City held Blackpool to a 1-1 draw last night at Bloomfield Road, snatching a point from the jaws of defeat.
In a game where the home side had the best of the opening 45 minutes, it took a red card and conceding to spark some life into the Imps, but the last 15 minutes were certainly worth waiting for. Head coach Michael Skubala admitted that we were second best in the first half, but we improved after the break.
“They definitely had the better first half, and they worked us hard,” Michael told BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Rob Makepeace. “They got in behind our backline a lot and were better overall, but we came out well in the second half.”
After a rather dour start to the second period, the game exploded into life. Adam Jackson was sent off for a second bookable offence, and not long after Blackpool scored a goal with more than a hint of offside in the build up.
“I probably agree with the sending-off, though the goal was a yard offside. It should have been a nil-nil game, but I’m really proud of the lads. You can see the drive they’ve got—they never give up. No matter what, we’ll always try to get points.”
On Jacko’s sending-off, Michael admitted he wants us to be aggressive, which probably comes from us being bullied in his first game last November, but confessed it was a bit unnecessary from our vice-captain.
“I want them to be aggressive. He knows it was probably a bit over the top and unnecessary, but these things happen. He’s been brilliant for us. That’s why we need depth, because we have to go after teams. Things like this will happen, and we need players who can step in and cover those positions. I just think it was a really good point on the road against a very fast and aggressive team.”
It was the Tangerines goal that caused some anger – replays have indicated Joseph was offside when receiving the ball in the build-up, and while there’s no complaint about the result, it was tough to see us undone by a goal that shouldn’t have stood.
“For me, he looked at the winger, but the nine got on it, and I think he was a yard offside,” added Michael. “At this level, we don’t have VAR, so they scored. But I think the point is fair—they were better in the first half, and we were better in the second half. We controlled the game without the ball at times, and I’m just proud of the lads for getting a point with 10 men.”
With five minutes of injury time showed, the clock ticked over to 95 minutes before the Imps struck gold, with Tom Bayliss whipping a corner in, and sub Tom Hamer nodding in at the back stick. City have been a constant menace from set pieces all season, and Michael admitted it gave him pleasure to see us successful from a dead ball.
“We work on them a lot. It’s a major part of our game. If we can get up the pitch more, teams will start worrying about what we can do from set pieces. We’re dominant, and if it’s not Paudie or Jacko, it’s Tom Hamer. Credit to the staff—Scotty Fry, our goalkeeping and set-piece coach, puts in so many hours, and the lads put the work in on the training pitch. It’s not just a quick 10-minute thing. We think it’s a big part of League One, and it can help us achieve our goals.”
The game stretched our unbeaten away run to 14 matches, a record that we continue to push. Our last defeat was against the same opposition on New Year’s Day, when Joe Taylor hadn’t yet signed, Jack Moylan couldn’t play and Freddie Draper hadn’t been recalled. Looking back on that game, Michael was quick to offer an opinion on the difference between that side, and this one ten months later.
“We weren’t toothless today—we had threats. Freddy Draper came on and did well again. I think we’re a different team now compared to last year. We respect everyone but fear no one in this league. I think you could see that in the second half today.”
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