KIRKHAM boxer Adam Little has only had four professional fights – and he reckons potential opponents have been scared off already.

Unbeaten Little makes his next appearance at Castle Leisure Centre, Bury, a week tomorrow, though finding someone to face him has been far from easy.

Little said: “It’s a bit of a shock that some people are unwilling to fight me already.

“People watching my last fight against Billy Smith will have got a bit of a shock and found out that I am not just a showy fighter – I have some power as well.

“Journeymen don’t want to get knocked out. They want to fight the next week, so any inclination that they could get knocked out and they don’t want to fight me.

“I will probably find out in the next day or two who I am fighting. They had someone, a southpaw, but I will fight southpaws next time.

“Every opponent I have had so far has had a different style. Next week it will be a come-forward fighter, then a southpaw.”

And Little has a clear ambition how he wants his career to pan out, adding: “I will have an English title shot in the next 12 months.”

Little said he had improved 100 per cent under the direction of his trainer Ricky Hatton. “Everything has come on, not just in my moves but mentally as well.”

Hatton believes his protégé is ready to move up in class, despite being a professional for less than 12 months.

The Bury fight will be the final four-rounder for the 21-year-old, who has impressed Hatton since he began training Litttle last October.

The two-weight world champion said: “Adam’s training for the Bury show has been exceptional and the longer we spend together in the gym understanding each other the better he will become.

“In the few months I have trained Adam, he has shown massive improvement and I feel ready to move him on to six-round class.”

In the top of the bill contest at Bury, Heywood’s Kieran Farrell challenges Yorkshireman Jon Baguley for the vacant Central Area light-welterweight title.

Little’s training has intensified and this week he was sparring with Matthew Hatton, who is himself in training for a big contest with Kell Brook in Sheffield next month.

Little and Hatton made a special appearance at the Fulwood branch of Preston College this week to show students some of the training routines that go to make a professional fighter. They also visited Little’s old school, Kirkham Carr Hill.

It proved a worthwhile exercise as the students got a fascinating glimpse into how a fighter prepares.

Little, who is studying sports development at Preston, said: “It’s great to come to the college to show people exactly what I do.

“It’s all right telling people at the college that I do this and that, but in this way I can show them and it opens their eyes.”

Hatton, a self-confessed ‘scallywag’ who neglected his studies as a youngster, stressed the importance of having academic achievement to fall back on. He regrets not making more effort at school, though he succeeded in his lone ambition to be a world champion.

GOAL ace Jamie Vardy insists Fleetwood Town are still in control of their own destiny following Tuesday’s spectacular 6-2 victory over Ebbsfleet United.

The striker’s 29-minute hat-trick helped Town remain two points clear of Wrexham at the top of the Blue Square Bet Premier, although the Welshmen have a game in hand.

Vardy said: “I know Wrexham have that game but it’s in our hands at the end of the day

“They still have to come here (on April 10) and we’ll do everything we can to get a result.

“All we have to do is keep winning our games and not worry about what is happening anywhere else.”

Vardy’s second hat-trick of the campaign, taking his Town tally for the season to 25, was rounded off with a spectacular lob over Fleet keeper Lance Cronin from the halfway line.

The striker said: “I just heard the players around scream, ‘Shoot, shoot!’

“The ball just broke free from one of their players. I spotted the keeper quite far away from his goal-line and just went for it.

“I was delighted it went in ... because (if it hadn’t) the gaffer would have been furious.”

Manager Micky Mellon again named four strikers in his starting line-up and Vardy was full of praise for fellow forward Andy Mangan, who added to his tally for the season from the penalty spot.

The 25-year-old added: “Andy’s passing game has been fantastic for all season long. The way he can pick a pass and unlock defences is brilliant. He’s set up quite a few goals for us all and he linked up so well Magno and myself on Tuesday.”

Vardy was linked with big-money moves to a number of Championship and SPL clubs during last month’s transfer window but inists he is happy at Highbury.

The Yorkshireman said: “You hear all the talk but I’m happy here and we’ve got a job to do – to get Fleetwood promoted.”

Mellon insisted there was never any chance of losing his top scorer, despite all the rumours and offers, including one from Ian Holloway’s Blackpool. The manager confirmed: “Selling Jamie was never part of the plan. “It was never going to happen.

“We had a plan when Jamie signed and that was for him to be here until the end of the season. That was always going to be the case.”

Town, unbeaten in the 18 league games since mid-October, will be hoping to complete a third home victory in eight days when they entertain struggling Alfreton Town on Saturday.

CRESTFALLEN Ian Holloway pulled no punches after the Seasiders’ biggest home defeat in more than seven years.

The boss described last night’s 4-1 mauling at the hands of 10-man West Ham as “hideous” and claimed his team were unrecognisable from the side which had started 2012 in such style.

