Birmingham City goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell has publicly responded to what he deems 'wrong' and 'harsh' criticism following his loan move to Blackpool, a period which has now culminated in a welcome international recall.
A Rocky Start at Bloomfield Road
The 29-year-old shot-stopper, who joined Blackpool on loan from Birmingham City during the summer transfer window in July, experienced a challenging beginning to his spell with the Tangerines. Peacock-Farrell made several costly errors in the opening weeks of the season, which drew significant scrutiny from fans and pundits alike.
Reflecting on that difficult period, the goalkeeper attributed his shaky form to being 'undercooked' after a disrupted pre-season. This was largely due to being quickly sidelined by Birmingham City's manager, Chris Davies. Peacock-Farrell defended his early performances, stating, "I genuinely believed it was wrong. I thought it was quite harsh to a certain extent."
He expressed confidence that his training standards were high, suggesting the mistakes in matches were simply unfortunate. This pattern mirrors the start of his career with Birmingham City last year, where a similarly tough initiation led Davies to replace him with Ryan Allsop, who subsequently secured the League One Golden Glove award.
Faith Rewarded and Form Resurgent
In contrast to his experience at Birmingham, Blackpool's management kept faith with Peacock-Farrell. Their patience has been handsomely rewarded, with the goalkeeper's performances improving dramatically over the last six to seven weeks.
Peacock-Farrell revealed he has now found his rhythm, explaining, "I feel like the last six, seven games have just been building and building and finding that real nice flow and that kind of rhythm state that goalkeeping’s all about." He confirmed he currently feels in a "really good position", with his strong club form providing a perfect foundation for the international fixtures ahead.
International Recall with Northern Ireland
The most significant testament to his improved fortunes is his recent return to the international stage. Peacock-Farrell has been recalled to the Northern Ireland squad and is in line to start in their upcoming double-header of matches against Slovakia and Luxembourg.
This recall marks a triumphant personal turnaround for the goalkeeper, who has successfully navigated past early-season adversity to reclaim his spot on the national team, proving his resilience and quality between the posts.
