Deadly Yates is double trouble in derby victory
BLACKPOOL hitman Jerry Yates blew away Preston with a brilliant brace and an assist as they won a breathtaking Lancashire derby.
The in-form striker was deadly in front of goal as he notched up an incredible THIRD double in just four games – and just for good measure set up winger CJ Hamilton to seal an emphatic win.
Seasiders top-scorer Yates headed the hosts in front on the half-hour mark only for midfielder Ben Whiteman to level from the penalty spot eight minutes later when defender Marvin Ekpiteta needlessly felled striker Emil Riis in the box.
Arsenal loan midfielder Charlie Patino fired the hosts back in front with a left-foot firecracker into the bottom corner in the 68th minute and Yates bagged his second goal of the afternoon with nine minutes left from a Patino cross, again scoring with a header which effectively secured full points.
But the Lilywhites wouldn’t lie down and striker Ched Evans saw his shot deflect off defender Callum Connolly for an unfortunate own goal that set up a grandstand finish.
The Seasiders threw bodies forward at the death, including keeper Chris Maxwell for a last-ditch corner, but the hosts cleared their lines and Hamilton fired the ball into an empty net.
“I feel fantastic,” said Blackpool boss Michael Appleton. “It’s been a tough few weeks, that was a great win.
“I couldn’t have cherrypicked a better game to win, the atmosphere was incredible.
“We’ve shown we’re capable of scoring goals and the players showed a lot of character.
“These are the games why we all do it. I said to the players, ‘Milk it for all it’s worth’. Why not? Enjoy it!”
Defeat for Preston means that they have now not beaten the Seasiders away for 14 years.
“I’m disappointed like the fans, I share their disappointment,” said deflated North End boss Ryan Lowe, who lost defender Andrew Hughes on the eve of the game through injury and fellow defender Greg Cunningham only managed 64 minutes having been struck with a sickness bug.
“It’s not ideal but we’re not making excuses. At the end of the day we’ve lost a game of football against our local rivals.
“It’s going to hurt and we’ve got to take our medicine,” added Lowe.
“Did we deserve to lose a game of football? Probably not. They’ve scored the goals and we need to put it right.
“I’m not going home and having a glass of wine, I’m going to be watching the game and see where we can improve. We’ve got to make sure we put it right.”
BLACKPOOL: Maxwell 6; Connolly 6, Ekpiteta 6, Thorniley 6 (Williams (81) 6), Husband 7 (Thompson (86) 5); Patino 7, Bridcutt 4 (Carey (30) 6), Dougall 7; Hamilton 8, Madine 7, Yates 9
PRESTON: Woodman 5; Storey 5 (Brown (83) 5), Lindsay 5, Cunningham 5 (Diaby (64) 4); Potts 6, Whiteman 6, Ledson 6 (Brady (76) 6), Fernandez 6; McCann 6 (Evans (83) 5), Woodburn 6 (Maguire (76) 6), Riis 7
STAR MAN: Jerry Yates – Bagged a brilliant brace and provided an assist in this fine derby win.
REF: Chris Kavanagh 7