. We put a good ball into the box and he`s made a good run and got the ricochet. That set us on our way.’