Mow won’t give up fight
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BLACKBURN’S fading Premier League ambitions were tangoed by the men in orange from along the Lancashire coast.
Already struggling to stay in touch with 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 he refuses to throw in the towel and said: “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 were denied a good penalty shout.
Tangerines boss Neil Critchley said: “That decision beggared belief, but I didn’t expect anything different with this referee.”
It had been a 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 ordered. 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.
And 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 ignored their claims.
Critchley’s 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 scramble.
Mowbray then released Ewood Park cult hero Bradley Dack from the subs’ bench.
Dack thought he had hit a 75th-minute winner with a smart turn and fierce effort, only for the offside flag to go up. And he was involved in a flare-up deep into added time, 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, sending Mowbray ballistic as he made his feelings known to the fourth official.
BLACKBURN: Kaminski 7; Lenihan 7, Van Hecke 7, Wharton 6 (Giles 81); Nyambe 6 (Buckley 62,6), Travis 6, Rothwell 7, Pickering 6; Dolan 6 (Dack 62,6); Gallagher 7 (Hedges 90), BreretonDiaz 6. Subs not used: Pears, Johnson, Hedges, Edun. *Wharton was a concussion sub. BLACKPOOL: Maxwell 6; Connolly 7, Ekpiteta 7, Thorniley 7, Husband 6; Gabriel 7, Dougall 6, Kirk 7 (Anderson 71,6); Hamilton 7(Bowler 61,6), Lavery 7(Keogh 82), Madine 6.
Subs not used: Moore, James, Yates, Robson.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Marvin Ekpiteta: Solid at the back and rescued a point with an opportunist finish.
REFEREE: Matthew Donohue 6.