Blackpool 4-0 Notts County: Five things we learned

Blackpool FC writer Matt Scrafton takes a look at the key talking points from the Seasiders' thumping 4-0 win against Notts County at the weekend.
Jamille Matt in action against the Magpies.Jamille Matt in action against the Magpies.
Jamille Matt in action against the Magpies.

It had been coming

For the majority of the season Blackpool have been playing well and creating plenty of chances, but until now have been unable to convert that into convincing wins. A thrashing like this had been on the cards, and truth be told it could and probably should have been a lot worse for Notts. The Seasiders had a mammoth 20 shots on goal, and a large number of those were clear goalscoring opportunities. Pool have reached double digits for shots on goal for the majority of their games this season, even on the road, and it was about time those chances were put away.

Jamille Matt deserves credit

I'm sure you've all seen his miss by now, and boy was it bad. In fact it was a shocker. Having rounded the 'keeper and with an open goal in front of him, he somehow managed to side foot his shot wide of goal. It didn't miss by a few yards either. But the striker didn't dwell on the miss and over the 90 minutes, he was one of Blackpool's best performers. He provided the perfect foil for the impressive Kyle Vassell and his hold-up play allowed Pool to spend the majority of the game camped in County's half. Matt also capped off a fine performance with a goal in the second half, his first for the club in the league since joining in the summer.

Vassell's performance close to perfection

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There's no such thing as a perfect performance on a football field, but Vassell got very close to it on Saturday. Even when you ignore his two goals and two assists, the in-form striker was by far and away the best player on the pitch. The way he links the play between the midfield and attack is priceless for his team; the manner in which he shrugs off defenders much taller than him is almost implausible and his calmness in front of goal is now reaping benefits. He now has 10 goals in all competitions and is fifth in the league's scoring charts. Grimsby's Omar Bogle and Barnet's John Akinde aside, I can't think of another striker in the league who is on a better run of form than the 24-year-old.

Bowyer seems to have settled on best team

Due to injuries, suspensions and inconsistent form Gary Bowyer has been forced to swap and change players in and out of his side for much of this season. Finally it now looks like he has a settled side. The back four and goalkeeper picks itself, as does three-quarters of the midfield. The only question mark was over the form of Colin Daniel, but since coming back into the side the former Mansfield man has been excellent. Meanwhile Jack Payne, Danny Pugh and Brad Potts are all certs for starting berths. Vassell is an obvious starter as well in attack, but his form seems to have perked since the beginning of his strong partnership with Jamille Matt. I'd expect the Seasiders to remain unchanged for Leyton Orient next weekend.

Now it's time to back it up

Despite the win and Pool's rise up the table to 9th, and just one point off the play-offs, there is still plenty to work on. Blackpool are yet to win back-to-back games which puts added pressure on Saturday's trip to Leyton Orient. Not only that, Blackpool have struggled on the road this season, winning only once against Yeovil back at the start of September. Performances have been largely positive, but it's now time to transfer that home form to the Seasiders' away fixtures and a game against 19th place Orient offers a valuable chance to do exactly that.