Why Blackpool's battling draw with Coventry City is another example of how far Neil Critchley's side have come

Mired by off-the-field strife, both sides dropped down to League Two at one point as fan turmoil threatened to boil over.

But they were both able to fight their way back, gaining promotion from the fourth tier within a year of each other before doing exactly the same from League One to the Championship.

The Sky Blues are a year ahead of the Seasiders, having finished in 16th place in the Championship last season with a tally of 55 points while Neil Critchley’s side stormed to promotion from League One

This season, Coventry have built on those solid foundations and look more than capable of launching a genuine tilt at the play-offs.

They’re only four points off the top six – so are Blackpool, for that matter – but have games in hand.

You’d have to say Mark Robins’ side are arguably better equipped than Blackpool to battle it out for promotion this season, but the fact I’m even typing out these words shows just how quickly the Seasiders have travelled in such a short space of time.

Blackpool will tread their own path, they don’t necessarily need a blueprint to follow. But if they’re level on points with Coventry now, just think where they could be this time next year…

Critchley believes Coventry are the best side Blackpool have faced this season and you can see why.

They caused the Seasiders problems right from kick-off, literally. Inside the opening 20 seconds they were in Blackpool’s box and within the first minute they had already managed to create three half-decent openings.

Gustavo Hamer, who seemed hell-bent on smashing one in from 25 yards every time he got the ball, came close with two long-range efforts inside the first four minutes. The first deflected off teammate Viktor Gyokeres and dropped just wide, while the second dipped just over Dan Grimshaw’s crossbar.

Blackpool were at sixes and sevens and unable to cope with Coventry’s movement and variation in play.

The dangerous Callum O’Hare had the ball in the back of the net for the hosts but thankfully he was flagged offside.

The visitors – cheered on by 814 hardy souls who made the 280-mile round trip from the Fylde coast – just needed to calm things down and disrupt Coventry’s flow.

They managed to do that thanks to a couple of stoppages, while they took an extra second or two over the odd throw to take the sting out of the game – and it worked.

Blackpool began to force themselves higher up the pitch and when they did attack, they looked dangerous.

That was particularly the case on the counter, which was the route utilised for the game’s opening goal.

Gary Madine was the man to tap home for his second in as many games and his fourth in his last seven, but the goal owed a great deal to Owen Dale, who latched onto a clever ball from Josh Bowler before beating the bamboozled defender for fun with stepovers to put the ball on a plate for the striker at the back post.

You could say Blackpool’s goal came against the run of play, but they had already managed to stem the tide at that point and you could sense the home supporters were beginning to get frustrated.

That only heightened when the Sky Blues had penalty appeals turned away by top flight referee Andre Marriner after a long-range shot hit the arm of the returning Marvin Ekpiteta, who knew absolutely nothing about it.

Coventry then had the ball in the back of the net for a second time when it was Gyokeres’ turn to be flagged offside after drilling home from close range.

But Gyokeres, who scored Coventry’s winner in the return fixture, wasn’t to be denied though and he brought his side level shortly before the break.

While there was no denying the home side deserved their leveller, the manner of it will have been hugely frustrating for Pool.

A poor Kenny Dougall corner, one of several “atrocious” deliveries of the midfielder’s own admission, was easily claimed by goalkeeper Simon Moore (the brother of Blackpool’s Stuart).

He immediately launched the ball long to Gyokeres, who capitalised on Dujon Sterling’s untimely slip to get in behind and curl past Grimshaw.

Half-time came at a good time for Blackpool, as Coventry wasted two good chances on the stroke of the interval to immediately take the lead.

The second-half was a different affair though. It wasn’t quite as pulsating or as intense – the first-half was like a basketball game at times – but the Seasiders edged it and looked the more likely to be the winner if there was going to be one.

Bowler, who had been marked incredibly tightly by full-back Ian Maatsen up to that point, started to become increasingly influential as Blackpool enjoyed a lot more territory in the Coventry half.

While Madine had a powerful drive spilled by Moore, Blackpool’s best chance of the half ironically came from substitute Jordan Thorniley, who saw a header tipped over just two minutes after replacing the injured Keogh.

Coventry, who took Premier League side Southampton to extra-time in the FA Cup at the weekend, looked like they were tiring at one point. But they somehow managed to stir during stoppage-time when they forced some pressure with a couple of corners.

But Blackpool, who are proving incredibly difficult to beat at the minute, held on for an excellent point to maintain their unbeaten start to 2022 in the league.

​Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here