Pool have not been hit for four at Bloomfield Road since losing 4-0 to Stockport in August 2004, when Colin Hendry was in charge.

Holloway copped some flak from a couple of supporters close to the dugout but he accepted it, saying: “I was getting slaughtered by two or three of our fans and quite understandably so. I understand that wasn’t good enough.

“The first 45 minutes was probably the worst performance, I’ve seen since I’ve been here. It was pretty shocking and nobody was more shocked than me.”

The Seasiders were handed a lifeline when West Ham keeper Robert Green was sent off early in the second half with the score at 2-1. The Hammers didn’t have a keeper on the bench, so midfielder Henri Lansbury went in goal.

But Holloway’s men could not make the most of the opportunity.

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The manager added: “I didn’t care who they put in goal. I just wanted my lads to exploit their 10-man situation and I didn’t see them doing it anywhere like they should have. I was trying to get messages out, but it just summed up our evening that we didn’t put any pressure on their keeper.

“With an extra man you need to get it wide. We needed to do that all night but we didn’t.

“It is quite surreal. Just when you think things are going well, that happens.”

Holloway suggested the pre-match talk about how victory would lift his players to third in the Championship table affected their performance.

Instead they have dropped out of the play-off zone because Birmingham and Middlesbrough both won.

The manager believes the occasion got to some of his squad and will order everyone to get back to basics ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bristol City.

This was Pool’s first home defeat since October – and only their third setback on home soil all campaign – but the manager had no excuses after watching West Ham run riot. He says the victors fully deserved the points.

“Our lot couldn’t get anything going,” he said. “When Barry Ferguson hits it with the outside of his right foot, and it pops up in the air and puts their bloke through, you think, ‘Good God’.

“That was hideous and hard to stomach but we have to get on with it, simple as that.

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IAN Holloway admitted Sam Allardyce caught him off-guard with an unexpected team selection last night.

The Seasiders boss had anticipated West Ham starting with targetman Carlton Cole up front.

Instead Allardyce sprang a surprise by relegating Cole to the bench and starting with Nicky Maynard instead.

Maynard, signed last month from Bristol City, went onto score the Hammers’ second goal and produced a fine performance which had Craig Cathcart and Ian Evatt on their toes all evening.

Holloway admitted: “They had a surprising line-up without Carlton Cole up the middle.

“They had Maynard, a mobile frontman, and five across the midfield … and to be fair it looked like they had ten.

“Normally we close very well. Last night it looked like every one of my players was in a glass bowl and couldn’t get to a West Ham player.

“Right from the off that was quite alarming and we couldn’t pass it either. They squeezed up.

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“I told my lads what we were going to do and how they closed, but we kept playing into their hands.

“It drove me insane and we went two down. But to be honest what could the score have been? Much more. It was unrecognisable.

“We got back in it when we didn’t deserve to just before half-time. We actually got out wide for once and put a cross in and scored.

“It was probably the first time in a long time that Sam won’t be happy with his defending. They weren’t in the right place.

“Kevin Phillips headed it in and it looked like we might get out of jail.

“Then at half-time I put the other two subs on, and you know it’s not your night when you we can’t get back into it after they have an outfield player in goal. That killed us against a team which closed down very well.”

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Fleetwood Town 6, Ebbsfleet United 2. HAT-trick hero Jamie Vardy unleashed a wonder-strike as six-goal Fleetwood sunk The Fleet.

Town’s hotshot increased his season’s tally to 25 with an audacious lob from virtually the halfway line – the crowning moment on a night Micky Mellon’s men ran riot.

Mellon spoke of changes ahead of the clash with Ebbsfleet United and stuck to his word – Gareth Seddon was handed a start in place of Richard Brodie, with Jamie McGuire also back in the XI, Peter Cavanagh filling in for the injured Shaun Beeley at right-back.

And the shake-up appeared to have had the desired impact as Fleetwood started brightly, Seddon, Magno Vieira and Peter Cavanagh all having early chances. But it was the visitors who grabbed the lead against the run of play.

McGuire gave up possession too easily inside the Fleetwood half, Liam Enver-Marum unleashing a stinging shot from 20 yards which beat Scott Davies. Their advantage would last less than a minute.

From the restart, Town broke down the left, McGuire making up for his earlier error with a pass to tee up Vardy. The striker’s shot rebounded to Seddon, who tucked home the equaliser. With Andy Mangan, one of four strikers named in Mellon’s starting XI, running the show, it was only a matter of time before Fleetwood grabbed a second.

Vardy made space wide on the left and picked out Alan Goodall, whose looping cross went beyond Seddon. Fortunately, Cavanagh was following in at the back post – 23 minutes played and Town were ahead.

