Accrington Stanley (p) 1-1 Blackpool: Seasiders held to draw for second straight group game in EFL Trophy

Blackpool drew in the EFL Trophy for the second consecutive game following a scrappy encounter against Accrington Stanley.
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Accrington Stanley v Blackpool as it happened

Blackpool drew in the EFL Trophy for the second consecutive game following a scrappy encounter against Accrington Stanley.

Neil Critchley’s side looked to be heading for all three points to take them to the top of their group following Keshi Anderson’s clever opener after just 10 minutes.

Jordan Gabriel impressed on his Blackpool debutJordan Gabriel impressed on his Blackpool debut
Jordan Gabriel impressed on his Blackpool debut
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But Accrington fought back, bagging an equaliser through Colby Bishop 11 minutes from time in what was a fair result in an untidy encounter.

Stanley then picked up a bonus point, winning the penalty shootout 4-3 after Grant Ward and Dan Kemp had missed from 12 yards.

It leaves Blackpool on three points from two games, needing to beat Leeds United’s Under-23s in their final group game.

Blackpool made six changes to the side that lost 3-2 to Lincoln City on Saturday.

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Chris Maxwell, James Husband, Grant Ward, Keshi Anderson and Bez Lubala were the five to keep their places.

But there was no room for the likes of Alex Fojticek, Marvin Ekpiteta, Teddy Howe, Michael Nottingham or, perhaps most surprisingly, Gary Madine in the 18-man squad.

Jordan Gabriel and Luke Garbutt were handed their first starts, but new signings Dan Ballard and Daniel Gretarsson weren’t involved. Matty Virtue and Sullay Kaikai remain sidelined with injuries.

The Seasiders played a noticeably high line when Accrington were awarded an early free-kick in a dangerous area of the pitch.

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It paid off though, with Ross Sykes being flagged offside as he headed just wide from Joe Maguire’s delivery.

Blackpool responded with a good chance of their own, Bez Lubala curling straight at keeper Toby Savin after Garbutt had pressed well to win the ball high up the pitch.

Lubala showed a sublime piece of skill to take a high ball down with the ultimate finesse by the touchline, only to be crowded out just as he was readying himself to shoot.

Blackpool were rewarded for their good start after 10 minutes when Keshi Anderson gave them a deserved early lead.

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It came after Critchley’s men had won the ball back after pressing Accrington in the left-back position, Anderson eventually curling home into the top corner with a cooly-taken shot after Dan Kemp and Oliver Sarkic had got in the way of each other.

After a brief lull, the home side began to gain more of a foothold although Blackpool stood firm, limiting Stanley to very little in the way of clear-cut chances.

Tom Allan lashed a powerful effort at goal after cutting inside from the right flank, only for his effort to be well blocked by the head of Jordan Thorniley.

With five minutes until the break, Blackpool broke forward in numbers looking for a second goal to make life more comfortable for themselves.

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Sarkic had options either side of him but he opted to shoot instead, driving a powerful effort towards goal from 22 yards out which Savin did well to hold onto.

Blackpool were forced into a change at the break, as Sarkic was replaced by Jerry Yates having taken a heavy knock at the end of the first-half.

The hosts, who made a tactical reshuffle at the break, reverting to a back four, ought to have drawn level six minutes into the second period.

Colby Bishop nodded a long free-kick into the path of defender Ross Sykes, who failed to hit the target from six yards out.

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The first 15 minutes of the second-half were a stop-start affair, with neither side able to gain a foothold with the referee awarding a number of soft fouls.

Blackpool were reliant on a vital touch from James Husband on the hour-mark to deny Stanley a leveller, the defender getting the faintest of touches to his header with Bishop left unmarked behind him.

As the heavens opened and the rain began to slash down, the encounter became more of a battle with both sides having to dig in.

Accrington threatened again with 20 minutes to go as Charles lashed one wide under pressure from Gabriel after picking up Husband’s partially-cleared header.

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Demetri Mitchell was introduced into the fray on 72 minutes, replacing Garbutt who got much vital minutes under his belt on his first start since March.

Mitchell made a bright start, making one of his customary driving runs into the opposition box after Blackpool had worked the ball well from right to left, before seeing his eventual shot well blocked.

Just seconds later, Accrington drew themselves level with a really soft goal from Blackpool’s point of view.

Pritchard was given too much time and space to deliver a dangerous cross into the middle where Bishop got across his marker to pick out the far corner with a well-taken header.

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Critchley reacted immediately, bringing on Ethan Robson for Lubala and pushing Anderson higher up the pitch.

Blackpool’s decision-making in the final third continued to disappoint, Mitchell crossing straight into the grateful arms of Savin after getting himself into another good area down the left.

With penalties fastly approaching, the game became very stretched in the three minutes of stoppage time as both sides looked for a late winner.

But neither side were able to find the decisive strike, Accrington picking up an extra point beating Pool 4-3 on spot kicks.

TEAMS

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Accrington: Savin, Burgess, Sykes, Sama (Pritchard), Butcher, Allan (Uwakwe), Maguire (Mohammed), Barclay, Bishop, Scully, Charles

Subs not used: Isherwood, Martin, Bolton, Fenlon

Blackpool: Maxwell, Gabriel, Thorniley, Husband, Garbutt (Mitchell), Williams, Ward, Anderson, Kemp, Lubala (Robson), Sarkic (Yates)

Subs not used: Sims, Turton, Antwi, Hamilton

Referee: Ben Speedie