Gary Taylor-Fletcher column: Blackpool showed great character to claim three points at Doncaster Rovers

It was a big win for Blackpool on Tuesday night, especially going to Doncaster which is a tough place to go.
Blackpool claimed three points in midweekBlackpool claimed three points in midweek
Blackpool claimed three points in midweek

They’ve got a new manager there in Darren Moore who has started well and has got them settled.

So to keep a clean sheet and to get a good three points is a really good result.

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One big thing in football is that you never like to lose two games in a row, and when it does happen, you do start to worry.

You start to think: is this going to be a lull? But in the next game you’ve always got to make sure you respond, even if you get a draw.

The clean sheet is the big thing for Blackpool but for them to go right until the end to get a last-minute winner is massive.

I wasn’t at the game on Saturday against MK Dons but I have seen the highlights and there were obviously a few errors.

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Things like that happen in football but the way they responded and fought back to get the three points on Tuesday shows how far this squad can go when it’s clear there’s a real backing for each other and the manager.

Curtis Tilt made a costly error on Saturday but he’ll have been the first to hold his hand up.

You only have to look at the games where he’s dug in and thrown his body on his line to see examples of where he’s probably saved Blackpool points when they might not have deserved to.

I remember one game in particular quite early on when I thought he was absolutely superb and he got man of the match; he was unbelievable, he was running back and getting in the way of shots.

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Yes he’s made a mistake but it’s all about how you respond and he’s got that character to respond with a performance like he did on Tuesday night.

I have to admit I was a little bit surprised to see Armand Gnanduillet and Sullay Kaikai dropped on Tuesday.

But Simon Grayson has got a big squad and it’s there for him to use.

He might have seen something in training that made him think he would go with something a little bit different, while knowing those two could always come on later and provide ammunition if needed.

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Everyone has got to realise Grayson knows what it takes to get out of this league and you can’t just rely on the same 11 players week in, week out.

Some weeks, players might need a rest or you might need to use a different tactic or system, so he’s got it spot on again.

The main thing for Blackpool after suffering back-to-back defeats was to get a clean sheet.

I’m sure Grayson would have stressed to his players before the game that, no matter what, we must stop them from scoring.

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Even if that means Blackpool didn’t score themselves, it was really important to stop conceding goals and bring back that solid defensive line. That gives you something to build from and that’s what they’ve done.

Accrington Stanley are the opponents this weekend; another former club of mine.

They should probably be doing a little bit better with what they’ve got but it’s going to be a good game and another one where Blackpool can target three points and look to go and attack them.

But Accrington do have firepower to hit teams on the break, so it should be a good battle between Grayson and John Coleman.

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Accy are going to be trying to stay up but I’m sure they will have set their sights on mid-table. With the players they’ve got and Coleman involved, that’s what they should be aiming for.

One of the main things for Accy is to get settled and to get established in this league and then try and build from there.

They won’t want to be in a relegation fight but they’ve got to start taking more of their chances and keeping clean sheets as well.