As Simon Grayson said, a win in this match would not make Blackpool safe, a loss would not send them down. All true, but victory this afternoon has meant that the Seasiders take a huge stride towards Championship football next season, while defeat would have put them right on the brink of the drop zone. This was a deserved win in the end, although Wednesday pushed them very hard, and were clearly the better team for the fist half hour. Credit indeed to Wednesday, who kept trying even when reduced to ten men, and who never resorted to foul tactics - it was a good game to watch, not great football but honest and passionate. The only poor performance was by the referee, who was dire. Blackpool also showed that they are far better playing with Dickov and McPhee up front - the little guys gave the visiting defence problems all afternoon, and when Burgess came on for a late run the difference was plain.
Blackpool made two changes form the team defeated at Cardiff last week. Paul Dickov came off the bench, replacing Ben Burgess alongside McPhee, and Klaus Jorgensen was fit again to play in midfield with Southern. Blackpool were able to field their first-choice team, in fact, with Barker, Evatt, Gorkss and Crainey in defence and Hoolahan and Taylor-Fletcher on the flanks. It was a cold afternoon, with a strong wind blowing in Blackpools' faces as they defended the north stand end. Wednesday started much faster, passing the ball about and moving it up the flanks - their right winger in particular looking quick and dangerous. He caused a few nervous moments in the opening minutes, and overall Blackpool were on the back foot. A shot from outside the box was wide, but not by much, and the home defence was under a lot of pressure. Their only reply in the first five minutes was a couple of balls down the wing, but these were cleared easily by the visitors.
However, with six minutes gone, Blackpool pushed up the left. Hoolahan took the ball, right out on the wing just short of the area, then slipped it sideways to Jorgensen, who had moved up into space in support. It was a nice pass, but there was still a lot to do, as Jorgensen took the ball across the pitch toward the front edge of the area. He beat one man, then another, then shaped himself for a shot from fifteen yards. A defender tried to block but only got a slight touch, which took the ball up under the bar and into the roof of the net. Jorgensen mounted an extraordinary celebration, running out towards the fans and spinning as he did like a mad ballet dancer. However you could forgive him, given the importance of the game and of getting the first goal.
This did not cause Wednesday to crumble, indeed they came back well at Blackpool and dominated the first twenty five minutes. There was constant pressure on the home defence, and a series of corners and long throws. The corners in particular were well taken, hard, flat and low and difficult to defend, and every one looked as though it might bring a goal. On one occasion a header was bound for the back of the net but Jorgensen had dropped back onto the post and managed to scramble it away somehow. He did a lot of good work in defence, as did Southern, while Evatt had his best game for a long time. Gorkss struggled with Slusarski in the first half, although he had him in his pocket in the second. Blackpool were creating little - they tried to get Dickov away with a ball up the right but he was given offside - rightly in my view, although the fans gave the linesman a hard time.
Although the corners were looking dangerous, the equaliser did not come from one. Rather it started when Barker was unable to clear cleanly from the right, and the ball lobbed up and dropped in the middle of Blackpool's half. Crainey, attempting to clear, fouled his man. The free kick was played into the box, knocked down in front of goal and there was a Wednesday player running in to plant a simple header into the waiting net.
This was by no means the end of the Wednesday pressure, indeed if anything they became more dominant in the next fifteen minutes, and Blackpool simply could not get control. There was a constant stream of corners for the visitors, and each one could have brought a goal. Blackpool were creating virtually nothing - one run where Dickov chased the ball into the area, putting pressure on a defender who did not like it, but the keeper held on. For a while Wednesday looked like one of the best teams we have seen at Bloomfield Road, but after a while, as their pressure produced no reward, the veneer began to crack. Set up well on the edge of the area, a forward dragged a weak shot very wide. Barker and Crainey began to get more control of the wingers, and Evatt and Gorkss were winning most of the balls in the air. Hoolahan put Dickov free round the back of the defence on the left, and his hard cross was deflected by Taylor-Fletcher's head, but straight into the keeper's arms. Then Hoolahan took the ball forward himself, a little left of centre, and tried a shot from outside the box - it was well hit, but just wide of the far post.
Blackpool were now starting to play in the style which suits them best, quick passes and running for each other, pressing the wings and looking to get around the back. Ian Evatt was pushing forward when he could, and got a cross in from the right, but mostly it was Dickov and Hoolahan, assisted by Jorgensen and Southern, who were making things happen. On the half hour Blackpool played another ball into the area. A defender got his head to it, it dropped to Gorkss, and he nodded it back to Dickov who was just outside the area in the middle. As it bounced up he shaped his shot carefully, and drove it hard and flat into the left hand side of the goal, well wide of the keeper. A well taken goal by a man who knows where the net is and how to find it.
Blackpool were now getting on top, and went looking for another goal to give them some comfort. Another good move saw Dickov slip the ball forward to McPhee running into the area just right of centre. The angle was getting worse all the time but McPhee hit a good shot, just inside the near post, and the Wednesday keeper had to make a very good save to keep it out.
With about five minutes to go, McPhee was fouled out on the right, short of the area. Crainey took the kick, aiming a long sweeping ball across the area towards Barker out beyond the far post. However a defender dived forward low and got his head to it, deflecting it away from Barker for a corner. Amazingly the referee gave a goal kick, although everyone else in the ground must have clearly seen the defender head the ball. Blackpool were still complaining a couple of minutes later when, out on the right touchline, Evatt cleanly dispossessed Slusarski, but in another bizarre decision the ref gave a free kick to Wednesday. From the kick Slusarski had a half chance, but hit his shot over. McPhee was booked moments later, still disputing the corner decision. The last minutes of the half were played out, and Blackpool went in a goal to the good.
