'Up there' - Blackpool boss shares where Peterborough United win ranks in his tenure
Blackpool secured a crucial 3-1 victory over Peterborough United.
Ian Evatt states Blackpool’s 3-1 victory over Peterborough United was up there with the best performances from his time in charge of the club so far - but admits others still top it.
Dale Taylor was on hand with a brace for the Seasiders, while Tom Bloxham was also on the scoresheet.
Brandon Khela claimed what proved to be a consolation for the visitors in the first half, as the Fylde Coast outfit saw out the game with 10-men, after losing Fraser Horsfall to a red card on the hour mark, as they kept themselves four points above the League One relegation zone.
Since his appointment as Blackpool head coach, there’s been some tough times for Evatt, alongside several standout performances of what his team can do when they click with the right players available.
When asked if it was the best performance of his time in charge, he responded: “No, sometimes you can have short memories in football. When we beat Cardiff here, that was exceptional, when we beat Rotherham home and away, that was exceptional.
“We’ve had good performances and good spells - I think that’s up there. Out of possession we looked really good. The way we pressed the ball was intense, we had good energy. That was the plan really, to get as many legs on the pitch as we could.
“I’ve got a pretty good record against Peterborough in my managerial career. It's a risk and reward, sometimes they’re going to break through you, but you can pinch and steal it because it’s their DNA. I love the way they play and I love Luke (Williams) as a coach.
“When I first came into this club, when I was trying to get the players to buy into high press and how much energy that takes - I said ‘you’re pressing to score, not just to regain it.’
“Today, we had that real intent of pressing to score and it pleased me a lot.
“Just as I’m about to enjoy the second half and thinking we could probably score more with the way we were playing, we have a tendency to make a critical error at a crucial time and make it unenjoyable for everybody.
“Look, the most important thing was getting the win and the performance was positive - if you can perform like that it gives you a great chance of winning football matches. I’m really pleased with what I saw.
“We all spoke about the home games we needed to win, but it’s one thing saying it, and it’s another thing doing it. So far, we’ve managed to do it, but we’re not out of danger yet.
“Everyone else seems to be picking up points as well, but what we’ve done is keep more people in this fight. We’ll keep fighting and keep going, and if we play like that we’ll be fine.”
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