And it took the home side less than seven minutes to double their advantage – Vieira’s stinging shot was parried by Lance Cronin in the Ebbsfleet goal, Vardy pouncing to open his account for the evening.

Fleetwood were in total control, opening up the visitors’ defence at will. And before the break they made it four.

Vardy’s run was brought to an abrupt end by Yado Mambo and referee Richard Clark had little choice but to award a penalty. Mangan coolly converted the spot-kick and the Cod Army cruised into the break with a three-goal advantage.

And, from the restart, they wasted little time in adding to it. Vardy’s run went unchecked and the striker was given space to unleash a stunning right-foot curler past Cronin. Ebbsfleet had rung the changes at half-time and looked to test Fleetwood’s ever-fragile defence.

{/sport/football/cod-corner|Click here to see Town’s latest results, league position and up coming fixtures|Click here to see Town’s latest results, league position and up coming fixtures}.

Goodall had to be on the ball to prevent substitute Ricky Shakes from going one-on-one with Davies, and McGuire got stuck in with a crucial block after Gozie Ugwu was allowed room to shoot.

Attack for Ebbsfleet was, almost certainly, the best form of defence as the visitors struggled to cope with Town’s goal threat.

Ranbir Marwa earned a booking after cynically clipping the heel of Vardy as the frontman looked to launch another raid into Ebbsfleet territory.

Two minutes later, the striker proved he didn’t need to break deep into the visitors’ half to grab his hat-trick.

Spotting Cronin off his line, Vardy launched an inch-perfect lob from just inside the Ebbsfleet half – the stranded keeper nothing more than a spectator.

Mangan could easily have made it seven minutes later, his shot blasted over the bar, and Gareth Seddon also fired wide as Town looked to turn a rout into a massacre.

Five goals up, Mellon decided it was time for changes – first Vardy was replaced by Brodie, then Jamie Milligan made a welcome return to first-team action in place of Lee Fowler.

Without their Mohican-haired talisman, Town looked a shadow of their earlier selves but still created chances.

Brodie had a glorious opportunity with almost his first touch of the game – had that touch been considerably more subtle, he would surely have beaten rattled keeper Cronin.

Fleetwood’s struggle to adapt to the second half changes handed Ebbsfleet a way back into the game and the visitors carved out a number of good chances.

Keeper Davies could only chest down Ross Smith’s piledriver, Nathan Pond clearing the danger. And Davies was called into action again minutes later, tipping Neil Barrett’s shot around the post.

With Town’s foot most definitely off the gas, the visitors did grab a second with five minutes to play.

Enver-Marum’s speculative shot from the edge of the 18-yard box took a nasty deflection, wrongfooting Davies and sneaking low into the bottom right-hand corner.

A needless late booking for Goodall, following a clumsy tackle, was symptomatic of Fleetwood’s stumbling finish – the home side did rally in injury time but were unable to convert any of a series of corners.

Two soft goals are a reminder of the frailty of Town’s defence but thankfully Mellon’s men have no such fears up front – good news for the goal difference with Wrexham, two points behind Fleetwood with a game in hand after last night’s 1-0 win at Kidderminster, seemingly relentless in their pursuit.

Fleetwood: Davies, McNulty, Pond, Goodall, Vieira (Rose 57), Mangan, Maguire, Seddon, Cavanagh, Fowler (Milligan, 67), Vardy (Brodie, 60); not used: Atkinson, Stevenson

Ebbsfleet: Cronin, Stone, Lorraine (Phipp 45), Marwa, Willock, Howe (Smith, 30), Enver-Marum, Mambo, Ugwu, Barrett, Pinney (Shakes, 45); not used’: McNeil, Williams

Referee: R Clark; Attendance: 1,411

FYLDE RFC are set to give a debut to back row forward Rob Taylor in the National League One clash at home to Cambridge on Saturday.

Taylor, formerly of King Edward VII & Queen Mary School, Lytham, has played for the Fylde second team this term as well as Lancashire Under-20s.

He is currenty studying at Manchester University and is expected to start on the bench on Saturday for the rearranged fixture, which kicks off at 2pm.

Coach Mark Nelson said of Taylor: “We have high hopes for him.”

BLACKPOOL Seagulls ice hockey team come out of cold storage on Saturday.

They make a return after a break of 20 years when they take on the United Kingdom Firefighters in a charity match.

The team has been reformed by a group of former Seagulls players from the 1980s following the opening of the new Sub-Zero ice rink on Cleveleys Promenade.

Bolstered by an enthusiastic group of younger players, they will play regular challenge matches against other recreational teams.

