Blackpool's winless woes continue, but it's hard to be too critical after slender Sheffield United defeat

Yes it’s another defeat and another game without a win – the run now stretches to eight – but there can be no faulting their effort or endeavour.

Many will say that should be the bare minimum for a professional footballer, but after enduring such a difficult run of results it would be easy for heads to drop – especially against a side as good as Sheffield United.

That was the big difference for me on Thursday night, the gulf in quality. The Blades have players like Oliver Norwood, Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye who wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League. Chances are they’ll be playing in the top flight next season.

It wasn’t particularly pretty, but the Seasiders did pose them questions and come full-time, Paul Heckingbottom’s men looked a little relieved and grateful to be taking the three points home with them to South Yorkshire.

That’s not to say they didn’t deserve the win, they always looked to be the superior side, but they were made to sweat for their victory, their eighth out of their last nine.

The cold, hard facts

At the same time, we can talk all we want about encouraging performances but the numbers don’t lie.

A record of three points out of a possible 24 makes for worrying reading and questions will continue to be asked of Michael Appleton until that changes.

The fans could easily have turned on Pool’s under-fire head coach after Sheffield United’s second goal went in. Had the away side added a third and fourth they might well have done.

It did feel like this was a particularly significant game in that, so far, the fan discontent towards the man in charge has come away from home, most notably at Wigan before the break and Cardiff after it.

To date, the home faithful have stuck with the team and, apart from a very small minority, I’ve yet to hear a “you’re getting sacked in the morning” chant reverberate around Bloomfield Road.

After ignoring the supporters after the past two away games, Appleton did change course on this occasion and go over to the North Stand to applaud at full-time, which appeared to be met by some boos (I was sat smack-bang in the middle of 3,400 Sheffield United fans, so it was hard to tell!).

Things could easily have come to a head in this game, but the fans stuck with their team and helped them rally towards the end after Marvin Ekpiteta pulled a goal back.

It was all a little muted and you never got the sense they truly believed a comeback was on the cards, but the intention was there.

The biggest concern for the club’s hierarchy will have been the large gaps in the sparsely populated South and West stands.

Granted the game was live on Sky and it came at a difficult time between Christmas and New Year, but there’s no doubt crowds are down this season compared to last.

Intention

The fans that were there would have been encouraged by the bright start their side made to the game.

Appleton pledged to be aggressive and take the game to their high-flying opponents and that’s exactly what they did for the opening 10 minutes. But they weren’t able to maintain it.

The Seasiders went man-to-man on the Blades, with Ian Poveda playing in a number 10 role and sticking tightly to the talented Norwood.

It was a brave move and one that meant if the visitors got their one and two-touch passing right, they would be able to play through Blackpool’s midfield fairly easily and routinely. From the 10th minute onwards, that’s what happened.

I felt a bit sorry for Charlie Patino and Sonny Carey in a way because they’re two young, attack-minded midfielders who were left chasing shadows at times. The defensive nous of Kenny Dougall might have made a difference.

As the game wore on, Blackpool went more and more direct. Gary Madine was causing problems with his aerial ability but it was all a bit scrappy.

There was an over-reliance on long balls up to the striker, as well as set-pieces and long throws into the box.

I suppose when you’re down at the wrong end of the table fighting for your lives you have to do whatever you can to survive, but it wasn’t particularly pretty to watch.

It did pay dividends for the goal, mind, as Madine headed a cross back towards goal which Marvin Ekpiteta prodded home on the goalline.

It gave the Seasiders a slimmer of hope but, as I touched on before, you never got the sense an equaliser was about to arrive at any moment.

There were a few half-chances, Carey and Jerry Yates firing wide, for example, but Sheffield United managed to otherwise keep them at arm’s length without too much discomfort.

Hindsight

The biggest regret for Appleton will be how his side defended for Sheffield United’s second goal, because they made it far too easy for James McAtee to sprint from one end of the pitch to the other before slotting past Dan Grimshaw, whose positioning was up for debate again.

Dom Thompson bizarrely opted not to run across and cover, leaving a large space for McAtee to surge into before going one-on-one with the keeper.

It all started after Carey had slipped just outside the Blades box with Blackpool looking to maintain some pressure, but within an instant they were two goals down and seemingly out of the game.

At that point it could have gone either of two ways: heads drop and the visitors dish out a humbling or the players roll up their sleeves and go again. They chose the latter and that has to be applauded, even if the quality wasn’t necessarily on show.