Blackpool 0 - Preston 0

A FRIEND of mine recently took his family on a holiday to Cornwall. He had not been away for years and was most excited about his forthcoming trip.

They stayed in a cottage described in the brochure as "idyllic, and in a beautiful, sheltered location".

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In reality it turned out to be an ant-infested hovel on the edge of a cliff. It rained for five days solid and their dog died of pneumonia. Which just goes to show that sometimes the things you look forward to most don't always live up to expectations.

That was certainly the case with this derby. The build-up had been exciting, the anticipation huge, and yet it eventually turned out to be all a tad disappointing.

Blackpool wanted to complete the double over Preston and really rub their rivals' noses in it – a result that would have well and truly capped a terrific first season back in the Championship.

North End on the other hand wanted to avenge that Deepdale defeat in December, as well as taking a huge leap towards safety at their neighbours' expense.

In the event neither happened. We didn't even get a goal.

After the white hot atmosphere that had been whipped up during the 90 minutes, it spoke volumes that at the end there was an overwhelming sense of anti-climax as both sets of supporters, struggling to find a chant suitable for the moment, trooped out of the ground in slightly downbeat fashion.

"You'll never beat the Blackpool," was the parting shot the home fans opted for.

And that isn't a bad one, for how well the Seasiders have done this year not just against Preston, but another of their Lancashire enemies, Burnley.

Pool are unbeaten in four games against their neighbours, taking eight points from 12. Not bad going at all.

They will probably look back at this game and think it should have been 10 points, for in the first half they certainly created enough chances to have won any game. If one had gone in, then the floodgates may well have opened.

Deadlock

Unfortunately a combination of some good goalkeeping by Andy Lonergan and some wasteful finishing meant it was all square at the break.

Thereafter (though it's doubtful anyone in Blackpool will admit it), Preston improved greatly which resulted in a very even second 45 minutes.

Indeed from the moment the second half began, neither team looked like breaking the deadlock and, like most derbies, it was as tight as a Yorkshireman. The closer it got to full-time, the more both teams – scared of making a mistake – shut up shop and settled for a point.

That may have been mildly disappointing for the supporters but it helps both clubs greatly. Both have edged that little bit nearer to the 50-point mark, for when clubs reach that they are often home and dry as far as staying up is concerned. Go down with more than 50 points and you are very unlucky indeed.

By which reckoning Pool, on 48 points as it stands, need just one more win – or two draws – from their remaining seven games and they will be pretty much there.

While one or two supporters may still be on edge, they shouldn't worry too much.

Simon Grayson's side will stay up. They've been so consistent all season that no matter how tricky the run-in is on paper, they are highly unlikely to go from now until the end of the season without another victory.

What a pity, though, that the Seasiders couldn't beat North End in this one. It had been glorious at Deepdale, Wes Hoolahan's penalty giving Blackpool fans one of their finest afternoons in many a year, not to mention months of one-upmanship on their neighbours and work colleagues.

That's why this return encounter meant so much and it's why folk from all over the Fylde converged on Bloomfield Road for a game that had been sold out two months in advance in the expectation of seeing the Seasiders once again record victory.

Alas, it wasn't to be, but at least it gave the younger supporters a chance to see why this derby really is so special.

Delays on the M55 might have resulted in a muted atmosphere in the half hour leading up to the game but when the teams trotted onto the pitch everything changed.

The fans went ballistic and didn't let up until deep into the second half.

In a pulsating opening period the biggest mystery was how Pool didn't put the ball in the Preston net.

With Claus Jorgensen in for the injured Keith Southern and Ben Burgess replacing Andy Morrell (Paul Dickov still injured), the Seasiders poured forward.

Burgess in particular looked fired up. Earning his first start since defeat at Ipswich six games ago, he charged about and caused Preston problems. It's just a pity he couldn't finish off the chances he had.

The striker's best opportunity came when Lonergan, under pressure from Ian Evatt, spilled the ball. Unfortunately Burgess didn't realise how much time he had, hurried his effort and failed to head the ball into a gaping goal from six yards.

Jorgensen hit a beauty of a shot from 25 yards narrowly wide. Then Gary Taylor-Fletcher headed Stephen Crainey's cross wastefully over; stumbled at the vital moment after Stephen McPhee's clever dummy; and powered in a shot which Lonergan athletically tipped round the post.

Stephen Crainey sent a free-kick past the upright and Hoolahan – seemingly attempting to earn himself hate-mail from the Preston area for the next umpteen years – almost curled the cheekiest of shots into the top corner from wide on the left touchline.

If that had gone in, it would have bettered his penalty at Deepdale by some distance in terms of a taking-the-mickey moment.

Preston, with Youl Mawene struggling a little at the back, looked shell-shocked and struggled to stay afloat.

A Darren Carter free-kick which stung the palms of a well-positioned Paul Rachubka was their best effort of the half.