The revival of the Seagulls follows the launch of Fylde Flyers, who feature in the English National League and also play at the Cleveleys venue. Saturday’s game will raise money for two charities: “Children With Cancer” and “Help For Heroes”

Barclays Bank have offered to match pound for pound all funds raised on the day.

Admission is £4 for adults, £2 for children. Doors open at 4.30pm and face-off is 5pm.

ROYAL Lytham and St Annes golfer Emily Taylor warmed up for the new season in style at the 54-hole Hacienda Ladies’ Open in Murcia, Spain.

She was runner-up in the main competition, before which she claimed first prize in the St Valentine’s Day pairs event.

In this she teamed up with Amelia Taylor (St Annes Old Links). They scored 38 points in the fourball, better-ball stableford event.

The two Taylors are not related. The main event was won by Jess Wilcox, from Lincolnshire.

Her prize was a golf break worth 400 euros. Wolcox had six shots in hand at the finish with an aggregate of 214 (71-71-72). Emily’s final total was 220 (73-75-72).

Lancashire girls were in top form in the handicap event that was won by Eloise Healey (West Lancashire) with Hollie Muse (West Lancashire) second and Emily Shea (Fairhaven) third.

Audrey Lee (Fleetwood) was the leading Lancashire player in the senior stableford in Murcia.

>> ONE of the world’s leading golfers Jason Day, the Australian who has moved to seven in the global rankings, could miss the Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes in July.

He has confirmed that he won’t play at Lytham if his wife gives birth at the same time. The couple are expecting their first child on July 11, a week before the Open. Day finished runner-up in both the US Masters and the US Open last year.

>> THE world’s No.1 golfer Luke Donald is guaranteed to get his hands on a trophy at Lytham this summer, regardless of the fact of whether or not he wins the Claret Jug.

The Golf Writers’ Association will present Donald with his golfer of the year trophy at a ceremony at Lytham for his exploits during 2011.

>> Entries are now welcome for The Gazette Matchplay Golf Tournament 2012, sponsored for the third year by Blacktax taxis.

The final four will again battle it out at Vilamoura on the Portuguese Algarve on some of the continent’s most spectacular courses.

Any Fylde coast club member with an active handicap can enter. For full details call (01253) 361843, {http://bit.ly/Gazette_Promo|click here|Click here for more details} or look out for the entry coupon in tomorrow’s Gazette.

ROMAN Bednar has joined Gary Taylor-Fletcher on the casualty list as Pool’s injury problems continue to mount.

The targetman was clattered by Rob Green, resulting in the dismissal of the West Ham keeper.

Bednar limped through the remainder of the game – he had to as the Seasiders had used all three substitutes.

“He’s hurt himself quite badly,” said manager Ian Holloway. “We don’t know what the exact problem is yet but it’s painful.”

Bednar is unlikely to be fit for Saturday’s trip to Bristol City, which means Pool are two strikers down as Taylor-Fletcher is also sidelined.

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Taylor-Fletcher’s scan results are encouraging – there is no ligament damage following his collision with Everton keeper Tim Howard at the weekend.

However, he has suffered extensive bone bruising and probably won’t play again until well into next month.

Holloway added: “I don’t really know how long Gary will be out for yet.

“It is bone bruising and sometimes that can be absolutely lethal.

“Those things can take ages to clear but let’s hope it’s not that kind.

“He is sorely missed, though, and God knows what’s wrong with Bednar now and how long that is going to be. It has not been a good night.”

Emergency goalkeeper Henri Lansbury kept out Blackpool as 10-man West Ham returned to the top of the Championship.

In the absence of a specialist replacement, on-loan Arsenal midfielder Lansbury was summoned from the bench to reprise a role he briefly filled for England Under-21s last season after Robert Green was sent off for a professional foul on Blackpool substitute Roman Bednar in the 53rd minute.

At that stage United were 2-1 to the good following a dominant first-half display.

James Tomkins and Nicky Maynard scored two goals in four minutes, but Kevin Phillips brought the Seasiders back into the contest on the stroke of half-time.

But Ian Holloway’s men rarely resembled a side on a seven-match unbeaten run and, with the exception of some routine handling that drew huge cheers from the away support, Lansbury was largely untroubled as Gary O’Neill and Ricardo Vaz Te completed a handsome victory.

West Ham are now one point ahead of Southampton at the summit with a game in hand, while Middlesbrough’s victory at Millwall means Blackpool drop out of the top six.

Winger Matt Phillips returned form a hamstring problem to celebrate his Scotland call-up with a place in a Blackpool starting line-up that displayed five changes from the 2-0 FA Cup defeat to Everton on Saturday.

West Ham made two alterations to the side that drew with Southampton last week as George McCartney replaced the suspended Matt Taylor and Carlton Cole dropped to the bench for Maynard to make his full debut alongside fellow January recruit Vaz Te.

