Scorers: Cullen (14’)
H.T: 0-0
K.O: 3.00 Saturday 15th September 2018
Attendance: 8,658 (162)
Plymouth manager: Derek Adams
Stadium: Home Park
Changes in the table – Plymouth remain rock bottom and Blackpool stay in 9th
Form: LLL - DWW
Line-Ups:
Plymouth XI: Macey, Riley, Edwards, Canavan (Wootton, Sawyer, O’Keefe (Lameiras), Songo’o, Sarcevic, J Grant, Carey, Ladapo (Taylor)
Subs not used: Letheren, Fox, Wylde, Smith-Brown
Blackpool XI: Howard, Turton, Daniels, Tilt, Bola, Spearing, Thompson, Pritchard (O'Sullivan), Delfouneso, Feeney (McLaughlin), Cullen (Gnanduillet)
Subs not used: Mafoumbi, Heneghan, Nottingham, Sinclair-Smith
Blackpool’s 643 mile round trip to Home Park started off well with a collection of early chances coming their way. In the 6th minute Blackpool should have realistically taken the game by the scruff of the neck as Pritchard delivered a pinpoint cross to Cullen at the back post, but he scuffed his effort wide from close range.
Cullen would almost make amends as he fed Pritchard this time in the 12th minute, but this time it would be Pritchard who hammered straight down the throat of the keeper.
But eventually this progressively increasing pressure would tell as Cullen would find a way through. Delfouneso did well on the left wing to pull back to Pritchard, who’s shot would have probably found the net anyway, but Cullen made sure. Blackpool were one up and it was well deserved too, Cullen had battled hard and claimed his goal.
Pritchard and Cullen were both looking sharp and Thompson would also chip in. In the 22nd minute Pritchard would find the attacking midfielder and his strike looked destined for the bottom corner, only for it to be blocked well.
Plymouth would actually begin to grow into the game and the fans would be awoken as they had 3 successive corners and then, in the 27th minute, a well hit shot by Carey would be beaten away by Howard.
But Blackpool were still a real threat and another chance would come their way in the 28th minute. A looping back post cross would find Cullen, but he could not rise high enough and would head over the bar.
Carey was instrumental in any Plymouth attack and he would come very close to causing an equaliser in the 32nd minute. His cross would be flicked on, into the inside of the post and out. A let off and a warning for the Seasiders who were looking more unsure by the minute. His freekick 2 minutes later would also threaten, but this time Howard would be equal to the moving shot.
Half time and Blackpool would head in at 0-1 having shown real strength, but that didn’t tell the full story.
Blackpool came out looking the better of the two sides once again, as Cullen would shoot from the edge of the area, and see the ball tipped around the post, and they would have a couple of corners in the 52nd minute.
In the 62nd minute Delfouneso would cross to the front post and would once again be denied through some unconvincing defending. However, Plymouth would finish the match the strongest of the two teams.
Carey would link well with Lameiras who would see Howard do well to make sure the cross avoided a dangerous Songo’o. They would press, win corners and have a brilliant effort saved by Howard in the 69th minute but Blackpool would then go up the other end and have a fantastic chance of their own.
On 78 minutes this golden chance would occur and it would fall to O’Sullivan. McLaughlin’s searching cross would find the midfielder but, unmarked, he would unbelievably head wide of the target. 4 minutes later Blackpool would go again, but this time Gnanduillet’s strike would be deflected wide of the goal.
Argyle would see countless shots blocked in the closing minutes and Blackpool were seemingly doing a great job of closing this match out. But it wouldn’t quite be that simple. Blackpool would instead finish the match with 9 men.
Daniels would challenge Bola and the pair would have a bit of a scrap. However, in my opinion, it didn’t particularly merit two straight red cards, the pair we sent off anyway. But nevertheless I didn’t really see it so I will have to accept that the pair got sent off and made for a nail biting finale.
The remaining players would hold strong, but this does somewhat make a mockery of McPhillips’ ‘good lads’ comment this week. It is really disappointing to see that, in a pressurised situation such as this, the Blackpool players couldn’t hold their nerve. 9 games unbeaten but it was overshadowed by a disappointing and dampening finale.
Comments