Ian Evatt issues immediate reaction to Blackpool's defeat to Doncaster Rovers
Blackpool were on the end of a 2-1 defeat away to Doncaster Rovers.
Ian Evatt states it’s crucial for Blackpool to maintain the belief they can remain in League One this season following their 2-1 defeat away to Doncaster Rovers.
Goals from Owen Bailey and Hakeeb Adelakun put Grant McCann’s side in the driving seat, with a late strike from Ashley Fletcher proving to be nothing more than a consolation, as the visitors remained in the bottom four after falling under the line after the midweek round of fixtures.
On the back of Wednesday night’s 4-1 defeat to AFC Wimbledon, and the subsequent addition of Steve Thompson to Ian Evatt’s backroom staff, the Seasiders moved away from a wing-back system, and instead utilised a 4-2-3-1.
This ultimately didn’t bring a change of fortune, as the same issues continued to plague the Fylde Coast outfit - who also lost Fraser Horsfall to a red card in the closing stages.
“We knew what we were coming into, we picked a team we thought could play on this pitch,” Evatt said.
“We knew there wasn’t going to be loads of football on the pitch today, but it’s the same for both teams. We knew it was going to be a set play or a mistake that would decide the game. To concede two set plays is really tough - we’re not giving ourselves a chance. It’s the same theme.
“We changed the system, we went 4-2-3-1. We had to put players on that could run beyond because we knew it was going to be played more pragmatically and more direct. You have to be in it to win it, and we conceded the first goal at a really poor time. It was a really poor goal to concede.
“We got Josh (Bowler) on in the second half, who showed some moments - we hit the post and another shot flashed wide.
“There was another set play and it’s a mountain to climb. Even thought we tried, and we got a goal, we then have a man sent off just as we’re going to get ahead of steam for the last five or six minutes. It’s another tough day.
“I’ve just said to the players - we’ve got to believe that we’ve still got the games to do it. It’ll be a lot more difficult now; it is going to be a lot more challenging, but it’s not over. We have to believe it’s not over.
“We’ve got games at home that we know we can win to get us points. Tuesday (against Port Vale) is now critical to win, nothing else is acceptable.
“There was nothing in the game apart from set plays, but that’s the theme for us. Every game has been pretty tight, apart from the Plymouth game. We’ve been on the end of some really heavy defeats, but the games themselves have never looked like that.
“We’ve formed a nasty habit of losing moments in football matches, and this is a moments league. You’ve got to make sure you defend the moments and take the moments when they come.”
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