A clever Julien Faubert pass from the right flank gave Maynard a yard on the Blackpool backline, and the former Bristol City striker’s low effort across goal was touched wide by goalkeeper Matt Gilks’ outstretched boot.

Blackpool were struggling to establish any rhythm and when Ian Evatt fouled Maynard on the right in the 28th minute, the visiting supporters’ chant of “We’re gonna score in a minute” proved prophetic.

Mark Noble delivered the set-piece beautifully for Tomkins to plant a header past Gilks.

Moments later it was 2-0 as Jack Collison and Joey O’Brien combined down the right channel. Collison collected the scraps on the byline when O’Brien’s cross was blocked, and cut the ball back to make Maynard’s first West Ham goal a formality.

Holloway took action soon afterwards, introducing Kevin Phillips in place of Chris Basham, and the veteran striker gave Blackpool a lifeline they scarcely deserved in first-half stoppage time when he nodded home Alex Baptiste’s speculative cross.

Seemingly buoyed by this success, Holloway sent on two further attacking options from his bench, with Nouha Dicko and Bednar replacing Ludovic Sylvestre and the frustratingly wayward Lomana LuaLua.

The contest was thrown wide open when Kevin Phillips’ through-ball pierced the Hammers defence and Green charged rashly from his line to bring down Bednar.

Referee Colin Webster was well placed and ignored the efforts of West Ham defenders chasing back, to brandish a red card.

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce turned to Lansbury and sacrificed Faubert.

Lansbury was impressively protected by the West Ham defence and with 16 minutes remaining substitute O’Neill lashed a crisp 20-yard drive into the bottom corner after Winston Reid’s effort from Vaz Te’s corner was blocked by Stephen Crainey.

Kevin Phillips then rattled the inside of the post with a lofted volley as Lansbury’s positioning finally failed him, before Vaz Te raced clear of a largely absent Seasiders defence to open his Hammers account in the final minute.

]]> 1.4270443 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:26:39 +0000 http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpool_1_west_ham_4_minute_by_minute_1_4270293

GOALS from James Tomkins, Nicky Maynard, Gary O’Neil and Ricardo Vaz te handed West Ham the win on an eventful night at Bloomfield Road.

The away side found themselves 2-0 ahead before Kevin Phillips headed the Seasiders back into the game on the stroke of half-time.

And when West Ham’s keeper Robert Green was sent off on 52 minutes, then replaced by midfielder Henri Lansbury, Ian Holloway’s men looked to be favourites.

But as Pool threw men forward, O’Neil and Vaz Te sealed the win against the run of play.

Follow our minute-by-minute report below.

FULL TIME: BLACKPOOL 1 WEST HAM 4

LATEST: BLACKPOOL 1 WEST HAM 4

90 mins: GOAL FOR WEST HAM!

Ricardo Va Taz’s deflected effort fires past Gilks.

82 mins: Kevin Phillips rattles the post from 25-yards.

81 mins: Blackpool haven’t hit the target since the keeper was sent off.

80 mins: Nicky Maynard almost put the game beyond doubt as he raced away from Cathcart, his trip drifted wide.

LATEST: BLACKPOOL 1 WEST HAM 3

74 mins: GOAL FOR WEST HAM!!

Totally against the run of play Gary O’Neil, who had only been on the pitch a matter of minutes, finishes superbly from 16 yards.

71 mins: Ian Evatt is now up front for Blackpool. Pool playing a 3-2-5 formation.

70 mins: Ricard Va Te almost scores against the run of play with a decent effort from 18 yards.

61 mins: The game is hectic here as Blackpool throw everything at the away side. Need to be patient and get some shots on target.

55 mins: West Ham down to ten men, with a midfielder in goal. A real chance for the Seasiders here.

54 mins: West Ham forced to put Arsenal loan midfielder Henri Lansbury in goal!

53 mins: West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green is SENT OFF for a foul on Bednar! West Ham have no sub keeper on the bench, this could get interesting.

46 ins: Bright start from Blackpool, John Fleck shoots over after a pull-back by Roman Bednar.

45 mins: Double substitution for Blackpool. LuaLua and Sylvestre are replaced by Nouah Dicko and Roman Bednar.

HALF-TIME: BLACKPOOL 1 WEST HAM UNITED 2

LATEST: BLACKPOOL 1 WEST HAM 2

46 mins: GOAL FOR BLACKPOOL!!!

Game on! Kevin Phillips heads home from an Alex Baptiste cross!!

45 mins: ONE minute time added on.

34 mins: Change of tactic here for Blackpool. Chris Basham is replaced by Kevin Phillips.

33 mins: No surprises here so far, Blackpool have been outplayed all over the park sadly. Big job for Ian Holloway at half-time. Pool need to stay in the game here.

