Blackpool player ratings V Fleetwood Town as three score 8/10 while others struggle in draw at Highbury
Amos Wynn
·5-min read
Here are our ratings for the game against Fleetwood Town? (Photo: Lewis Storey)
Neil Critchley’s side went into the break two goals down, but a Sonny Carey brace inside the opening five minutes of the restart saw the Seasiders pull level.
A Shayne Lavery strike did put the visitors ahead, before Jack Marriott equalised in the closing stages with his second goal of the night.
Blackpool had the first clear chance of the game, with Jordan Rhodes smashing the crossbar with an effort from the edge of the box.
Dan Grimshaw would've been disappointed with the second goal. Despite the initial effort coming from close-range, he should've been doing better- with his save going straight into the path of Jack Marriott. The 25-year-old did make a big stop with the his feet later in the first half, to stop the home side from going 3-0 up. (Photo: CameraSport - Lee Parker)
Meanwhile, Sonny Carey forced a save from Jay Lynch, after producing a fierce shot from distance.
Down the other end, Dan Grimshaw was also worked a couple of times, before Fleetwood opened the scoring in the 14th minute.
The visitors couldn’t stop Promise Omochere as he made a powerful run down the right side, with the midfielder finishing off the move with a left-footed finish.
A second goal soon followed for the home side, after another piece of poor defending.
Blackpool will be disappointed with the nature of the goals they conceded. The second in particular was really poor, with a free kick into the box simply not dealt with effectively. Critchley's side looked far more solid after the break, despite conceding late on. (Photo: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)
Following a free kick into the box, a close-ranged shot from Omochere was initially parried by Grimshaw, with Marriott waiting to score on the rebound.
It could’ve 3-0 but for the Blackpool keeper- who did well to deny Fleetwood with his feet.
Critchley’s side came close to pulling one back on a couple of occasions in the first half, with Kenny Dougall having a shot from distance saved, while Carey saw an effort deflected wide of the target.
After the break, Blackpool didn’t have to wait too long to find the back of the night, and were level at 2-2 within five minutes of the restart.
Marvin Ekpiteta's night was summed up at one point during the second half. He cheaply lost the ball in a dangerous position, before producing an excellent tackle to recover. It was certainly hit and miss from the defender on his return to the starting line-up. (Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth)
Carey was on hand on both occasions on the edge of the box.
The midfielder curled his first goal into the bottom corner, before smashing the second one past Lynch.
With momentum truly swinging in Blackpool’s favour, the Seasiders took the lead in the 66th minute.
Rhodes played the ball through to half substitute Shayne Lavery, who slotted past the keeper at the front post.
Like his defensive colleagues, James Husband will be disappointed with the space given to Fleetwood in the first. Things proved to be far more positive at the back after the break, before the Seasiders were pegged back by the late equaliser. (Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth)
The Northern Ireland striker certainly made a positive impact off the bench, alongside the in-form Karamoko Dembele.
In the final minute of normal time, Fleetwood pulled themselves level, with Marriott beating Grimshaw with a superb strike from the edge of the box.
Blackpool did have a late opportunity to snatch all three points, but the ball was just about cleared off the line following a great save by Lynch.
Here’s how the Seasiders performed:
CJ Hamilton is always going to cause trouble with his pace, but his decision making and final product wasn't good enough at times. There was also a bizarre piece of defending towards the end of the first half. (Photo: CameraSport - David Horton)
Tashan Oakley-Boothe hasn't really been able to make his mark in his recent appearances. The Fleetwood game proved to be another struggle, with a number of factors contributing to that. He was replaced at half time Karamoko Dembele. (Photo: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)
Kenny Dougall once again proved to be a rock for the Seasiders. He was probably left a bit isolated in midfield during the first half, but was much better after the break. (Photo: CameraSport - David Horton)
Sonny Carey was hand with two fantastic strikes from the edge of the box within the opening five minutes of the second half. The first was curled into the bottom corner, while the second was fired past Jay Lynch. (Photo: CameraSport - David Horton)
Like the majority of the Seasiders squad, Owen Dale looked better in the second half.The wing-back didn't look as bright as he has done in recent weeks. (Photo: CameraSport - David Horton)
Jordan Rhodes had his first sight of goal in the fifth minute, with the striker hitting the crossbar with a first time effort from the edge of the box.Despite not scoring, the 33-year-old was on hand with an assist- producing a neat through ball for Lavery. (Photo: CameraSport - Lee Parker)
In the early stages it looked as if it'd be a night that suited Kylian Kouassi's style of play, but thing didn't pan out that. He was taken off at half time, after having very little impact going forward. (Photo: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)
What a player Karamoko Dembele is. After coming on at half time, the attacker had an instant impact and caused plenty of problems for the home side. (Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth)
Shayne Lavery looked really bright off the bench for the Seasiders. His goal in the 67th minute was well taken, and he caused a number of problems for Fleetwood. (Photo: CameraSport - Lee Parker)
There wasn't too much of note from Callum Connolly when he came on for the final 10 minutes of the game. (Photo: CameraSport - Dave Howarth)
Same as Connolly. (Photo: CameraSport - Andrew Vaughan)
Princess Kate hosted her annual Christmas carol concert on Friday and Prince Louis was caught in a cheeky moment with his sister Princess Charlotte. See their antics here
Unrest has emerged among Russian invaders due to the almost complete absence of rotation of soldiers drafted under general mobilization, Ukraine’s HUR Intelligence Main Directorate said on Dec. 8, releasing an audio interception as evidence.
The intercity train that collided with an overhead power cable, sparking chaos for thousands of passengers in west London, was being driven by a manager who was replacing a striking driver, it was revealed on Friday. Aslef, the train drivers’ union, said the Great Western Railways train was being driven by a manager who was allegedly being paid £500 to “break the strike”. Aslef published the first picture of the broken power cable beside the Cardiff-bound train.
Dozens of Palestinian men captured by the Israeli military were stripped to their underwear and paraded around a central square in Gaza where Hamas fighters used to hold rallies.
The Japanese man who made headlines throughout the year for chronicling his journey as a “dog” has apparently flunked an agility course. What happened: The man, known to his followers as Toco, posted a series of photos on Instagram this week showing what appeared to be moments of failure in a Crufts-style agility course. About Toco: Toco rose to fame in 2022 after commissioning Zeppet, a Japanese model and sculpture company, to create a hyperrealistic rough collie costume for 2 million yen (around $16,000 at the time).
A star-studded congregation rose to its feet and danced to the Pogues’ classic Fairytale of New York as Ireland laid singer Shane MacGowan to rest on Friday.
