On a night when the Imps probably didn’t deserve a share of the spoils, Blackpool were felled by a Hamer blow.
After 75 minutes of huffing and puffing, the Imps finally turned up on a cold and blustery evening to perform a smash and grab on a Tangerines outfit that not only thought they’d secured all three points, but wholly deserved them as well.
There’s something very special about a last-minute leveller and the way it shifts your perspective of the game. For 50% of the game, we were second best, and while the second half improved, it took two big decisions from the officials to turn the game in the favour of the site that deserved it (Blackpool).
Then, from out of nowhere, we exploded into life, and as I put my head on my pillow late last night, I was buzzing as if we’d actually won the game. Imagine if we’d scored early, led for 88 minutes and then been sucker punched, a draw would feel like two points lost. Instead, we’ve gained a point, kept our away unbeaten run going and we feel good about it.
Perspective.
From Erik Ring’s perspective, he might feel hard done by, as the fourth-choice wing-back, a regular midfielder, was called back into the squad. That’s maybe unfair on Jeffries, but Duffy started the season there; Ring is something of a marquee signing, Reeco is our regular left wing-back and yet this interloper from midfield has staked a valid and reasonable claim on the spot. That points to our depth, as does recalled Bailey Cadamarteri to the side ahead of the injured Ben House. Other than that, is was as you were from the weekend, with Jack Moylan starting ahead of Tom Bayliss and JJ McKiernan again.
There’s something of the Anthony Scully about Moylan. Pre-season, nobody could quite figure out where he would play. Was he an attacking midfielder? A striker? Who knows. As with Scully, the answer is ‘anywhere you can fit him in’ at the minute, and he did show some early intent on the ball.
Early intent was just about all we had in a really one-sided first half. We started brightly, with Darikwa sending a cross to the far post for Dom Jefferies in the opening minute, but his effort was deflected behind for a corner, which led to nothing. It had me thinking we were going to be fine, but then the home side, backed by a superbly vocal support, shifted a gear
We saw the first of the goalkeeper George Wickens not long after, when a Lee Evans pullback set up Albie Morgan for a shot from outside the area, which Wickens pushed wide. It looked like a super save and everyone seemed to be waxing lyrical about it, but there was much more to come from the stopper.
A Jack Moylan corner in the 22nd minute found Paudie O’Connor in the box, but he pushed the shot wide. It was a reminder how much of a threat we are from set pieces, something that has really crept up on us. Last year at this time, all the talk was how bad we were at defending set pieces, but now, we’re probably the best in the league at converting them. I do feel if we’d scored, we could have turned the crowd a little, but it was only a brief glimpse of what might happen, because after that and through to half time, we barely got a kick. Hayden Coulson was a real threat and he drew another save from Wickens before going off injured.
We also debated one of the best saves of the game. Kyle Joseph seemed to have an inventive effort at goal, which one of the Stacey West team believes was unintentional. I thought the former Swansea man meant it, flicking through his legs and making Wickens change direction at the last minute to push the ball away. A further save, bravely diving into a melee of feet before Tendayi hacked away, only served to underline his importance.
This was a coming-of-age game for Wickens. Until now, he’s just been ‘the new keeper’. I remember it from last season – ‘I’m not sure about this new keeper’ Dad would say, until the moment he made a string of saves to keep us in a game (I think it was West Ham). On the way home that day, Dad said something like ‘that keeper is a good lad’. I didn’t watch last night’s game with Dad, but I have no doubt Wickens has gone from being ‘that new keeper’ to ‘our keeper’. Welcome to the party, George, I can see we’re going to have a blast.
In something of a breathless first half, we might have been lucky to keep eleven men on the field. Conor McGrandles was booked for a wild lunge early on, a decision that was absolutely fair, and referee Lee Smith then had to have a long word with him before half time for a bump from behind on a player. It was all a bit too close for comfort, but I did sense a degree of leniency in the ref – he didn’t book Joseph for kicking the ball away in the first period, and I thought he generally got most things right. Firm, fair and tried to let the game flow.
In truth, we were second best for most of the first half. Ethan Erhahon was looking his usual self, but outside of that, we struggled to find a rhythm, and at times, it felt like we were on the ropes, just waiting for that killer goal. Before this, it’s worth remembering we’d only conceded a single goal in four league outings, that being the sensational Poku strike at Peterborough, so we’re not usually a team that looks like we’re going to concede. I thought Blackpool attacked with purpose, Coulson, Evans and Hamilton all looking dangerous and energetic. I was asked if we were just making them look good, but I don’t think so. Right now Steve Bruce’s Blackpool are a lot better than Neil Critchley’s side were.
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