However, the fact that Pool – who lost the toss and kicked towards their fans in the first half, not the second as they prefer to do – failed to score came back to haunt them.

A clever tactical reshuffle at the break saw North End's back four sit a little deeper, shielded by skipper Paul McKenna. It allowed a much improved Mawene and co extra time and space to deal with what was being thrown their way and

almost totally nullified the Seasiders' threat.

Dreams

End result was a second half the complete opposite of the first. It was rank poor, with very few highlights, and the wind – which grew fiercer as the game went on – didn't help.

Michael Flynn had Pool's one real shooting opportunity, but after being teed up by Hoolahan hit a weak side-footed effort straight at Lonergan. Chris Sedgwick missed North End's sole opening, ballooning his close range shot high and wide.

And that was about it. The contest had started with tangerine balloons being released into the sky and thoughts of a thrilling afternoon ahead. By the end, those dreams, like the balloons, had gone pop – but at least we'll be able to do it all again next year.

On this evidence both sides are staying up, which is nice because that's a guaranteed four or six points for Grayson's men next term…

QPR 3 - Blackpool 2

IF, God forbid, a bomb had gone off inside Loftus Road last night, it would have made one hell of a news story.

Seated in the directors box were a group of people whose combined wealth is more than the GDP of most European countries.

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Eccleston (Formula One chief), Flavio Briatore (owner of the Renault F1 team), Ramon Calderon (president of Real Madrid) and a man mysteriously described as the King of Ghana (King of Ghana) were all there, not to mention Harry Redknapp, Sam Hamman and some Latvian billionaire by the name of Valery Belokon.

All that was missing was Prince Harry, Paul McCartney and Dale Winton and we would have had a collection of pretty much the world's most famous folk in one venue at the same time.

If Pool were aiming to put on a show for their affluent and influential guests, then for 50 minutes they blew it.

The 'King of Ghana' (and, yes, I'm thinking what you're thinking –what the hell was he doing there?) along with his cohorts, must have been wondering just how the Seasiders had reached the top half of the Championship as Simon Grayson's men produced a thoroughly mediocre display to stumble to a three-goal deficit.

Capitalised

Then, as the Tangerines belatedly raised their game, the cast of VIPs suddenly saw what the men from the Fylde are capable of.

They came roaring back thanks to goals from Ben Burgess and Stephen McPhee and, in the end, were only denied the unlikeliest of points by some stubborn, at times desperate, QPR resistance.

It really was the strangest of games. Rangers went 3-0 ahead despite playing poorly. Neither side showed much quality. It was simply the case that every time Rangers forced an opening they capitalised.

Even when three-down it was quite clear that if Grayson's side played as they could, they would have a chance of getting back into it.

Belatedly they did – but unfortunately you can't give any side a three-goal advantage and expect to get anything from a game.

The good news is that this defeat doesn't actually change much. Pool are still in a very decent 13th position, although that is a bit misleading.

There are a bunch of teams below them, with just six points separating a glut of clubs from mid-table to the bottom three.

In my opinion Blackpool will probably be safe with the number of points they already have (47) but the players can't afford to look at it like that. The manager certainly won't.

They need to edge past that 50 barrier as soon as possible. The problem is that the Seasiders' run-in is pretty difficult. The home games with Preston and Sheffield Wednesday look, on paper, the most winable – but we thought that about Barnsley and Southampton.

In short, Pool will avoid relegation but there could be a few fingernails gnawed to the bone between now and the end of the season.

As for last night's defeat, it is certainly no disgrace.

Let's not forget that QPR – as can be judged by the ridiculous cast of celebrities present at the ground – are the new, richest club in British football and splashed out £5m-plus in the January transfer window.

Sweating

They also love playing Blackpool – you have to go back to 1972 to find the last time the Seasiders left Loftus Road with three points.

That was also the year Paul Dickov was born. Last night he, along with Claus Jorgensen, missed out through injury – replaced by Andy Morrell and Michael Flynn.

The latter gave himself a good shout of being included for the big one against PNE on Saturday, but Morrell will be sweating – especially because of the impression Burgess made after coming on as a second half substitute.

On top of that Dickov will surely be fit to face North End, which means there will be strong competition for places up front.

However, after last night it's fair to say that there's competition in every department throughout the side because a great display it was not.

The home side went ahead 11 minutes in when Patrick Agyemang, the former Preston striker, fired in a right wing cross.

Akos Buzsaky stuck out a leg and somehow sent the ball looping over Paul Rachubka and in off the bar.

It was described on the BBC's website as a "sublime strike". You've got to be joking – it was a complete fluke.

Pool had a good chance to level soon after but Stephen McPhee, after doing well to take out two defenders and cut into the box, slashed a right-footer wildly over when Gary Taylor-Fletcher was in acres of space to his right and screaming for a pass which surely would have resulted in a goal.