LATEST: BLACKPOOL 0 WEST HAM 2

32 mins: GOAL FOR WEST HAM!!

Nicky Maynard fires home from inside the six yard box to double West Ham’s lead.

LATEST: BLACKPOOL 0 WEST HAM UNITED 1

28 mins: GOAL FOR WEST HAM!!

James Tomkins arrives unmarked in the box to head home Mark Noble’s free-kick from five yards. Gilks had no chance.

20 mins: A mistake by West Ham’s Joey O’Brien leads to an ambitious over headkick from LuaLua going just wide. Nice bit of skill.

13 mins: Blackpool have settled down a bit here now, keeping the ball better.

10 mins: Blackpool haven’t turned up here yet. Struggling against a strong looking West Ham side.

7 mins: Another shakey moment for Pool as Abdoulaye Faye heads a corner over unchallenged from five yards.

6 mins: Big scare for Blackpool as Maynard turns well at the edge of the box before firing wide, he should have scored.

4 mins: A game of free-kicks so far. Ian Evatt bundles Nicky Maynard over at the edge of the box, free-kick shot straight at Gilks by Ricardo Vaz Te.

3 mins: Matt Phillips fires the free-kick straight at Rob Green.

2 mins: Free-kick to Blackpool 25 yards out as LuaLua is fouled.

8pm: West Ham kick-off. Come on you Pool!

7:55pm: Here come the teams, good atmosphere in Bloomfield Road this evening.

Pre-match: Pool make six changes. Barry Ferguson, Ian Evatt, Matt Phillips, Stephen Crainey and John Fleck all return for Ian Holloway’s men.

LINGFIELD: 1.45 Drawnfromthepast, 2.15 Alhaban, 2.50 Palmyra, 3.20 Performing Pocket, 3.55 Mein Notte, 4.30 Pale Orchid, 5.0 Sea Anemone.

KEMPTON: 5.30 Novabridge, 6.0 John Louis, 6.30 Mambo Spirit, 7.0 Red Orator, 7.30 Fire In Babylon, 8.0 Earlsmedic, 8.30 Rigid.

DONCASTER: 1.55 Eagle Rock, 2.25 The Cockney Mackem, 3.0 The Weatherman., 3.30 Mark The Book, 4.5 Crop Walker, 4.40 Rathcor, 5.10 Pebbleglen.

LUDLOW: 1.35 Charlie Wingnut, 2.5 Monte Cavallo, 2.35 Blue Ronnie, 3.10 Esteem, 3.40 A Little Bit Dusty, 4.15 Main Head, 4.50 Bermuda Boy, 5.20 Knockalongi.

NAP: Monte Cavallo.Next Best: Charlie Wingnut.

]]> 1.4269566 Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:36:40 +0000 http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/holloway_blasts_fa_over_phillips_1_4267796

IAN Holloway has blasted the FA for failing to make Matt Phillips an England player.

The Blackpool winger, who has recovered from a hamstring problem and is fit to play some part against West Ham at Bloomfield Road tonight (8pm), has decided to pledge his international future to Scotland.

But Seasiders boss Holloway says Phillips has done so only because he was being ignored by the country of his birth.

Phillips qualifies to play for Scotland through his grandparents. His parents alerted national team boss Craig Levein, who has selected the 20-year-old for the friendly in Slovenia a week tomorrow.

It comes just four months after Phillips went to South America to represent England at the Under 20 World Cup.

And Holloway is angry his own country has failed to nail down a player he describes as one of the best he has ever worked with.

The Pool boss said: “I have been in the game a long time and seen an awful lot of players, and I think Matt is good enough to be an England international.

“Unfortunately, he hasn’t been noticed – possibly because he isn’t at Arsenal, Chelsea or one of those clubs.

“It is great news if you are Scottish, but not quite such good news if you are English.

“I mean, what more did Matt need to do to get in the Under-21s at least? He wasn’t getting picked and I feel a bit irked.

“My country, I believe, has now lost one of the best players it has ever had.

“He is going to Scotland. I don’t blame Matt at all for that.

FOR MORE ON THIS STORY SEE TUESDAY’S GAZETTE.

OUR fans’ panellists hardly had time to live the FA Cup dream before their hopes were dashed at Goodison Park on Saturday, but they agree that the past week’s other Seasiders result carries far greater significance.

DAVE WHITE

Unfortunately, I won’t look back on my first experience of FA Cup round five with fondness, as two early goals turned what already looked a difficult prospect into a mountain of a challenge. That is to take nothing away from Everton, who were excellent and were in a rich vein of form, having taken care of much better teams than ourselves at Goodison Park recently.

