Blackpool 0-2 Town - Match Report Saturday, 1st Nov 2014 17:02 Town celebrated manager Mick McCarthy’s second anniversary in charge with a comfortable 2-0 victory at Blackpool. David McGoldrick put the Blues in the lead in the 26th minute and Daryl Murphy sealed it just after the hour. Jonny Williams (ankle) and Jonny Parr (groin) both missed out for Town, joining Kevin Bru (also groin) on the sidelines. Skipper Luke Chambers continued at right-back with Tyrone Mings returning from his one-match suspension and taking up his usual left-back role. Tommy Smith again partnered Christophe Berra at the centre of the defence. Stephen Hunt came into the side for Conor Sammon and started on the left of the front three. The Blues were forced into a late switch of keeper with Dean Gerken picking up a groin injury in the warm-up. Bartosz Bialkowski came in for his Town league debut with Darren Ambrose taking up the vacant place on the bench with the Blues having no sub keeper. Debutant Bialkowski claimed an awkward looping John Lundstrum shot on six, a minute before the Blues went within a whisker of going in front. Teddy Bishop was fouled just outside the area on the right and Hunt curled a brilliant freekick over the wall but off the bar. The loose ball reached Bishop on the edge of the box but the youngster scuffed his strike wide. Hunt forced Bialkowski into a save in the eighth minute when he intercepted a loose Blackpool pass midway inside the Town half and put rather too much on his ball back to the keeper, who got down well to his right to palm wide. The Blues went close again in the 10th minute when Chambers crossed from the right and Bishop flicked a header wide. Bialkowski had a shaky moment three minutes later when he got under a swirling cross and could only help the ball behind. Ishmael Miller created an opportunity for the home side in the 17th minute, skipping down the left and cutting the ball back to Nile Ranger, but the ball got caught under the former Newcastle frontman’s feet. Hunt, by now part of a four-man midfield, hit another shot from distance on 23 but went rather less close than his previous attempt, the ball this time striking the lip of the stand roof. On 26 Hunt won the ball from Donervon Daniels on the Town left and fed Mings, whose cross reached Bishop on the edge of the box, from where his shot was cleared out to the left for a throw. But the danger wasn’t gone. After a throw, Hunt returned the ball from the left, Bishop hit a shot into the ground which found McGoldrick eight yards out and as the Blackpool defence appealed for offside, the Blues striker stroked home his fifth goal of the season to put Town ahead. The Blues continued to take the game to the home side having gone in front with Hunt and Mings increasingly influential down the left. On 32 Luke Hyam was booked for pulling back Ranger as Blackpool broke. Neither side came close again before the break and Town went in deservedly in front, having been on top and having created most of the game’s opportunities. Aside from Ranger’s chance, Hunt’s backpass and a few set pieces which Town hadn't dealt with particularly comfortably, the home side hadn’t particularly threatened. Three minutes after the restart Blues midfielder Cole Skuse required treatment for what looked like a groin injury and eventually made his way down the tunnel. Before Paul Anderson had come on to replace him, Charles Dunne had forced Bialkowski to save down to his right. Anderson was quickly into the action and his 53rd minute right-wing cross eventually reached McGoldrick at the far post but Blackpool’s Bury St Edmunds-born keeper Joe Lewis blocked. From Hunt’s corner, Murphy headed wide. Ranger flicked a header beyond Bialkowski’s right post in the 56th minute, then two minutes later Town skipper Chambers fed McGoldrick but his cross was cut out. The Blues weren’t far from adding to their lead on 59 when McGoldrick moved the ball on to Hunt on the left after good work from Murphy and Anderson, however, the winger shot into the side-netting. But Town’s second goal was only two minutes away. Bishop superbly tricked his way past three defenders on the right before cutting back a low pass which Murphy slammed into the net to claim his eighth goal of the campaign. The Town players, led by Hunt, jumped on Bishop to congratulate him for his excellent contribution to the goal. McGoldrick curled a speculative distance effort wide on 68, moments before Bishop was replaced by Jay Tabb having suffered a niggle. The academy product was warmly applauded off as he left the field. Smith was pole-axed by a 73rd minute Lundstram strike but was OK to continue after treatment. As the game moved into its final 10 minutes with Blackpool showing few signs of getting back into it, Sammon replaced McGoldrick in the Town attack. With four minutes remaining Sammon should have made it 3-0 went sent through on the left by Anderson but slipped the ball past both Lewis and his left post. Daniels shot well over for the Tangerines in the penultimate minutes of scheduled time, then in five minutes of injury time Bialkowski came off his line to claim ahead of Seasiders’ skipper Tony McMahon. Soon after, referee Andy Haines blew his whistle. The Blues’ victory was never in doubt once the second goal had gone in with what looks to be a League One-bound Blackpool side huffing and puffing but without ever significantly testing debutant Bialkowski. Town, who might have won more comfortably, will be delighted to get back to start what is a difficult month with a win, having failed to record a victory in their previous five games. The result sees the Blues move up to eighth with fourth-placed Wolves at Portman Road on Tuesday and Watford, who now lead the Championship, visiting Suffolk on Saturday. Blackpool: Lewis, Dunne (Orlandi 65), Clarke, Rentmeister, Daniels, McMahon, Lundstram, J Oriol (Zoko 58), Delfouneso (Blackman 75), Miller, Ranger. Unused: Parish, Mellis, E Oriol, Cywka. Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse (Anderson 52), Hyam, Bishop (Tabb 69), Hunt, McGoldrick (Sammon 81), Murphy. Unused: Ambrose, Clarke, Henshall, Bajner. Referee: Andy Haines (Tyne and Wear). Att:
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