Match Stats

Blackpool

3-0

Wrexham

Line Ups

Blackpool

Wrexham

13

James Pullen

01

Marius Røvde

02

Gary Parkinson

26

Jim Whitle

03

Tommy Jaszczun

03

Shaun Holmes

06

Brian Reid

06

Dennis Lawrence

07

Richie Wellens

31

Shaun Pejic

09

John Murphy 89'

14

Robin Gibson 67'

15

John Hills

10

Darren Ferguson

25

Richard Walker

16

Waynne Phillips 67'

24

Martin Bullock 89'

12

Paul Barrett 56'

27

Darren Dunning 89'

08

Craig Faulconbridge

29

Chris Clarke

44

Lee Jones

Substitutes

Blackpool

Wrexham

32

Scott Taylor 89'

09

Lee Trundle 56'

18

Jamie Milligan 89'

23

Hector Sam 67'

23

Graham Fenton

19

Steve Thomas 67'

28

Rhys Day

29

Dan Bennett

31

Matthew Blinkhorn 89'

21

Kristian Rogers

Yellow and Red Cards

Blackpool

Wrexham

Other Info

GLOOMFIELD ROAD!

By Mark Williams

Wrexham, needing a win to avoid the drop, put in a battling display but in the end it was not good enough against a team that was superior in all departments. If that actually happened the 700+ supporters could have accepted defeat but, sadly, this was only a dream, and in reality virtually the same team that were so unlucky against Huddersfield two days earlier didn't put in any effort for our most important game of the season.

It could have all been different if Craig Faulconbridge had converted the first chance of the game after 10 minutes. Blackpool keeper James Pullen struggled with his kicking early on and his poor clearance landed to Faulconbridge 35 yards from goal. With Pullen stuck on the far side of his area Faulconbridge narrowly missed the right hand post with a curling left foot shot. If he had aimed for the far post the curl on the ball would have taken into the centre of the net but the miss proved to be crucial, as both teams created little chances in the terrible conditions. John Murphy had Blackpool's first shot on goal after 18 minutes but his 25-yard shot failed to trouble Marius Røvde.

Marius Røvde was nearly caught out after 25 minutes when a through ball almost bounced over him on the edge of the area whilst under pressure from John Murphy but the Norwegian managed to get a finger tip to the ball and caught it at the second attempt. Minutes later a long clearance by Røvde caused some hesitation between the Blackpool defender and keeper and Lee Jones made the first contact to the ball but his header from 18 yards bounced harmlessly over the bar.

Gary Parkinson ended in the book for the home side five minutes later after he cynically pulled down Robin Gibson after he had been beaten him for pace and was bursting dangerously into the Blackpool half. Northing came from the free kick. Paul Barrett had the next shot on goal but the Blackpool defence charged the ball down on the edge of the area.

Blackpool's first goal came after Shaun Holmes was beaten for pace and skill by Martin Bullock on the right wing and his low cross along the six-yard box was turned into his own net by Shaun Pejic whilst under pressure from two attackers. Even is Pejic had not turned it in the quality of the cross was so good that it would have ended up in a goal anyway.

Blackpool almost doubled their lead a few minutes after the restart when John Murphy put through Martin Bullock on the edge of the area but before Bullock had time to get in a shot Røvde rushed quickly off his line to deny the Blackpool midfielder and Wrexham eventually cleared the danger. Lee Jones had Wrexham's first opportunity of the second half but he blazed over with a left foot shot from 18 yards. Denis Smith introduced Lee Trundle as a replacement for Paul Barrett in the 56th minute and it wasn't long before he was involved in the action. He fed a through ball into Faulconbridge and after Chris Clark had slipped on the edge of the box Faulconbridge was in down the left side of the area but as Faulconbridge sized up the shot James Pullen had rushed off his line to block Faulconbridge's poor shot with his feet.

Blackpool almost scored a second soon after when they were awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal but John Hill's left foot strike just dipped over the bar. The most embarrassing moment of the game came when after a throw-in Lee Jones and Waynne Phillips tackled each other whilst in a good position and the ball ran harmlessly wide for a goal kick with the two Wrexham players ending up on the ground. Darren Dunning then became the second Blackpool player to shown a yellow card for another cynical challenge on Lee Jones.

Faulconbridge's earlier miss proved to be the turning point in the game as Blackpool doubled their advantage in the sixty-seventh minute. This time it was Tommy Jaszczun breaking inside Jim Whitley down the left and John Murphy turned in the cross at the near post from six yards despite Dennis Lawrence and Shaun Pejic in close attendance. Dennis Smith then made a double substitution replacing Robin Gibson and Waynne Phillips with Hector Sam and Steve Thomas.

Wrexham now had four strikers on the pitch but it was Shaun Holmes who nearly pulled one back with twenty minutes left. With the ball bouncing on the edge of the penalty area he got control of the ball but his powerful shot just cleared the cross bar. Lee Jones was put clean through down the left channel and as he cut in on the area he drilled his left footed shot wide from the edge of the area.

With six minutes left Richard Wellens but the game beyond reach when he added a third in a similar fashion to the opening goals. This time it was Richard Walker who burst down the Wrexham wing and his cross from the left was this time turned in by Wellens at the near post. Three near post crosses, three goals and Marius Røvde had no chance with all of them. It was that easy for Blackpool to score.

Hector Sam had the next chance after a left wing free kick was only cleared to him but from just inside the right side of the area his first time volley went narrowly wide. In the 87th minute Wrexham had their second shot on target, assuming Faulconbridge's earlier miss was on target, when Lee Trundle turned his man from just outside the area but his drilled shot was straight at James Pullen who held onto the ball.

With Notts County and Northampton failing to win today the inevitable has been put off for another week but after witnessing the performance of the players today you can tell they had already given up. Pathetic.

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