Tony refuses to say promotion dream is well and truly Rover
BLACKBURN’S fading Premier League ambitions were tangoed by the men in orange from along the Lancashire coast.
Already struggling to stay in touch in the scramble for a play-off spot with just two wins in their previous 12 games, Marvin Ekpiteta’s 48th-minute equaliser left Tony Mowbray’s side deflated.
But the Rovers boss refused to throw in the towel, saying “This is a crazy league and we’ve just got to dig in.
“We still have a chance. Today we fell below our normal standards.”
But it was nothing less than an adventurous Blackpool deserved as they played with energy and enterprise.
And they also appeared to be denied a certain penalty.
Pool boss Neil Critchley said: “That decision beggared belief but I didn’t expect anything different with this referee.”
It had been the dream start for the home side and especially keeper Thomas Kaminski.
A brilliant stop and an assist for the opening goal was just what his manager would have demanded.
The big Belgian rescued Scott Wharton after he allowed CJ Hamilton to have a clear run at goal, turning the Blackpool midfielder’s strike around the post.
Three minutes later he launched a booming clearance which saw Sam Gallagher skip into the box and finish expertly to give Mowbray’s side a 10th-minute lead.
Blackpool believed they had been handed a swift opportunity to hit back when Shayne
Lavery appeared to be pulled down in the box.
But referee Matthew Donohue waved away the justified claims, leaving Critchley to rage on the touchline.
That anger turned to joy as early pressure from the start of the second half was rewarded with a scrappy equaliser.
When Rovers failed to clear a Charlie Kirk corner, Ekpiteta pounced after a frantic scramble.
With Blackburn’s promotion ambitions taking a hefty blow Mowbray called up the cavalry, releasing Ewood Park cult hero Bradley Dack from the substitutes’ bench.
Dack thought he had hit a 75th-minute winner with a smart turn and fierce effort, only for the offside flag to cut short his celebrations.
He was then involved in a flare-up, deep into added time, with players having to be separated following a free-kick awarded to Rovers.
Incredibly, after sorting out the mayhem, referee Donohue blew for time as the free-kick headed towards the penalty area.
That sent an already tense Mowbray ballistic and he made his feelings known to the fourth official.
BLACKBURN: Kaminski 7; Lenihan 7, Van Hecke 7, Wharton 6 (Giles 81st); Nyambe 6 (Buckley (62nd) 6), Travis 6, Rothwell 7, Pickering 6; Dolan 6 (Dack (62nd) 6); Gallagher 7 (Hedges 90th), Brereton-Diaz 6
BLACKPOOL: Maxwell 6; Connolly 7, Ekpiteta 7, Thorniley 7, Husband 6; Gabriel 7, Dougall 6, Kirk 7 (Anderson (71st) 6); Hamilton 7(Bowler (61st) 6), Lavery 7 (Keogh 82nd), Madine 6
STAR MAN: Marvin Ekpiteta
REF: M Donohue