I have no argument with the 11 Ollie put out – as the vast majority of them had got us through the earlier rounds, they deserved their place.

However, our midfield was crying out for the presence of Barry Ferguson, who may well have been better able to prevent Fellaini from having so much time and space on the ball. He and others were being rested for the match tonight, and that is fair enough.

Thankfully, we had a much better outcome at Doncaster last week and our progress up the league continues apace. Both Rovers and ourselves are desperately battling for points, for different reasons, and it made for an interesting game, which the better side won comfortably.

GTF has faced criticism from the internet community recently but he made them eat their words with two excellent goals, not forgetting Eardley’s world-class assist for the first.

It’s a real shame that GTF’s injury at Everton on Saturday looks like ruling him out for a while, just as he was getting back to his best.

The importance of tonight’s game cannot be underestimated – win and we go third, regardless of what happens elsewhere. Exciting times ahead.

Men of match: Taylor-Fletcher (Doncaster), Gilks (Everton)

PHIL CORBETT

A mixed week of results and performances. At Doncaster we were in total control and consolidated our place in the play-off positions by scoring twice early on, with GTF in great form.

Despite conceding and letting them off the hook slightly, the third goal killed the game and sent the travelling support home happy.

Similarly, the two early goals against killed Saturday’s game as a contest, with the emphasis from that point being on damage limitation. On another day, Everton could have had a bagful, but all credit to the team who stuck in there and should have had a more flattering scoreline by scoring the penalty.

I thought the referee was very inconsistent, giving us very little against a robust Everton side who outmuscled as much as outplayed us.

The game gave us a marker of what still needs to be done in terms of aspirations for a higher level, but that’s irrelevant unless we can consolidate on the Doncaster result against West Ham.

I think Ollie’s team selection recognised that fact, with the likes of Crainey, Ferguson and Matt Phillips not featuring on Saturday.

The injury to GTF didn’t look good – a real shame as he has only recently fought his way back into form after a series of injuries. Let’s hope he makes a speedy recovery as he is a vital member of the squad.

Men of match: Taylor-Fletcher (Doncaster), Gilks (Everton)

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FIONA MARTIN

The most important thing about the last week was the three points at Doncaster. Going out of the cup was disappointing but not altogether unexpected.

It was a good performance at Doncaster, against a team better than their league position suggested. The highlight was definitely a wonderful second goal, and whilst we weren’t necessarily always at our best we were good enough to win.

Saturday though, was a little different. Unfortunately we got caught sleeping for the first six minutes and found ourselves two goals down, and from that point Everton didn’t need to get out of second gear.

We weren’t up to our usual standards, though I have seen us play a lot worse – a reminder perhaps of the gap in quality.

If nothing else, Saturday showed the difference Barry Ferguson makes to the side. His contribution was distinctly notable by his absence, although Angel Martinez deserves credit for his performance. It was one that can certainly be counted among the better ones on the day.

We did suffer from the loss of Taylor-Fletcher – and I really do hope that injury is not too long-term.

The lack of movement in attack, and between midfield and attack, became one of our biggest problems.

Quick word too for Bob Harris, who I have seen enough of to know he is a very good and improving footballer. The experience he will have gained from the Everton game will be invaluable to him. For that alone, Holloway was right to start him.

Now is not the time to dwell on being out the cup, however. We have bigger fish to fry, starting tonight.

We still have to play eight of the top 13 teams at home, and that’s a position a lot of other teams would like to be in.

Men of match: Taylor-Fletcher (Doncaster), Gilks (Everton)

MIKE MORRISON

Despite all the rhetoric about FA Cup ‘magic’, when was the last time a lower league team won the FA Cup? It hasn’t happened in recent history, that’s for sure.

Yes, I get it – it’s a chance to pull off a giantkilling in the third or fourth round; a chance to brag to the rest of the country that your team can beat a big name. But it’s still a distraction from what is important – the league.

I don’t care about the cup, and judging by Holloway’s decision to make seven changes at Everton, I think he’d agree with me.

Not that there was anything wrong with the team he played – they’re all good players.

But you don’t ring so many changes without running the risk of too many not being on each other’s wavelength – and that’s what happened.

I can accept defeat graciously but I can’t accept such a woeful performance. The rest of the country now believes a toddler with a stomach full of sugar has a greater concentration span than Blackpool.

On a wet and windy Wednesday away to Barnsley, I could maybe understand – if not excuse – a slow start. But away to a Premier League side in the FA Cup, it was bizarre.

But… it allows us to concentrate on winning promotion.

