After half time, two things happened that really annoyed me. Firstly, Bradley got caught by Ennis, a cheeky elbow by the looks of things. Bradley went down, we actually won the ball for a break and Madley stopped play. Fair enough, but Ian Evatt went bat crazy with Bradley, and the two were exchanging words. I don’t understand why Evatt was angry. Ennis has caught Bradley, maybe not maliciously, but it’s a head injury, and we won the ball anyway.
Then Moylan went down as a result of the sandwich between him, Fletcher and Bloxham in the first half. It didn’t seem like anything triggered it, and he came off, worryingly. Dom Jefferies came on and was outstanding; it is a testament to our depth. It’s taken Jefferies a few weeks, but over the last two matches he’s bagged two assists and a goal. Not a bad return at all.
We didn’t create anything until 60 minutes, and they had their best spell. Wickens won’t get mentioned, when does a keeper get a shout out in a 4-0 win, but he’s made the only two saves he was asked to make, and the one from Fletcher’s header in the second half was brave, diving into a crowd of players. It was the only real chance they created of any serious note in the second half, which again underlines how well we played.
That’s when Madley took centre stage. I’m not pretending he was all for us, by the way. On at least two occasions, he gave us a goal kick when it was a blatant corner, once in the first half and a mad one in the second. House clearly touches the ball out of play, in front of the assistant, and everyone could see it, literally everyone, except the officials. Evatt was furious and of course, everyone laughed at him, but he had every right to be.
Madley then denied us a penalty. Stonewall? In real time, yes. To the letter of the law, yes. Was Hamer looking for it? Yes. I’m not sure what the rules are, but if a two-handed shove in the back is always a penalty, then it’s a penalty. If that shove from the woeful Brown isn’t forceful enough to knock a grown man off his feet, but he goes down anyway, is it still a penalty? If someone shoves me like that in a bar, I don’t go down; I turn around. In the penalty area? It’s not for me to answer, but I have seen us get away with similar on one occasion this season.
I know what is definitely a foul, holding out a hand to control a pass, and Ashley Fletcher did that, without a shadow of a doubt. It’s right in front of the assistant, right in front of Evatt too, and Blackpool break by him controlling the ball with his hand, Henry v Ireland style. How they missed it I don’t know, and it could have been critical. Fletcher found Ennis and he shot wide but, even in that moment of anger and confusion, watch Adam Reach. There is no confusion from him, he prevented Ennis getting a shot away, even as he has turned in the area. The handball will be remembered, but watching back, Reach has pulled Madley out of a hole with his exceptional defending.
Not long after, the Blackpool beach ball burst and drifted away in the cold late winter drizzle. Our goals all had something good about them. The first was all Rob Street (again, olé olé). He put Horsfall (£8,000 per week centre half, I’m told) under pressure and played what I’m sure is described as a short backpass, but that would be like using the word short in the sentence ‘I’m £999,999 short of a million quid’. Street put the pressure on, grafting with 12 minutes to go like he was grafting with five played, and when he got the chance, he took it. I was impressed with how he stayed on his feet, because Peacock-Farrell made contact with him, and if he goes down, it’s a penalty and a red. Such is his professionalism, he stays on his feet and scores – a penalty can be missed, just like a game in hand can be lost, but a ball in the onion bag, as my friend Mr Ashton says, is worth a goal and no mistake.
Evatt said his side collapsed after that, but let’s be honest, they weren’t exactly Barcelona before, were they? In minutes 45 to 75, just before our goal, they had four shots, one on target, and got an xG of 0.47. 0.32 of that was Ennis after Fletcher handled, and 0.11 of that was Fletcher’s header which Wickens saved, which was tame anyway. They had more possession, but they didn’t threaten, not really. Same period, we had a good chance, McGrandles diving header after Street flicked on Hamer’s long throw.
After? Joe Briley used to run a website called All Lincoln, and that would describe us in the final 15 minutes. We just won the game, with two really good goals created down the attacking left. Dom Jefferies has to be credited hugely for both, but the third he started and finished. What I really like about this is Street’s lay off. Completely unselfish, and maybe at 2-0 Street could have been forgiven for having a go himself, trying to create something. Contrast that with our 3-0 win against Blackpool back in the season Kennedy was sacked. We got a penalty, Walker and Bishop wanted it. Walker was the big name striker, just signed, needing a goal, and Bishop already had a goal to his name. He took it, Walker walked away dejected and maybe the first signs of discontent were seen.
None of that here, while it’s not exactly the same, I do think it is notable. All for one, and one for Oné at the end.
Jefferies is again the man, breaking on the left like a proper winger. He’s got labelled as a utility man, but he’s a proper danger breaking out wide, as he showed against Mansfield. Jefferies makes good decisions, and he did again. Oné is a super talent, a player who will play Championship football next season no matter what, and his finish from a tight angle showed his class. No wonder Ipswich, Liverpool and Brighton have all been watching, and it was a great chance for the vocal Imps support to get another rendition of his song out.
Was 4-0 fair? 3-0 maybe, but with a referee giving consistent decisions, it would have been different. Blackpool would have had more corners, for sure; we’d probably have had a penalty, and they might not have come out for the second half with ten men.
Still, on a day when Cardiff made a big statement against Doncaster, hoping to steal away in the title hunt, and Bolton made a big statement against Exeter, hoping to catch us in second, we passed our test. I said of the next five games, this was hugely winnable, as is Exeter away. Take six from those, and we can afford dropped points at Cardiff and Huddersfield, and see what Stockport brings. We’ll keep looking at fixtures, making predictions, suggesting outcomes, but nothing will change this week. We’ll still be second come Saturday, Cardiff will still be top and Bolton will still be ten points behind us with a game more on the board.
However, as fans, we’ll have promoted ourselves ten times, been caught five times and been crowned champions twice in debates, discussions and projected outcomes.
I know one thing for sure – I’ll have watched the highlights of our biggest-ever win against Blackpool back a few times more.
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