Blackpool 0 Foxes 0
Match Report by Graham Tracey
Our automatic promotion bandwagon suffered another derailment by the seaside on Saturday as for the fourth game in a row, we failed to beat inferior opposition. And whilst we did at least stop the rot of back to back league defeats, this was no consolation for the two points spurned when Chris Wood’s second-half spot kick cannoned up and over the crossbar.
The match was played on probably the worst surface that the current generation of players will ever experience. A combination of dry mud and sand had left in an arguably worse state than park pitches at this time of year, and Schmeichel had dug out some tracky bottoms for the occasion.
Ben Marshall could hardly get the ball off the ground with a couple of early corners, such was the condition of the corner flag area, and maybe Pearson had factored this in when leaving Knockaert on the bench and starting with the newly arrived Spurs loanee Harry Kane, whose height and strength for a teenager marked a good debut on the left side of a front three, and allowed us to play more long balls than usual.
We were clearly the better side throughout, but could not make much meaningful progress in the first half. With intricate passing difficult on the surface, it was surprising that we didn’t try our luck from distance, until a spectacular body-arching volley from Kane brought a leaping stop from Gilkes, in what proved a faultless display from both keepers.
Blackpool really looked a one-man team, completely reliant on hoping manager’s son Tom Ince could dribble through the entire opposition, and apart from a handful of 20 yarders than Schmeichel was alert to they did not look threatening.
It certainly looked like one goal would win the game, and the opportunity arose early in the second half when Kane was needlessly pushed over in the area when running away from goal.
I had no doubt that when he walked forward to the spot in preference to other proven penalty takers, Wood would continue his hot streak, but he opted for too much power and the kick was a few inches too high. Whether he feared his feet giving way and decided to blast it I don’t know, but the Kiwi fell further from hero to zero for a day when he put Dyer’s cross-shot wide when it looked easier to score. I am sure he had a miserable journey home reflecting on the fickle finger of footballing fate.
Despite ringing the changes to allow Blackpool fans having plenty of opportunity to boo players of their rivals (Nugent being ex-PNE and Vardy ex-Fleetwood), we could not carve out any more clear cut openings, and the most influential figure in the closing stages was Wes Morgan, winning everything in the air and on the ground and marauding forward whenever possible.
Pearson seemed philosophical in his post-match comments, perhaps resigned to the curse of being manager of month, but with Watford streaking away from us, keeping some sort of momentum for the rest of the season rather than just doing enough to comfortably make the play-offs may be his main challenge.
Foxes: Schmeichel 8, De Laet 7, Konchesky 6, Morgan 8, Keane 5, Marshall 5 (Knockaert 6), King 6, Drinkwater 5, Nugent 6 (Dyer 6), Wood 4, Kane 7 (Vardy 5).
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation