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Blackpool 1st Team travelled to Didsbury in bouyant mood following their excellant home win the week before. This was only slightly marred by the Captains mis calculation of the travelling time needed and the fact that Jack Boniface had dislocated his shoulder overnight and joined his notorious “sick note” brother Joe at home, who is suffering from a fractured foot following a training session.
Thus down to 12 players and just managing to arrive in time, a slightly “under warmed” Blackpool team took to the pitch. Didsbury started brightly and Blackpool struggled to find the passing composure and movement which has been the centre of the game of late. However, Didsbury became over confident, leaving just one centre back marking the 2 Blackpool forwards and a quick counter attack resulted in Ian Swaine smashing the ball into the net. This led to renewed confidence in the Blackpool players and they started to play with more assurance, with Dan Woodman and Kieran Harris, controlling the midfield,using the wings of Slater and Whitley to good effect.
One such attack led to a short corner and one of Blackpools well rehearsed moves led to Steve Whitley scoring.
Didsbury rallied and came back at the Blackpool defence of Mistry, Goudie, Abbot and Brookes, forcing a number of short corners and it was from one of these that adrag flick goal was squeezed in, between Goalkeeper Rainbow and post man Mistry.
The 2nd half was a tale of two goalkeepers with both Rainbow and the Didsbury Keeper pulling off some fine saves to keep their teams in the game. Blackpool were guilty of playing too far back, allowing Didsbury far too much of the ball. However, in the last 10 minutes, following a delay for an injury and during which Captain Rob Abbott called for calm and a return to the passing play of previous games, Blackpool managed to turn the game around and it was didsbury who were lucky not to concede further. This period happened to coincide with the introduction of Nathan Woodman who did a sterling job of holding up the play up front and thus relieving the pressure.
Not the best Blackpool display but Blackpool managed to grind out a result where in previous seasons they would have drawn or lost.
The Blackpool Players would like to pass on their best regards to the Didsbury player who received a very nasty fracial injury during the game.
© Dave Morgan