'Blackpool must stop shooting themselves in the foot...and fast': Matt Scrafton's verdict on the Seasiders' error-strewn defeat to Lincoln City

Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of Blackpool’s unforgettable 2-1 win against Liverpool at Anfield.
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The year 2010 will forever remain in Blackpool folklore - with it being the year the Seasiders clinched their breathtaking promotion to the Premier League, thrashed Wigan Athletic 4-0 on the opening day of the season before going on to beat the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle, West Brom, Wolves and so on in the top flight.

The year 2020, by the way of comparison, has been a miserable affair for the Seasiders. Of the 16 league games they’ve played, the Seasiders have won just four, losing 10. When you factor in the crippling impact of Covid-19, the club and its supporters, who aren’t even allowed to watch their team anymore, have endured a pretty grim time of it.

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It wasn’t meant to be like this. Blackpool approached the season with plenty of optimism and rightfully so. It was fully justified, and perhaps it still is.

But with three defeats from their opening four games, things really aren’t going to plan.

And yet, in many ways, they are. Blackpool have a defined style of play which is pleasing on the eye. Gillingham aside, Neil Critchley’s men have created countless opportunities for themselves in every outing.

The crisp passing, clever movement and interplay between a young and hungry set of players is highly encouraging to see. It’s clear they’re being coached to a very high level.

The Seasiders have now lost three of their opening four games of the seasonThe Seasiders have now lost three of their opening four games of the season
The Seasiders have now lost three of their opening four games of the season
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And yet, in football, there’s some things you can’t coach. You can’t do much about individual errors, which have arguably accounted for five of the six league goals Blackpool have conceded so far this season.

You can do all the drills in training and work on shape and approach as much as you like, but it’s all pretty meaningless when a defender lunges into a needless challenge and scythes down an opponent to give away a penalty. Not once, but twice.

For up until the 24th minute on Saturday, Blackpool looked to be in control of things. The Seasiders had survived a wobbly opening few minutes, thankfully managing not to concede early on this time, to assert their dominance on proceedings.

Jerry Yates was frightfully unlucky not to open his league account for Blackpool when he slammed a first-time effort against the foot of the post.

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Not that it mattered too much, because just five minutes later Pool broke the deadlock with a move right off the training ground.

Critchley had clearly done his homework on a Lincoln side that like to build their play from the back. This was music to the ears of the Seasiders.

An attempted pass out from Lincoln’s six-yard box went astray, falling straight to the feet of CJ Hamilton who combined well with Yates before drilling the ball beyond Alex Palmer and into the far corner of the net for his third strike of the season already.

And yet, all of their good work was undone just seven minutes later when Demetri Mitchell lunged into a needless challenge on Brennan Johnson, who had given him a torrid time of it all afternoon.

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Jorge Grant stuck the resulting spot kick away despite Chris Maxwell’s best efforts, Pool’s number one almost getting a hand to it after diving the right way.

Blackpool, to their credit, remained undeterred despite their frustrating setback. They continued in the same vein and created some good chances.

They were largely in control, but Lincoln remained a threat on the counter and played some good stuff of their own, which made for an entertaining spectacle and one much easier on the eye than Gillingham last week.

The second half, however, was a bit of a nightmare from Blackpool’s point of view. Despite starting fairly brightly, with Hamilton going close to restoring their lead, they soon tired and the Imps saw their opportunity to pounce.

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Pool opted to change things from the bench but the subs didn’t have the required effect. In fact, the decision to replace Yates with Oliver Sarkic, rather than Gary Madine, and Keshi Anderson with MJ Williams, a defensive midfielder, will have left a lot of Pool fans scratching their heads.

Michael Appleton’s side continuously peppered the Blackpool goal but to no great success. Not until late on anyway, when the game lost all shape and meaning.

But the final seven minutes of madness actually began with the Seasiders re-taking the lead, very much against the run of play.

Mitchell, who had been pushed further up the pitch following the arrival of debutant Luke Garbutt off the bench, was in the right place at the right time to steer home from close range after the visitors had failed to clear their lines from a corner.

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This was the moment to sit on the lead and see out the remainder of the match to claim a vital three points, but perhaps that’s where Blackpool’s glaringly-obvious lack of experience was missing.

Barely 60 seconds had passed before James Husband was dispossessed of the ball on the edge of Pool’s area before hauling Johnson to the ground inside the 18-yard box. Penalty, red card and the game turns on its head.

It is ironic then that the decisive moment in the game actually came from one of Blackpool’s most experienced players that had, up until that point, performed superbly at centre back in place of Michael Nottingham, who was dropped from the squad altogether following his error-strewn display at Gillingham last week.

With so little time left, it was hoped the 10 men of Blackpool would still be able to hold on and at least claim a point. But those hopes were dashed two minutes from time when defender Lewis Montsma was allowed the time and space to juggle the ball in Pool’s six-yard box before poking past Maxwell. An impressive fifth goal in just eight games for the centre back.

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To squander the lead twice on home turf and lose is inexplicable. In many ways, this defeat was more frustrating than Gillingham last week because the victory was right there in their hands.

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where it’s going wrong at the moment because, by and large, the Seasiders are playing some good football. But at one end of the pitch they’re not clinical enough and at the other they’re producing costly mistakes on a weekly basis.

This is no time to panic, there are still plenty of positive signs. But the Seasiders must stop shooting themselves in the foot and fast.