Marc Bola expressed his delight at being able to return to his former club Arsenal and put in a strong performance at The Emirates.
The left-back, who progressed through the club’s academy system, finally had the opportunity to play a first-team game at the stadium, as Pool were edged out 2-1 in the Carabao Cup.
“It was a good experience for all the boys and I’m just proud to have been on the pitch to play against my old club,” Bola said.
“It felt a bit like training because I’ve known these boys for so long. It was just good to get out there at my dream club. It was a good experience for me.”
The display as a whole is one that The Seasiders can take great credit from, especially when you consider that Arsenal had to introduce Lucas Torreira, Alex Iwobi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the bench.
“We hung in the game and we were applying pressure, so I think they had to make those changes. We did really well and we’re pleased with ourselves.”
Blackpool must now recover quickly for a league encounter against another of the defender’s ex-clubs on Saturday, Bristol Rovers.
“We’ll recharge. We’ll have a day off and then focus on Bristol Rovers, which is a very important game for us,” he added.