Line-ups:
Blackpool recalled Kevin Phillips to the side to try and combat the slightly deeper central midfield pair of Sheffield Wednesday. With Phillips likely to play off the back four, instead of dropping deeper to influence play like Gary Taylor-Fletcher, he was likely to find more space than Taylor-Fletcher. Danny Wilson returned to the back four in place of Ian Evatt, while Alex Baptiste and Stephen Crainey were also rested ahead of the visit of Coventry City on Tuesday night. Keith Southern also made his long awaited return after recovering from a cancerous tumour.
Player Ratings:
Gilks: 8-Made 2 top class saves in the first half, first to deny Lowe's volley before a Peter Schmeichel-esque stop to keep Clinton Morrison out after a mistake by Keith Southern. No chance with the goal, with the only possible complaint being that he failed to push the ball clear, instead only palming it straight to Morrison.
Eardley: 6-Eardley's main attribute is his added quality in delivery into the penalty from wide areas, but when he managed to get forward, his final ball was relatively poor. Sheffield Wednesday never really managed to maintain a spell of pressure, so his defensive frailties were not exposed too dramatically.
Cathcart: 7-At his best with a reliable partner so he can concentrate on his own game, with Wilson still adapting, Cathcart had to remain careful to cover him, something he has done regularly and well alongside Ian Evatt. Another good display, Ryan Lowe rarely found any space to maneuver.
Wilson: 6-Clearly young and lacking in match practice, two clever strikers highlighted his shortage of experience. No doubt a talented player, he will have better days.
Harris: 7-The left back understudy proved once again that he is capable of stepping up to replace Stephen Crainey should disaster strike. If he were to add a bit more quality going forward, he could be a fantastic find by Ian Holloway.
Southern: 8-The way he was playing, had he lasted the ninety minutes he would have swept the Man of the Match awards, and not just sentimentally. As it is, he only scrapes it. His defensive knowledge is superb, with excellent positioning and anticipation. No surprise whatsoever that the struggles in midfield to generate any forward momentum started when Southern was forced to be withdrawn.
Basham: 7-Questions can be asked as to whether or not Basham and Southern can co-exist in the same 3 man midfield. Both similar players, Basham has done enough in recent weeks to hold Southern at bay for the time being. A classic Basham display. Tough tackling, comfortable in possession, not at his best, but still maintaining a high standard.
Ángel: 7-Looking more and more the part with every game he plays. Excellent passing ability, never afraid of a tackle, Ángel plays the David Vaughan role as well as anyone who could have been considered as a replacement. A similar player to Barry Ferguson, it is unlikely the midfield is big enough for both of them, but certainly capable of stepping in for the club captain.
Matt Phillips: 6-After a first half that promised plenty, in which he caused a fairly slow left back in Mark Beevers, Phillips failed to deliver in the second half, remaining fairly anonymous. His final delivery is cause for optimism, delivering dangerous crosses from the right, but due to Billy Clarke's unwillingness to leave the left wing, was unable to rotate across the front three to cause the threat he has in recent weeks.
Clarke: 5-In what is likely to be his last chance to impress, Clarke failed to perform. Hesitant, unwilling to experiment. A bright start faded swiftly, seemingly bereft of confidence after a magnificent save from Bywater denied him his first Blackpool goal in over 2 years. He definitely has the attributes to play at this level, but he shouldn't be getting anywhere near likes of Ince, Taylor-Fletcher and Matt Phillips for a place in the first eleven.
Kevin Phillips: 7-Games where teams put men behind the ball and try and grind out results, Kevin Phillips is going to struggle when he starts. In congested areas, he is unlikely to get the space he needs to create problems, though he showed his ability to generate room when in possession to get his shots away. An unstoppable penalty earned a replay.
Subs:
Taylor-Fletcher: 8-In a game where a substitute was needed to change the game, Taylor-Fletcher was the man on this occasion who brought Pool back into the game. Tireless running, invention in difficult situations, and dropping into interesting spaces, it was a classic GTF run that earned the penalty, around the back of the full back, getting into a dangerous area, Beevers couldn't help himself and brought him down. An excellent display from a man close to returning to his best.
Dicko: 6-Seems to be pure pace, he needs to learn the dirty side of the game. Throwing himself on the floor at one stage was not approved by the Blackpool fans that he was so keen to impress, but his pace will definitely cause problems for teams and gives Pool another option in the run-in.
Ince: N/A-Given 10 minutes at the end of the game, looked like the Ince we have come to expect. Tricky in possession, never giving up on lost causes, but didn't make the impact to take Pool over the line. Was almost lost in the ruck of bodies that populated the final third late in the game.
Opposition:
For a team that is supposedly on such a good run of form and beating all before them in League 1, one could be forgiven for expecting Sheffield Wednesday to play a slightly more expansive style. Gary Megson made his tactics known early on, keeping a solid two banks of four behind the ball, leaving Lowe and Morrison to fend for themselves up front. Stephen Bywater is most likely the best keeper at that level, giving them a solid base to build from, and with four physical defenders, the inclusion of Clarke, a smaller, touch player, was probably the wrong decision. David Prutton rolled back the years to marshal the midfield, winning every second ball and putting in tackle after tackle to stop Blackpool settling.
Next Up:
Coventry City's visit to Bloomfield Road on Tuesday night is an opportunity to gain ground on those above us in the playoff chase. The division's bottom side has lost their main goal threat in Lukas Jutkiewicz who has completed his move to Middlesborough, but the recent home thrashing of the Teesiders shows Coventry are a dangerous prospect if taken lightly. Alex Nimely has arrived on loan to replace the departing Polish striker, while Gary Deegan has caused Blackpool problems in the past, and in Joe Murphy they have a consistent performer between the sticks.
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