CITY CLEAN BOWL-ED BY TANGERINES!
NEIL Critchley paid tribute to his Blackpool side’s camaraderie as they defeated Stoke thanks to Josh Bowler’s late winner.
The travelling Tangerines ended an eight-match run without an away win dating back to October, with Bowler’s 86th-minute strike separating the two sides.
The in-form winger marked his birthday with a sixth goal in eight games, sending the 2,184-strong away support into delirium, boosting Blackpool’s play-off bid.
Tangerines’ boss Critchley said: “We want to make the end of the season interesting for us and we’re not far off. We did it last season; I believe we’ll do it again and stay strong until the end of the season.
“If we can be somewhere near come the last two games, then we might make it an interesting season for ourselves.
“If you said to me at the start of the season that we’d be seven points outside the playoffs at this point, we’d have taken that.
“There’s a real togetherness right through the club at the moment, it’s a really positive place to be and long may that continue.”
Blackpool started in the ascendancy with CJ Hamilton threatening to create an early opener.
After miscommunication in the Potters’ defence, the lively winger pounced and strolled into the box, but his pass to the far post just alluded the arriving Gary Madine.
However, it was the hosts who should have taken an undeserved lead inside 17 minutes, but Nick
Powell failed to convert Josh Tymon’s enticing cross from point-blank range.
The Potters were then indebted to keeper Jack Bonham, who denied Madine, before thwarting Bowler.
After Bonham again denied Madine, it was Stoke who then went closest to breaking the deadlock.
Josh Maja’s tame effort from outside the box nearly trickled past Daniel Grimshaw, but his blushes were saved by the foot of a post. Marko Vrancic then stung the palms of Grimshaw with a powerful 30-yarder.
Substitute Tyrese Campbell skewed a first-time strike wide, but it was the visitors who found the breakthrough against the run of play.
Bowler combined well with sub Jerry Yates before converting his sixth goal in eight games.
Meanwhile, Stoke stretched their winless run to six games in all competitions, as their play-off ambitions were dealt a severe blow.
Frustrated Stoke manager Michael O’Neill said: “We didn’t play well, we were poor. We were outrun, outfought and we didn’t do the basics well. Overall, we can have no complaints and again we conceded a late goal, which is a pattern that’s repeating itself far too often. What we’ve come back with in points is nowhere near good enough. We’ve been poor at home; we were good at home for the first 12 games this season, but we’ve deteriorated.
“We may feel we have superior players, but that wasn’t displayed on the pitch today.
“We have different expectations but we’re a long way from where our expectations are as a club.”