Men of match: Taylor-Fletcher (Doncaster), Kevin Phillips (Everton)

PETER GILLATT

On his third attempt, Jimmy Weston’s cross was met by Bill ‘Hatchet man’ Bentley, whose powerful header flew past Burnley keeper Payton, whose punch flattened Bill in the process. That goal, the only one in the tie, sent Pool to the fourth round of the FA Cup. It was January 1976 and is still the last time the Seasiders beat a top-flight side in the competition.

As a Koppite, it was also the first Bloomfield Road game I actually saw sitting down after I was given a spare ticket for the back of the West Stand. It was an awful view and I never sat in that stand again.

Jumping forward 36 years, and I’m at the back of the Upper Bullens stand, faced with another dreadful view.

Things didn’t improve on the pitch either as the ball, obscured by girders and pillars, somehow fell to Everton’s Dutch loanee Royston Drenthe who despatched the first goal after 49 seconds without a Pool player in sight. In fact, no-one in a Tangerine shirt got anywhere near him all afternoon.

Five minutes later, Everton doubled their lead, effectively ending the contest. They could have easily scored another five if it hadn’t been for Gilks, and with GTF being stretchered off this proved to be an expensive afternoon all-round.

We badly missed our own ‘hatchet man’ Ferguson on Saturday, and will need him and the rest of the team back to fighting ways if we are to give out a similar hammering to Big Sam’s visiting outfit tonight.

Men of match: Gilks (Everton)

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Lytham Ladies are through to hockey’s Caley Trophy final, though the club’s place in the showpiece was assured even before the semis had been played.

That’s because Lytham were drawn against their own Second team and won 5-3.

The seconds were determined to prove a point, though, and led three times in the first half.

Courtney Spector opened the scoring, set up by Gilly Shields.

Sophia Crawshay looked like doubling the lead but Jane Evans made a superb diving save.

Charlotte Evans equalised for the first team, assisted by Amy Horrocks, only for Crawshay to break clear and restore the seconds’ lead.

First team captain Danielle Bamber equalised from Bronte Edgar’s cross only for Shields to make it 3-2 at half-time with a thunderous strike into the corner.

Natasha Singleton’s skill was rewarded with another equaliser shortly after the restart, despite good defending from Lorna Leach and Abi Eagles.

Eleni Cullen made some superb saves and Nina Sethi worked hard to keep the first team at bay, though they clinched victory in the final ten minutes.

Bamber scored her second from a short corner, then Edgar showed her speed to seal the win. Heidi Williams was player of the match for the seconds.

Lytham will play Garstang in the final on March 31.

n Blackpool Men went down 3-2 to Lymm at Stanley Park as they began a series of crunch games against their North West division three promotion rivals.

Lymm started the stronger in their bid to avenge a defeat this season, with Nick Rainbow forced into several key saves and Pete Latimer making another goal-line clearance.

Blackpool passed poorly in the first half, forcing only one short corner, and trailed 1-0 at the interval.

Lymm continued to look dangerous and doubled their lead before Blackpool’s James Slater fed Dave Morgan – the league’s top scorer – for his 31st of the season.

However, their hopes of a comeback were thwarted when Lymm scored their third from a deflected free-hit.

Ian Swaine netted Blackpool’s second with a reverse sweep after the keeper had parried Kieran Harris’ cross.

However, third-placed Lymm are now three points above Blackpool, who may well need other results to go their way even if they win their final five games.

Blackpool Seconds won their derby with Lytham St Annes Fourths 3-1 to remain second in division seven north . The visitors went two up, through captain Simon Allen and Matt Atherton, despite Doug Green’s staunch defensive work.

Rob Davies pulled one back for Lytham, though Blackpool secured victory with a goal by the skilful Chris Hocking.

Blackpool Thirds lost 5-3 to a disciplined Southport Badgers as Josh Hughes scored his first goal for the club between two Nathan Woodman strikes

Blackpool’s Beavers (under-13s) were impressive in beating their Preston counterparts 6-3. Owen Williams netted four, with Lucas Higginson and Ciaran Johnson also scoring.

n Lytham Men recorded a 2-2 draw at Didsbury Northern, while the seconds consolidated third place in North West division four with a 4-1 home success against Bolton Seconds.

Battling LSA Thirds paid for their mistakes in division six north, losing 3-2 to Prescot Seconds.

Trailing 2-1 at half-time, LSA fell further behind before Mallieux reduced the deficit.

Tom Lees had a goal disallowed, while Lewis Gannon made a promising debut.

n Blackpool Ladies’ losing run continued in the Lancashire Central premier division with a 4 2 home defeat by Clitheroe Seconds.

Blackpool dominated the first half and led 2-0 through their player of the game Kandy Cardwell and Lauren Burrell.

Clitheroe pulled one back shortly before half-time and took their momentum into the second period, adding two quick goals.

Blackpool piled on the pressure but could not break through and Clitheroe sealed victory with a fourth goal.