After half time Wednesday made a change, bringing on Graham Kavanagh, the veteran Irish midfielder, currently on loan from Sunderland. Early on he swung a free kick into the Blackpool area but Rachubka took it well. The game was pretty even, and Slusarski had another chance from a cross, but shot wide again. At the other end Dickov chased a ball into the box but a defender cleared it. As it landed in the Blackpool end there was a shout, and we saw Dickov holding his face and several players squaring up. The referee immediately dismissed a Wednesday defender and then after a little more discussion he booked Dickov. At this point it appeared that Blackpool had a penalty - Crainey planted the ball on the spot, but the referee then went over to talk to the linesman, and finally he gave a free kick to Wednesday inside their box.
The extra man made a difference straight away, and Blackpool put on the pressure. The makeshift fullback could easily have got himself booked - or worse - after pushing Jorgensen in a temper, and Kavanagh intervened to try to calm his team mate down. Soon after that Wednesday brought on a replacement fullback, replacing the guy who had lost it. Blackpool continued to press, but they struggled to create any clear chances during this period. Jorgensen found space outside the area after neat work by Hoolahan and Dickov, and he tried a shot for the top right corner, but it drifted too high.
As time went by, Wednesday began to press forward more, realising that they had nothing to lose, and chances began to arise at both ends. Gorkss conceded a free kick in the middle, about ten yards outside the box. Kavanagh lined up the shot but it clipped the wall and went out for a corner. At the other end McPhee did well to run onto a ball up the right and drive a low ball across the goalmouth, but Dickov and Jorgensen could not reach it. McPhee was fouled on the left wing and Hoolahan, spotting Jorgensen unmarked on the far side of the area, took a quick kick to him, but he was judged offside and the chance was wasted. Slusarski was substituted - he got more applause from the home supporters than from the visitors, having done for them pretty much what he did for us - looked promising but produced little.
Many of the Blackpool players were starting to slow down and Grayson now made a double change. He brought on Morrell to replace McPhee, and than change worked well with Morrell slotting in and doing good work. The other change was a straight swap on the right wing, with Green replacing Taylor-Fletcher. This was less successful, and Green did virtually nothing except lose the ball - at full fitness he was not obviously faster than a tired Taylor-Fletcher. Blackpool continued to push forward, and could well have gone further ahead when Southern linked up with Hoolahan and put a great cross over from the left. When it landed Dickov appeared to have made enough space to give himself a certain goal, but his effort was not great and was cleared on the line.
Wednesday continued to press, and won several corners. From one Barker picked the ball up and raced forward, suddenly turning defence into attack. He slipped the ball to Hoolahan who fed Dickov, and he in turn slid a perfect ball to Morrell in the box, left of centre. He shot on the turn, a perfect ball past the keeper, and Blackpool were celebrating until they saw the linesman's flag raised. From the position of the kick it must have been given earlier in the move, as Morrell was clearly not offside, but however that may be, the goal did not count and Wednesday remained in the game.
Dickov was now clearly exhausted, barely able to raise a trot, and after he had failed to chase a couple of balls on the wing, he was replaced by Burgess. Unfortunately the contrast was not flattering to the big man, and it was clear that Dickov, despite being a foot smaller, presents much more of a physical challenge to a defender. Dickov and McPhee win more balls in the air than Burgess does, and Blackpool's attack was weaker when he came on. However this made little difference because for the final few minutes Burgess spent most of his time in the Blackpool area, as Wednesday gave it one final heave. There were several good shots which Rachubka had to be alert to save, and then, just into injury time, Wednesday set up a clear shot from outside the box. It was going under the bar and Rachubka dived across and high to his right to get a hand to it and turn it over. A great save, and possibly the moment that confirmed Blackpool's Championship future.
The pressure was not over, and the officials found five minutes of added time to endure, but the defence was on top. Blackpool wasted one chance to run the clock down when Hoolahan allowed himself to be dispossessed in the Wednesday half, but a minute later a long ball was played forward to Burgess and he made his most significant contribution by going down in slow motion under a challenge by Kavanagh out on the left. Morrell took the ball into the corner, and that was pretty much it. The whistle went at last, and Blackpool had recorded their first win since March 1st.
Of course the points were all important, but this was a good performance by Blackpool, and they earned their victory - indeed at least one more goal would have done them justice. Once again we can see that Blackpool play best with the short passing game, and the high ball does not suit them. After conceding a soft goal, the defence did well, Evatt in particular, though Gorkss and Crainey also put in fine performances in the second half. We also saw the midfield taking control well, tackling and closing down, and I might make Jorgensen Man of the Match today - he was involved everywhere from box to box, quite apart from his goal. Blackpool now stand four points above Wednesday, who are in the drop zone, with five teams in between, and two games to play. They are not safe yet - but their chances of safety have been improved enormously by a fine performance today.
Team: (4-4-2): Rachubka, Barker (Capt), Evatt, Gorkss, Crainey, Taylor-Fletcher (Green 76), Southern, Jorgensen, Hoolahan, McPhee (Morell 76), Dickov (Burgess 86)
Subs not used: Flinders, Jackson