On-loan Blues central defender Elkan Baggott was “outstanding”, according to Blackpool head coach Steve Bruce, the Indonesia international having made his first League One start since mid-August as the Seasiders won 3-1 at Exeter on Saturday.
Baggott, 22, was sidelined with an ankle injury for two months, then having made a 45-minute return in the EFL Cup was ruled out again with a thigh problem.
He made his comeback as a 55th-minute sub for former Blues loanee Matthew Pennington last Saturday and stepped in to make only his third league start for the Tangerines at the weekend, impressing his boss, a centre-half during his playing days.
"He was outstanding,” he told the Blackpool Gazette "He’s just had to wait because he’s been unfortunate with injury, but he stepped in terrifically well.
"Fair play to him, he keeps himself in really good nick. To work as hard as he has done day in, day out with two big injuries, then fair play to him. Today was his reward.
"He gives us a nice balance because he’s left-footed, so that’s very good. He’s helped us enormously.”
The Colchester-raised defender, whose Town contract is up this summer but with the club having an option for a further year, is on a season-long loan at Bloomfield Road.
Elsewhere, Leon Ayinde scored his second goal in two games, and his first in the National League, as his loan side Rochdale beat Yeovil 4-0 at Spotland, the 20-year-old Irish forward having bagged the first senior goal of his career in the National League Cup win against Stoke’s U21s on Tuesday.
Another of Town’s U21s, striker Ash Boatswain, 19, scored his first goal for his loan side AFC Fylde - and his first in senior football - as they defeated Wealdstone 2-0 at home, also in the National League.