Ian Evatt shares reaction to Blackpool sub success in crucial win over Port Vale
Blackpool overcame Port Vale with a 3-2 win at Bloomfield Road for a vital three points.
Blackpool’s substitutes were able to have a big impact to help Ian Evatt’s side on their way to a 3-2 victory over Port Vale on Tuesday night.
The Seasiders headed into the fixture knowing they needed maximum points following their latest slump down the League One table, but didn’t make life easy for themselves.
Vale led twice at Bloomfield Road through Dajaune Brown and Rhys Walters, with equalisers coming from Niall Ennis and Ashley Fletcher, before a volley from substitute James Husband deflected in off Reuell Walters for the winner.
In just their third victory since the turn of the year, Blackpool will be hoping to use the result as a platform to lift themselves out of the third tier’s bottom four heading into their final eight games.
Alongside Husband, Tom Bloxham was also able to influence proceedings off the bench, with the forward providing an assist for Fletcher just moments after being introduced.
Prior to that, the withdrawal of Ennis was greeted with some discontent due to his goal scoring nature, with head coach Evatt admitting his own bench questioned the timing of the call.
“To give the fans some insight - I understand Niall had scored, but he has a knee issue and it’s ongoing, so we have to manage his load,” he explained.
“Blocko is a brilliant impact sub, he’s been great for me since I’ve come in because we needed him to be there for us, and he has been.
“When Niall got tired and fatigued, his knee was really stiff in training, so it was time to unleash Blocko, and he delivered with his first touch. All of the subs that came on really impacted the game.
“I’d literally just spoken to the staff about the substitutions I wanted to make, and even they were saying: ‘I’m not sure, it may be a bit early in the game. Niall’s not long scored.’
“I knew he was tired, I’d seen him in training yesterday, and I know Blocko (Tom Bloxham) is a really good impact sub. With his first touch, he rolls the defender, squares it to Fletch (Ashley Fletcher) and we score.
“It was like ‘come on lads, what are you saying now - I told you it was the right time to make the subs.’”
Blackpool boss shares group mentality after rare win
After falling behind in games this season, the Seasiders have failed to pick themselves up and respond appropriately on several occasions.
Despite Port Vale’s opener after just one minute, Evatt admits something felt different about his side, and was confident in their ability to put right past wrongs.
“We had to pick them up again, but I could sense the determination in the group,” he added.
“I can’t tell you what this feeling is, I can’t describe what it is, but you just get a sense of it. I just sensed before the game that they were on it, and I sensed it at half time again.
“I thought we started the second half so well, got the goal, and were massively on top. They showed determination and courage - all of the buzz words we’ve spoken about that have been missing for large parts of this season.
“We just need that more consistently. It’s everyone’s frustration that we’ve seen it sporadically and in spells, but we’ve not seen it consistently enough. Tonight when we needed it, we delivered.
“They delivered and I’m just proud of them, I’m proud of this football club, and I’m proud of the fans - who despite what we’ve been through, they were there for us when we needed them the most, and we need eight more games of that. This is what makes me love this football club.”
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