Town’s U18s exited the FA Youth Cup at the fifth round stage following a 2-0 defeat to Blackpool at Portman Road. The visitors, who had knocked out Premier League West Ham and Southampton in previous rounds, went ahead through Rowan Roache on six and added a second via Owen Watkinson in the 23rd minute with Town having plenty of possession but without being able to find the net.
The visitors took the lead with the first serious attempt of the game. Midfielder Roache’s 25-yard freekick looked unthreatening until it took a deflection and wrong-footed Mitchell Ware in the Town goal.
The Blues had dominated possession in the early stages and the game quickly went back to the same pattern.
On eight, Tristan Nydam, the only player in the Town line-up with first-team experience, played a sublime diagonal ball from the left for 15-year-old schoolboy Ben Knight to chase. The ball found the England U16 international breaking in from the right flank but his first touch took him away from goal.
Town claimed a penalty just before the quarter-hour when Idris El Mizouni was grabbed round the waist in the box and went to ground.
Referee Ryan Atkin waved away the protests and spoke to the Blues midfielder. The Frenchman certainly appeared to have been hauled back but his fall to the ground may have convinced the referee otherwise.
The official had taken a lenient line with a number of reckless challenges from a physical Blackpool side in the early stages but on 17 his patience ran out and Jack Newton got his name in the book for a foul on El Mizouni.
Six minutes later, the Tangerines doubled their lead via their second attack of the game. Roache played a dangerous ball into the box and striker Watkinson took it down with his chest before stabbing goalwards with Ware just unable to keep it out with his left hand.
The Blues had dominated possession but had been unable to create an opening against a Blackpool side which had defended in depth and made the most of their breaks forward.
Having gone 2-0 in front the Tangerines began to see more of the ball and they weren’t far from a third on the half hour. Nana Adarkwa broke away beyond Corrie Ndaba down the right and crossed but Blues skipper Brett McGavin got back to divert into the arms of keeper Ware.
Town again began to dominate possession but still without seriously threatening, McGavin shooting well over in the 40th minute from 25 yards.
Two minutes later, Knight’s effort from 20 yards failed to test Blackpool keeper Craig Thordarson.
In first-half injury time Roache curled over for the visitors, who finished the period strongly.
Town had played all the football but had been rather bullied by the visitors with referee Atkin having taken too long to start clamping down and issuing cards.
Having gained their lead, the Tangerines were happy to get men behind the ball and frustrate the Blues, grabbing their second on the break.
Town switched to three at the back at the start of the second half with skipper McGavin moving into the centre of the defence from midfielder.
On 56 Nydam made a superb challenge to take the ball away with a Blackpool striker through on goal and looking likely to make it 3-0. The Blues midfielder suffered a head injury making the challenge but was OK to continue after receiving treatment. Moments later, Knight was replaced by Albert Wilton.
The second half developed into a scrappy affair, with the less than pristine Portman Road surface hardly helping. On 63 Blackpool almost added to their lead but Watkinson shot straight at Ware when well-placed inside the area.
Lounes Foudil replaced Dobra in the 67th minute, then seconds later Jack Lankester, scorer of both goals in the 2-1 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge in the last round, scuffed a shot through to Tangerines keeper Thordarson.
Soon after, El Mizouni was booked for petulantly slamming the ball into the ground after a decision went against him.
The game threatened to boil over in the 70th minute after Watkinson was booked for a foul, referee Atkin having allowed too many earlier challenges to go unpunished. No further cards were issued after a minor bout of handbags.
Nydam, who was becoming more influential as the half wore on, was yellow-carded for a foul in the 75th minute.
Blackpool were now firmly ensconced in their own penalty area with the Blues beginning to put them under pressure.
On 79 Ross Marshall’s header from a Nydam cross following a corner was blocked on the line by a Blackpool defender. A minute later, El Mizouni scraped wide from the edge of the box.
Eight minutes from the end Nydam was replaced by Steven Cahill. The Blues midfielder had been limping, probably due to cramp on the heavy pitch.
Seconds later, Marshall headed over from Lankester’s whipped in freekick from the left, then on 89 Ndaba nodded weakly to Thordarson from a corner from the right.
Seconds before the end of scheduled time, Lankester almost headed over the line from close range from Ndaba’s left-wing cross but Thordarson somehow saved, although the Blues striker claimed the ball had been initially stopped by an outfielder’s hand.
Deep into five minutes of injury time, El Mizouni shot wide on the turn, Blackpool keeper Thordarson subsequently receiving a yellow card for time-wasting. Moments before the whistle Ndaba headed over.
The Blues huffed and puffed throughout the second half but never really tested Thordarson in the Blackpool goal with the visitors’ defence remaining resolute to claim another scalp on their impressive cup run.
U18s: Ware, D Crowe, Clements, McGavin (c), Marshall, Ndaba, Knight (Wilton 57), El Mizouni, Lankester, Nydam (Cahill 82), Dobra (Foudil 67). Unused: Egan, Vega.
Blackpool: Thordarson, Williams, Jacobson (c), Newton, Avon, Sumner, Adarkwa (O’Brien 79), Roache, Watkinson (Jaaskelainen 86), Sinclair-Smith (Dunne 90), Shaw. Unused: Simson, Wainwright. Att: 788.