Take the L and move on: Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's narrow defeat at the hands of Stoke City

I realise that’s a pithy non-statement to begin this piece with, but it’s hard to get too riled up about this defeat.

Blackpool weren’t poor and neither were they especially great. The same can be said of Stoke City.

Had the game finished 0-0, as it probably ought to have done, I’m sure both sides would have gone home fairly happy with their night’s work.

Neil Critchley clearly won’t be adopting this attitude, and rightly so, but after three wins on the spin and seven victories in 10, the Seasiders could afford to let one drop.

The fact that Pool fans are disappointed not to climb back into the play-offs, sitting in 10th, a point off the top six instead, is a very encouraging sign.

What is annoying, however, is the nature of how Blackpool lost this tight, yet fascinating encounter.

The man who scored Stoke’s matchwinner 11 minutes from time, in what was a fairly fortuitous fashion, clearly shouldn’t have still been on the pitch.

That’s because Steven Fletcher was bizarrely only yellow carded in first-half stoppage time after blatantly kicking out at Jordan Gabriel by the touchline.

It wasn’t a ferocious, overly-aggressive kick, but that’s not the point. If you kick an opponent and make no attempt to take the ball, which is exactly what happened here, then it ought to be a relatively straight-forward decision for the official.

It was a thuggish end to what had been a thuggish opening period from the Potters, who picked up five bookings in the first 45 minutes.

Michael O’Neill’s side had no answer to Blackpool’s lightning-quick counters other than resorting to somewhat desperate, rudimentary tactics of swiping down opposition players whenever they surged past them and into dangerous territory.

As Critchley pointed out post-match, Stoke will probably see it as clever ‘game management’. But in his book, it’s just blatant fouling.

‘Tactical fouling’ to stop breaks is nothing new. When it’s your side doing it, you don’t mind it. If it stops a goal, then picking up a yellow will almost certainly be worth it.

But Fletcher’s kick out was something differently entirely. It's not like it was even stopping a Blackpool attack, as the ball was heading off the pitch and Gabriel was facing away from him.

The fact it was the experienced Scot who went on to strike the decisive blow inevitably sticks in the claw.

That, however, doesn’t excuse Blackpool’s lapse in concentration for the goal, as they allowed man mountain Harry Souttar to break free at the back post to volley against the post.

The ball immediately rebounded off the unmarked Fletcher, who knew very little about it, and into the back of the Blackpool net.

Other than that, the visitors didn’t cause Critchley’s side a great deal of problems. The same can also be said of the Seasiders, it was just one of those tetchy, scrappy affairs with little goalmouth action at either end.

Of course, it could have been oh so different had the hosts taken one of their early opportunities.

Sonny Carey, making his first home league start in place of Gary Madine, had a close-range shot blocked before skewing wide, while Jerry Yates also failed to hit the target after being sent through on goal by a clever Keshi Anderson ball.

The Seasiders were brimming with confidence in the first-half, clearly buoyed by their exceptional run of form.

They played some real controlled and measured stuff, remaining patient against a Stoke side that enjoyed the lion’s share of possession but were fairly easy to pick off on the counter.

The start of the second period was different though. The Potters responded well and had Blackpool camped in their own half for a good 15 to 20 minutes.

That’s where the home fans, led by the boisterous North Stand, really came into their own.

Recognising their team were under the cosh, they ramped up the noise levels a notch or two, which is some going because it’s not like the atmosphere was exactly quiet beforehand.

It seemed to have paid off, too, because the men in tangerine appeared to have seen off the threat and began to come back into the game themselves.

That’s the moment in the game where I would have liked to have seen Josh Bowler come off the bench, rather than the 80-minute mark.

With four players on bookings - the fifth had been replaced at the interval - Stoke would have had a real problem on their hands with a rapid and tricky Bowler running at them for half an hour or so.

The game was on a real knife point at this stage, it could easily have gone either way. That’s why it will be so frustrating for Critchley that his side lost to such a soft, easily avoidable goal.

But that’s the Championship for you, if you switch off for a mere second you get punished. Blackpool should know this by now.

Unfortunately the game ended in a fairly unsavoury manner, with missiles launched onto the pitch once again.

The supporters being taunted by one or two Stoke players didn’t exactly help, but that’s still no excuse.

The club have repeatedly warned against this type of behaviour, stressing how sanctions as robust as partial stand closures could be considered if it’s not nipped in the bud. Fines seem inevitable.

The fact this type of behaviour continues to occur despite the club’s repeated appeals is the real disappointment from Wednesday night, not a fairly innocuous defeat.

Ending on the football, which is what we’re here to talk about, the Seasiders probably played worse at Bramall Lane on Saturday but won. Yet nothing was said about the performance levels.

On this occasion, Pool weren't exactly sparkling but neither were their opponents. Had the halves been reversed, with Pool ending the game strongly after a sluggish start, fans probably would have been a lot more encouraged.

It’s a funny and often fickle old game.

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