'It's a clear penalty:' Blackpool boss discusses the incident that forced Jordan Rhodes off against Charlton Athletic- and the impact of it

Jordan Rhodes was forced off at the break in Blackpool’s 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic at Bloomfield Road.
Jordan Rhodes was forced at half time of the draw with Charlton AthleticJordan Rhodes was forced at half time of the draw with Charlton Athletic
Jordan Rhodes was forced at half time of the draw with Charlton Athletic

The striker was involved in a collision while competing for a cross during the first half, and was down for a number of minutes. After play resumed, the 33-year-old missed a golden opportunity, scuffing a shot with the goal at his mercy after a blocked clearance from the keeper. The deadlock was finally broken by Karamoko Dembele, before a Marvin Ekpiteta own goal pulled the visitors level.

After the match, Seasiders boss Neil Critchley explained the decision to take Rhodes off.

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"He was uncomfortable at half time holding his ribs,” he said.

“He took a whack in the first half. If you look at it, it’s a clear penalty. He gets rugby tackled to the ground from a cross as he’s about to head the ball. The player doesn’t look at the ball and just drags him down. He was in a little bit of pain so we felt it was the right thing not to put him at any more risk.

"He wanted stay on but I didn’t want him to go out there and make it worse, so I tried to protect him. When you’ve got some a able deputy like Shayne Lavery it makes that decision a little bit easier.”

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Critchley also discussed how the recent schedule could’ve taken its toll on goalscorer Dembele.

“Kaddy is fine,” he stated.

"With the amount of games he’s played, it can start to catch up with a little bit so we will think about the game on Tuesday and what we’ve got coming up.”