Long-overdue away win, Jerry Yates off the mark and tactical balance: Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's fully deserved three points at Burton

A lot has happened in the last 410 days.
Yates dispatches the winning goal from the penalty spotYates dispatches the winning goal from the penalty spot
Yates dispatches the winning goal from the penalty spot
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Neil Critchley remaining cautious despite Blackpool's much-needed win at Burton ...

I had intended on picking out some of the more noteworthy headlines from the last 13 and a bit months, but given yesterday’s grim announcement about Lockdown 2.0, I thought better of it. The last thing we need is a reminder of what we’ve already endured.

Cast your minds back to September 17, 2019, a cold midweek encounter in South Yorkshire when Armand Gnanduillet came off the bench to head home a 93rd-minute winner to hand Blackpool a 1-0 win at Doncaster Rovers.

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Before Saturday, that was the Seasiders’ last away win, with 21 winless games in all competitions passing in-between.

Granted, it’s a bit of a misleading stat given we’ve not had our usual full complement of fixtures since then because of the global pandemic and the first lockdown, but it’s still a monkey Blackpool will have been wanting to get off their back.

In truth, this win wasn’t really about banishing those away-day blues. It was the importance of a much-needed three points that also gave a timely shot in the arm for Jerry Yates.

The striker’s brace capped off an impressive performance from the 23-year-old, who looked equally as relieved as he was jubilant to record his first goals in tangerine.

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The summer signing has had to wait until his 12th game to get off the mark after a frustrating beginning to his Blackpool career.

In and out of the team in recent weeks, Yates’ effort, endeavour, endless running and quality of pressing has never been in doubt. But if forwards aren’t scoring, we all know they’re not going to be happy.

It was uplifting then to see Yates peel off his marker on 21 minutes, latching onto Sullay Kaikai’s clever through-ball before producing a clever finish past the onrushing Burton keeper Kieran O’Hara. It wasn’t the finish of a player that hasn’t tasted that scoring feeling since February.

Once the ball hit the back of the net, you could see the confidence returning. Even his celebration was a little exuberant given the lack of fans, but we’ll let him off for that one given the significance of his strike.

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The Seasiders had probably been second best up until that point against the side that started the day bottom of the League One table.

But, trialling a 4-4-2 system for the first time this season, Critchley’s men dominated for large swatches from this point onwards and probably ought to have made life more comfortable for themselves.

Just four minutes after breaking the deadlock, Yates was dropping into pockets of space as he looked to link up the play. He turned well before playing in CJ Hamilton who fired wide of the far post.

Eight minutes later, the two combined again. Only this time it was Hamilton who pulled the ball back to Yates, who did well to get the ball out of his feet before seeing his low shot crash back off the foot of the post.

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It looked for the world that Yates’ effort was destined to nestle into the bottom corner of Hara’s net, but alas, the former Rotherham United man was left to wait for his second Blackpool goal.

The visitors, without a whole host of players due to a combination of injury, suspension and even Covid-19 in Ben Woodburn’s case, remained in control at the start of the second-half.

While Burton weren’t exactly threatening, when the scoreline remains 1-0 all you need is a moment of genius, a mistake or a controversial refereeing decision to go against you and you’re staring down the barrel of another empty-handed bus journey home.

It would be harsh to say Burton’s goal came from a Blackpool mistake, as Daniel Gretarsson was incredibly unfortunate to turn Charles Vernam’s cross into his own net midway through the second-half.

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That was the last thing the Iceland international deserved given his otherwise impressive debut, but Burton’s moment of fortune will have left a familiar bitter taste in Blackpool’s mouths.

That’s because, just seconds earlier, the Brewers were awarded a goal kick rather than a corner when Hamilton appeared to play the ball off a Burton man.

A decision of this nature might seem fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things but given Blackpool’s recent woes with match-day officials, you can’t blame them for feeling hard done-by once again.

While Critchley still pointed out the refereeing error in his post-match interview, his remonstrations perhaps weren’t as boisterous as they would have been had the incident cost his team a result.

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That’s because, with 15 minutes remaining, a decision finally went their way when the man in the middle pointed to the spot after Marvin Ekpiteta had been pulled to the ground inside the Burton box.

With his chest puffed now puffed out, there was no doubt Yates would snatch the ball and take the penalty – dispatching it in style by sending O’Hara the wrong way. You know the old cliché about London buses…

That proved to be the decisive moment in the game as Blackpool saw out the remaining time without too much trouble, despite Burton’s increasingly desperate attempts to draw level for a second time.

Critchley believes Blackpool have played better this season and he probably has a point. Plymouth away is the first that springs to mind.

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But this was a good performance from the Seasiders and a fully deserved three points. They looked a lot more balanced and were an attacking threat throughout.

Now let’s just hope we’re not left waiting 13 months for another away win...