Source: Northern_Echo
Blackpool City 2 Middlesbrough 0
Blackpool 2 Middlesbrough 0[LNB] AFTER embarking on a six-game unbeaten run, trust Middlesbrough to choose Pancake Day to fall flat.[LNB] The Teessiders produced their most disjointed display for a number of weeks as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat against a Blackpool side forced to play for more than 30 minutes with ten men.[LNB] And when they were eventually handed a lifeline with six minutes left, Scott Mc- Donald tossed it away by placing a weak penalty too close to goalkeeper Matthew Gilks. It is only to be hoped he has given up shots like that for Lent.[LNB] The final scoreline might not have been as comprehensive as the Seasiders' threegoal triumph on Teesside in November, but it was still sufficient to temper much of the optimism that had accompanied Middlesbrough's first three matches since the closure of the transfer window.[LNB] Improvements have undoubtedly been made since Strachan was able to mould a squad in his own image, but Boro remain a work in progress, and progress remains patchy.[LNB] Brett Ormerod's first-half strike condemned them to their first defeat for a month, and having been comprehensively outplayed before the break, Strachan's side were unable to make the most of the numerical advantage they gained following the 61stminute dismissal of defender Rob Edwards.[LNB] They were the better side from that point onwards, but DJ Campbell's stoppage-time strike increased the damage that was inflicted in a first half that saw Blackpool's passing and movement cause a succession of problems to Boro's back four.[LNB] Ormerod would have fired the hosts ahead as early as the second minute had Gary O'Neil not made up a five-yard deficit to produce an excellent last-ditch tackle, and with Charlie Adam and Keith Southern repeatedly looking to slide through balls into space behind the back four, the chances kept on coming.[LNB] Adam wasted the next of them, firing a dipping halfvolley narrowly wide of the target, and the Scotsman, who almost became a Middlesbrough player on deadline day, was the prominent playmaker, just as he had been at the Riverside three months earlier.[LNB] His floated pass sent Ormerod clear in the 24th minute, only for the striker to shoot into the side netting, and the pair combined again as Blackpool finally claimed a deserved lead on the halfhour mark.[LNB] Adam was involved in a lengthy passing move that finished with a scrambled ball to release Ormerod into the inside- left channel beyond Justin Hoyte.[LNB] Strachan once described the striker as the worst dressed player in football[LNB] after managing him at Southampton, but on this occasion, Ormerod produced a perfectly-tailored finish to slip the ball beyond the advancing Danny Coyne.[LNB] The goal was no more than Blackpool deserved given the extent of their first-half superiority and things would have been even worse for Boro at the break had Coyne not saved from both Ormerod and Edwards late in the first half.[LNB] The Teessiders spent the vast majority of the opening 45 minutes on the back foot, but a sporadic counter-attacking threat was evident, even if it regularly faltered at the feet of the recalled Jeremie Aliadiere.[LNB] Willo Flood played the Frenchman into a promising position early on, only for him to spurn the opportunity to shoot in order to turn back into defender Ian Evatt, and when he did eventually pull the trigger seven minutes before the break, he was thwarted by a routine low save from Gilks.[LNB] McDonald was more threatening, firing a long-range halfvolley narrowly wide of the post after baffling three opposition midfielders with a body swerve, but with Flood and Jonathan Franks offering little or no width from the flanks, much of Middlesbrough's attacking was easy to predict.[LNB] Nevertheless, the game might still have changed markedly had referee Mark Haywood not favoured Blackpool when he made the first of two big second-half decisions two minutes after the break.[LNB] O'Neil's through ball sent Aliadiere galloping clear, but the Boro striker went tumbling after he was checked by Adam.[LNB] The Blackpool midfielder appeared to be attempting to stop his run, but having blown his whistle, Haywood surely had no choice but to dismiss Adam for a professional foul.[LNB] Instead, he produced a yellow card, a decision that denied Middlesbrough what would have been a significant advantage.[LNB] They eventually got that advantage, but had to wait another 14 minutes for Blackpool to eventually be reduced to ten men.[LNB] This time it was McDonald breaking clear and centre-half Edwards hauling him down with a challenge that could only be described as a rugby tackle. Even Haywood was incapable of getting that wrong.[LNB] Buoyed by their man advantage, Boro pressed throughout the closing halfhour, with Strachan throwing on Lee Miller to form a threepronged attack.[LNB] Aliadiere headed tamely at Gilks after his pace had taken him clear once again, and while Haywood waved away McDonald's penalty claims following a challenge from Evatt, he pointed to the spot when the same defender felled Barry Robson with six minutes left.[LNB] McDonald stepped up to take the penalty, but Gilks saved his weak side-footed effort by diving to his right.[LNB] Blackpool's second simply made matters worse, with a swift counter-attack ending in substitute Stephen Dobbie squaring for Campbell to tap home from close range.[LNB] Matchfacts Goals: Ormerod (30, 1-0), Campbell (90, 2-0) Bookings: Grounds (32, foul), Adam (47, foul), Southern (51, foul) Sending-off: Edwards (61, professional foul) Referee: Mark Haywood (Wakefield) 3 Attendance: 7,936 Entertainment: [LNB] BLACKPOOL (4-5-1): Gilks 6; Baptiste 6, Edwards 5, Evatt 7, Crainey 6; Campbell 6, Southern 6, Vaughan 6 (Bouazza 81), ADAM 8, Taylor-Fletcher 6 (Butler 63, 5); Ormerod 7 (Dobbie 82). Subs (not used): Rachubka (gk), Martin, Euell, Husband.[LNB] MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Coyne 5; Hoyte 5, Wheater 6, McManus 6, Grounds 5 (Miller 66, 5); Flood 5, O'Neil 6, ROBSON 7, Franks 5 (Arca 46, 5); McDonald 5, Aliadiere 4. Subs (not used): Steele (gk), Naughton, Bennett, Lita, L Williams.[LNB] MAN OF THE MATCH CHARLIE Adam underlined why Blackpool were so desperate to keep him when Middlesbrough came calling in January.[LNB]
