nPower Championship: Blackpool FC

With the season closing quickly, both of the teams here want to accrue as many points as possible, as both Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday look for the safety of mid-table mediocrity. With Blackpool looking for their fifth unbeaten match in a row, Wednesday would have to contend with the difficult Bloomfield Road aswel as a resilient opposition.



The match gets underway and in seconds the visitors almost take the lead, a Steve Howard cross is met by a Jermaine Johnson 12-yard volley that keeper Matt Gilks is equal to. 2mins later and a cross from Stuart Holden is blocked by Alex Baptiste and the inswinging Miguel Llera corner is easily dealt with by Nathan Delfouneso before David Prutton's shot at goal is blocked by former Glasgow Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot. Not even 5mins on the clock and Wednesday are on the attack again, J.Johnson forcing Gilks into a fine save and earning the Owls another corner. Llera's inswinger is again cleared by Delfouneso. Another former Rangers player, Barry Ferguson is on hand just a few seconds later to deal with Holden's ball into the box. On the 6th minute, Blackpool give up possession weakly and Giles Coke capitalises - letting fly with a 25 yard strike that Gilks tips around the post brilliantly. Tom Ince is on hand to clear the resulting Holden corner as the Owls lack the finishing touch. As the Tangerines look to get into the game, a 9th minute Matt Phillips cross is cleared by Holden before Chris Basham's shot is charged down by Coke. On the 11th minute the former Bolton midfielder concedes a needless free-kick against Jeremy Hélan deep in the Wednesday half. The 15th minute sees Coke fouled by Ferguson but when Blackpool break soon after, Phillips rasps his long range effort which is high and wide. The Tangerines are working hard in closing the visitors down and look to counter at every opportunity. Much sought after and looking lively - Tom Ince is next to shoot at goal, his 18th minute left footed shot flies wide. Ludovic Sylvestre challenges loanee Danny Pugh unfairly and concedes a 20th minute free-kick before J.Johnson whips a dangerous cross that Broadfoot does well to clear. As the home side look to finally settle into this encounter, Stephen Cranie has a cross cleared by Hélan before Sylvestre fires an effort that Kirkland does well to save. When Holden wastes a 25th minute Owls corner, Blackpool move up field and Ince has an effort that creeps wide of the goal. Just a minute later and the influential winger finds himself through one-on-one but Chris Kirkland saves well to keep it level with Prutton clearing the resulting corner. With Blackpool now in the ascendancy, Wednesday counter and force a corner of their own, only for Gilks to claim Holden's 31st minute set-piece. Sylvestre is the next to fire at goal but sees his effort miss the target and when Wednesday look to build an attack, the Seasiders' midfield stands firm. A 35th minute yellow card for J.Johnson comes moments before Buxton, Pugh and Coke pepper the home box with crosses only for each to be defended well. When Holden whips in a 40th minute cross, the home defenders come out on top again before Howard has a shot blocked from a good position. When Broadfoot fouls J.Johnson in the closing minutes, the yellow-carded Jamaican reacts badly and fouls Gary MacKenzie - with the MK Dons leaned getting revenge on the simmering winger with a foul moments later. Before any handbags (or cards!) are produced the referee blows for the end of the half.

HT. The game started brightly for the Owls but they've failed to capitalise on their chances whereas a solid Blackpool back like is laying the foundations to build from the back. As the half went on the Tangerines had the better of the chances but also failed to better their opposing defence. A hot chocolate arrives just as the second half gets underway.


The home side get the second half rolling and they're quickly onto the offensive - Ince's cross being cut out by Llera. The resulting corner ends with a Broadfoot shot which causes no alarm and only a couple of minutes later Phillips is frustrated with his shot ricocheting off Llera to safety. 2 minutes after J.Johnson is fouled by Broadfoot, Crainey fouls the danger man in an attempt to shackle the midfield maestro. On the 53rd minute MacKenzie sees yellow for a foul on Prutton but Holden's shot from the set-piece comes to nothing. After a wasted Ince corner and a wayward Basham shot, the break in play allows Kieran Lee to replace Holden in the Wednesday midfield. The targeted Owls fan-favourite, J.Johnson upends Broadfoot and then Sylvestre inbetween being fouled himself (by Basham) prompting Dave Jones to replace him before he sees a red card with Chris Maguire his replacement. A 68th minute yellow card for Basham is shown when he fouls Coke in the midfield and just a few minutes later Blackpool replace Phillips with Gary Taylor-Fletcher. On the 75th minute a pull back by Lee after good work down the right results in a shot by Maguire - only for the former Derby man to scuff his contact and Gilks can save with ease. When Baptiste wastes a chance at the other end from deep inside the box, Basham is replaced by Elliot Grandin - the former Marseille winger. A high boot by Taylor-Fletcher in the 79th minute causes Anthony Gardner and the offender come together as the dangerous play by the Blackpool man could have been much worse and both players come away with a yellow card. A sliding tackle by Coke on the edge of his own box results in a dangerous free-kick but Ince's tame cross is cleared by Maguire. The 83rd minute sees Blackpool again come close to opening the scoring - Baptiste blasts a shot just wide. Buoyed by the space they now find deeper in the Wednesday half, the Seasiders force another shot on goal - this time Grandin firing a free-kick straight at Kirkland. In the 87th minute, MacKenzie cuts out a Lee cross and sets the home side onto an attack only for Gardner to clear Grandin's hopeful cross. Former 'Barcelona B' player Sylvestre has a shot which again goes wide as the home side look to turn their pressure into goals before Lee fouls Ince. That stoppage allows Matt Derbyshire to enter the play when he replaces Delfouneso - the Aston Villa loanee. Cranie wastes the free-kick though and Wednesday's resiliency pays off. Now the Owls' turn for pressure and a good save by Gilks from a Maguire shot results in a corner which Llera takes short and looks to keep in the corner - looking to settle for a point. The full time whistle follows a yellow card for Maguire for his foul on Ince and both sides share the points.

FT. Another point gained for both teams in their battle to beat the drop - a mission looking more successful as the weeks pass but with the compact bottom half of the table, all 3 points would have been desirable for both clubs. Credit where it's due for the travelling Wednesday fans as the home fans were tweeting their praise throughout the match.

Attendance: 13,845
Owls Man of the Match: Steve Howard (as DJ said in his post match interviews: "Stevie was superb, he ran himself into the ground on a pitch like that and deserves all the credit - he won all his headers and ran his socks off")