Town’s positive start to the season came to an abrupt end as they were beaten 6-0 by Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. The home side went in front via an Aaron Cresswell own goal before Gary Taylor-Fletcher made it 2-0 just before the break. Thomas Ince claimed two goals shortly after the break — in addition to three assists — Craig Cathcart added a header and sub Nouha Dicko completed the rout in injury time.
Boss Paul Jewell made one change to his side for with Andy Drury coming in for Josh Carson, the ex-Luton man starting on the left with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas moving to the right.
Aside from that switch, the 18 was the same as beat Watford 1-0 on Tuesday and drew 1-1 with Blackburn at Portman Road last week. New signing Guirane N’Daw has returned to France and will join up with the squad next week.
Town came closest to scoring in the early stages of the game, Luke Hyam sending Emmanuel-Thomas away on the left as the Blues broke. The former Arsenal man played the ball across for Michael Chopra but Stephen Crainey’s toe prevented the Town frontman from tapping home.
It had been a relatively even start to the game but in the 12th minute Blackpool went in front. Thomas Ince seized on an error by Tommy Smith and escaped down the Seasiders’ left before laying the ball across towards Kevin Phillips. Aaron Cresswell diverted it past Scott Loach from five yards as he sought to cut it out.
Lee Martin shot low to Blackpool keeper Matthew Gilks in the 19th minute as the Blues looked to get back on terms. On 21 Tangerines skipper Alex Baptiste was booked for timewasting when he continued playing and hit a shot past Loach well after the referee had blown up for offside.
Blackpool were looking the more dangerous side, despite the Blues having a lot of possession, and on 27 Kevin Phillips, a thorn in Town’s side throughout his career, volleyed well over from 25 yards after exchanging passes with Tiago Gomes.
At the other end, Emmanuel-Thomas, a one-time Seasiders loanee, hammered a 20-yard freekick into the wall. Just after the half hour, Chopra was booked for a foul on Angel.
Ince went wide from 20 yards on 28 with the home side looking more likely to score the next goal than Town, despite the Blues still having a lot of the ball.
Emmanuel-Thomas cut in from the right and hit a powerful strike which Gilks did well to save across to his left in the 42nd minute, the closest Town had come to a goal.
Just before the break, the Championship leaders made it 2-0. Chambers gave away possession and Ince was sent away down the left before cutting it back towards the penalty spot from where Gary Taylor-Fletcher confidently shot into the roof of the net.
Town had enjoyed a lot of possession but had rarely threatened, promising moves breaking down too easily once they got close to the penalty area. Blackpool had looked much more dangerous, particularly on the counter-attack and had capitalised on their opportunities when they came, both the result of Town errors.
The home side went three in front four minutes after the break. The ball was brought out of defence and Crainey found Ince on the left. The midfielder, the son of ex-England man Paul, twisted and turned and found himself the space to shoot in front of Smith and hit a low shot which beat Loach to his left.
Ince might have made it four on 53 when found inside the area by Crainey but mis-hit his shot to Loach. A minute later, the Blues keeper did well to block from Phillips with the Seasiders threatening to add to their goals.
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway rested Kevin Phillips soon after, replacing him with Nouha Dicko, while Jason Scotland took over from Emmanuel-Thomas, who was having another of those afternoons where more goes wrong than right.
Two minutes after the changes, it was 4-0 with Ince netting his second of the afternoon, this time lashing home from 25 yards after the ball was laid back by Taylor-Fletcher. While the teams lined-up, Angel Martinez was replaced by Alberto Nougera.
The home side were by now rampant and on 62 they made it five. Craig Cathcart nodding in unmarked from a short corner on the right, Ince, perhaps inevitably, having provided the ball into the box.
The second half had been one-way traffic with the Blues failing to recover from going three behind so soon after the break.
Blackpool had the ball in the net again in the 67th minute but it was disallowed for a foul on Chambers by Dicko. Soon after, Ronan Murray replaced Michael Chopra alongside Jason Scotland.
There was another scare for the Blues in the 79th minute when Hyam’s clearance deflected across the area just in front of Dicko.
Smith did well to cut out a Dicko cross as the game moved into its final five minutes, Cathcart hitting the post from the corner. At the other end Scotland shot through to Gilks but failed to test him. Soon after, Chambers headed wide after a corner.
Just as it seemed the game would remain 5-0, sub Matt Phillips was played in over the top and lobbed Loach, Dicko adding the final touch to make it six.
Loach came out to block at Matt Phillips’s feet and soon after the referee’s whistle brought the afternoon — a year and five days after the 7-1 loss at Peterborough - to an end.
The goal after the break seemed to completely knock the stuffing out of the Blues who were in the game up until half-time. At 2-0 Town might have had a chance of getting back into it, but heads dropped after the third went in so soon after the restart and there was no way back from there.
While Blackpool grew in confidence, Paul Jewell’s young Town side showed their inexperience as well as their continued frailties at the back and in particular their susceptibility to counter-attacks and set pieces, the Blues’ Achilles’ heels throughout Jewell’s time in charge.
While the first half was more even than the overall scoreline suggests, there was only one team in it during a second period which showed how far Town have got to go before being able to compete with the division’s best sides.
Town: Loach, Edwards, Chambers, Smith, Cresswell, Hyam, Luongo (Carson 69), Drury, Emmanuel-Thomas (Scotland 56), Martin, Chopra (Murray 69). Unused: Lee-Barrett, Ainsley, Delaney, Carson, Stevenson.
Blackpool: Gilks, Crainey, Baptiste, Cathcart, Eardley, Martinez (Nougera 58), Osbourne, Gomes, Taylor-Fletcher (M Phillips 63), Ince, K Phillips (Dicko 56). Unused: Halstead, Evatt, Ferguson, M Phillips, Sylvestre. Referee: Nigel Miller (County Durham). Att: 14,366.