Blackpool 0 Preston NE 0 - 1 April 2000

Last updated : 13 March 2008 By The Seasider

So High Noon came, and the deadly rivals spent two hours battling it out, but in the end both sides were only shooting blanks. As with the Burnley game, both teams really needed three points, but both were grateful for the one they that got. Blackpool were by no means outplayed by their highly placed opponents, and were certainly worth a share of the spoils. The four "games of death" have produced three points in total, so we are still in with a fighting chance.

Blackpool had two enforced changes from the team which started against Stoke. Newell's hamstring is still preventing him from playing, so Murphy (still not looking entirely fit himself) was alongside Thomas up front. Clarkson has apparently broken his leg in training, and Danny Coid came in on the left side of midfield, taking his opportunity well with an impressive display. Bloomfield Road was tense, not quite full, as the teams kicked off. Blackpool started immediately to put pressure on Preston, with Coid getting around the back on the left but putting his cross too far. This was a pattern to be seen all game - the two forwards were very isolated, and even when a good cross did come over there was rarely a Blackpool player in the right place. The midfield were hanging back, especially Gill, who was playing only just in front of the defence. This was certainly frustrating Preston, but it meant that there was little support when we were attacking.

On the right side Bardsley had a good game, but his crosses always come from deep, and the Preston keeper (Moilanen) has never dropped a cross this season, according to OPTA. He was certainly very strong and confident when he came, although his kicking was rather poor. At the other end Macken and Cartwright were giving a good display of wing play, and several dangerous crosses came in, but the Blackpool defence coped very well and Barnes didn't have to make any saves.

The referee was very poor, although he is on the Premier list and has handled an FA Cup Final. Early on he ignored Blackpool claims for a penalty, when Thomas was bundled over as he went for the ball in the box, after good work by Coid. To be fair, Preston also had a fairly good claim turned down in the second half. In the middle of the first half Rankine came in late on Gill, leaving him rolling in pain, but the referee did nothing. Not long afterwards the inevitable happened, and Gill clobbered Rankine, just outside our box. Fortunately the free kick hit the wall and bounced away.

There were just a couple of chances for Blackpool before the break. Murphy won a header under pressure in the box, and nodded the ball down to Couzens, but his shot flew high over the bar into the Kop. Then Gill tried a snap shot from the edge of the box on the right. The keeper seemed to see it late as it flew across him, but it went just the wrong side of the far post. At the break Blackpool could look back on a half which they had probably won on points.

The second half began much as the first had ended, with neither team able to create much. After a few minutes Couzens went into a tackle awkwardly, twisting his ankle, and soon afterwards he limped off, to be replaced by Bushell. As the hour mark went by, Preston began to get on top, and for about fifteen minutes they enjoyed complete dominance, as Blackpool struggled to get the ball clear. It really looked unlikely that the defence could hold out under this pressure, but this week there were no silly mistakes, and the line was held. Preston had chances inside the box, but they were all blocked, and Barnes came bravely several times for crosses, either catching them or being fouled. Preston's best chance was a fierce shot from just outside the area on the left, and it was going into the top of the goal until Barnes got a hand to it and turned it over the bar.

With just over ten minutes left there was an ugly incident just outside the Preston box, as a defender (Rob Edwards, remember the name) crashed into Richardson elbow first, and left him lying on the turf with a gash in his forehead which needed ten stitches. The referee saw nothing, he said, as did the linesman, and the game was restarted with a throw after Richardson had been helped off, replaced by Wellens. Bushell managed to knock Edwards over once, much to the pleasure of the West Stand, in front of whom all this had been played out.

As the game entered its final moments, Blackpool had their best chance of all. Thomas was chasing a through ball up the middle, along with two defenders, when one of them slipped and fell, leaving him momentarily clean through. He was on the edge of the area and had a chance to shoot, but the ball was on his weaker right foot, so he tried to cut back and get a chance with his left. This gave the other defender an opportunity to put a tackle in, and the chance was gone.

Man of the match was Gill, again. He has a good football brain and the knack of being in the right place. The worrying thing is that he is the only player who has scored for us in the last six games, apart from Hills' penalty against Cardiff. We have shown that we can hold the best teams in the division, but in order to save ourselves we now need to beat several poorer teams, and that requires us to score reliably. It was a good performance today, but yet again we had no shots on target. Sturdy defence and a good attitude will be of no use if we can't score against Scunthorpe, Colchester and Bury.

Team (4-4-2): Barnes, Bardsley, Carlisle, Hughes, Jaszczun, Couzens (Bushell 53), Richardson (Wellens 79), Gill, Coid, Murphy, Thomas

Subs not used: Caig, Nowland, Beesley

John Secker

Steve McMahon's View

I AM disappointed that we just didn't nick one at the end. James Thomas has tried to check onto his favoured left foot, but he should have lashed it with his right and just see what happens.

But having said that a draw is a great result. It's just that in our predicament we could do with three points. It was a magnificent performance.

You can't fault the players for effort and that's what they are all about.They need to be guided at times and take responsibility, which they did on Saturday.

We never looked troubled in the first half. Phil Barnes hasn't had a save to make before half-time. We knew they would put us under pressure in the second half, but you have got to deal with that and we did.

Danny Coid had an excellent game. I couldn't fault anybody.Kevin Richardson has had to have ten stitches. Andy Couzens has damaged a toe. Ian Hughes carried on with a knock, But you expect a game like that to be physical.

It was a good point, but we needed three. I think David Moyes will probably be happy with a point because his team are four points ahead, and one is good enough for them away from home at this stage in the season.Look at the games we have got. We have got three of them at home. We've got Scunthorpe at home, Chesterfield at home and Bristol Rovers at home.

Away we've got Colchester, Bury and Oldham - they are games that we can win. I think this year it will take less points than before because all the top teams are beating the bottom ones.

There isn't much difference between the top and the bottom, it's just that we need confidence and it's a bit late in the season for that. I'd like to think I've made a difference. I am happy with it. I just wish I had been two months earlier, I really do.

The last embers of Blackpool's Second Division hopes were cruelly extinguished three minutes into injury time at Boundary Park on the 29th April 2000. Needing to win to keep in touch with Oxford, who were beating Scunthorpe at half time, they had kept the home side under constant pressure until a goal finally came. Then, reduced to ten men by a ludicrous refereeing decision, they held out against all that Oldham could throw at them until the final fatal moment. Leaving the ground we heard that Oxford had indeed won their game, and it was therefore certain that Blackpool will be consigned to Third Division football next season.