Blackpool boss calls for response to first defeat

The Seasiders looked on course to start the season with three victories in eight days after Brad Potts gave them a 23rd-minute lead at the Globe Arena.

However, Jack Dunn’s penalty in first-half added time restored parity before Michael Rose fired the winner with 14 minutes remaining.

A home win looked a highly unlikely outcome after a first half dominated by Gary Bowyer’s Pool.

Potts was twice denied by Shrimps keeper Barry Roche, who also kept out a Kyle Vassell header, while Tom Aldred and Kelvin Mellor were both off-target when well positioned at corners.

Bowyer said: “I think you’ve got to look at the performance.

“For 45 minutes the performance was impressive, building on what we’ve done so far in the first two games.

“It’s important we recover and get ready for another challenge (away to Barnet tomorrow).

“The manner of the two goals is the major disappointment for us.

“We got caught on the counter from our corner. That’s massively disappointing. We had fantastic support here and I’m disappointed we couldn’t send them away happy.

“I think we started the game very well, showed some real threat going forward and looked quite solid at the back.”

With Pool well in command, the turning point came in first-half added time.

Former Pool attackerTom Barkhuizen twisted and turned on the edge of the area before going down under pressure from Jim McAlister.

Referee Geoff Eltringham awarded a penalty, which Dunn converted to give Morecambe something to build on in the second half.

Understandably, Pool’s players were unhappy about that decision – one of a few which raised eyebrows among both sets of players, management teams and supporters.

Pool had to replace Andy Taylor at the break, with the left-back one foul away from a red card.

Having been cautioned for his first challenge of the game – a lunging attempt to dispossess Barkhuizen – another ill-timed tackle with the break approaching led to a final warning for the ex-Walsall man.

“It was just the timing of the decision,” Bowyer said about the penalty award.

“I haven’t looked at it properly but Jim said that if there was contact it was minimal.

“In my opinion, there were one or two strange decisions in terms of yellow cards but there you go.”