QPR, belying their cash-rich status, were poor and yet on 40 minutes they doubled their advantage.

Rowan Vine capitalised on some hesitation from Taylor-Fletcher to burst into the box and, unchallenged, fire a left-footed diagonal shot low and hard into the bottom corner.

Rachubka got a hand to the ball but couldn't keep it out. Maybe he could have done better, but where was his protection?

Provoked

On 48 minutes it was 3-0, a goal that Shaun Barker would pay good money never to have to see again. The Seasiders skipper made a bad error in conceding possession to Vine on the left.

The striker, a real handful on his day, burst into the area and squared the ball, which was eventually bundled home by Martin Rowlands.

Pool were being hammered and yet the game was fairly even. Very strange.

However, at least that third goal provoked a reaction.

Kaspars Gorkss slid a lovely pass through to Burgess and the striker showed excellent composure to bury an angled, left-footed drive into the bottom corner.

It was his seventh of the season and he scored it just six minutes after coming on as a 53rd minute sub.

Flynn was denied by keeper Lee Camp and Ian Evatt missed out on a goal against his former club when his volley cleared the bar by a whisker. Then, seconds after Keigan Parker (remember him?) had come off the bench 71 minutes in, it was 3-2 and the fightback seemed on.

Wes Hoolahan's corner, Gorkss's majestic rise and header, and McPhee helped the ball in with his forehead from close range. McPhee's fourth goal for the Seasiders; Gorkss denied yet another goal but claiming his second assist of the night.

Suddenly everyone, maybe even the 'King of Ghana', was on the edge of their seats. Could Pool complete one of the comebacks of the season?

They certainly tried their best, pressing and probing and giving Rangers one or two heart-stopping moments.

But credit to the home side, for after almost throwing the points away they played well for the remaining 20 minutes and in truth it was they who looked the likelier to score – and would have done so had Rowlands' long-range not flown the wrong side of the post.

Credit

Grayson's men had to be content with the role of gallant losers and at least, in the end, they came out of the game with great credit – and deservedly so for their persistence and character if nothing else.

It was just frustrating that they gave their hosts a three-goal start before they started playing because Rangers, on this evidence, are certainly no b etter than Blackpool.

Unfortunately a distinctly average performance for 50 minutes led to defeat.

However, all will be forgotten and forgiven should the Seasiders get a win against Preston. Roll on Saturday, it's going to be something special.

QPR: Camp, Mancienne, Connolly, Leigertwood, Delaney, Buzsaky (Lee 85), Hall, Rowlands (Rehman 90), Vine, Blackstock, Agyemang (Mahon 66). Subs Not Used: Pickens, Balanta.

Blackpool 2 - Southampton 2

IT says much about the quality of the first half of this contest that the main talking point was Kaspars Gorkss's choice of footwear.

He appeared to be wearing orange carpet slippers, the type which, had they been purchased for you by a relative at Christmas, you'd immediately ask for the receipt and advise them to get an eye test.

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Amazingly Gorkss was not only able to stand up in them but score yet another goal. Perhaps the opposition were dazzled. It could be a new tactic.

"I bought them last week," said Gorkss proudly at the end, which suggested he'd paid money for them. Remarkable.

I speak in jest of course, for who can question the wisdom of a defender who is top scorer and one of the best players this season.

And at least he gave us something to discuss, because don't be deceived by the four goals – this wasn't a great game After the 5-3 thriller in the previous Saturday home outing against Charlton, this was tame by comparison, certainly in a first half that, as previously hinted, was as drab as anything witnessed at Blackpool all season.

The awful, blustery conditions played a part, typified by the comedy moment when Southampton's left winger Jason Euell smashed an up-and-under into the area – only to watch as the ball caught in the fierce wind and flew back over his own head and out for a throw, a kind of football boomerang.

Holes

But it wasn't just the conditions. The players too have to hold their hands up. For the first time in a long while, too many of them weren't at the races, particularly before the break.

In fact it was hard to pick out anyone who played well in the opening period and it was little surprise that those in tangerine got a rare rollicking from the boss.

That interval ear-bashing ensured a much brighter second period, although after going in front the Seasiders once again contrived to throw it away. Like Barnsley in midweek, they were pegged back and a couple more points went begging.

But the very fact that we're picking holes in a draw with Southampton once again illustrates just how far Blackpool have travelled under Simon Grayson.

Offered a home draw against Saints at the start of the season, most Seasiders followers would have bitten your hand off.

It's only because Pool have done so well, played such terrific football at times this year, that Saturday's 2-2 draw felt slightly disappointing.

Let's take a reality check here. The truth is that this is another excellent point as Pool continue to punch above their weight with such great effect.

It took the Seasiders points tally to eight from 12 and they remain unbeaten at home since mid-December. That's not bad going by anyone's standards.

More importantly they remain a healthy distance from the bottom four and only require a couple more wins to secure safety. So yes, there's work still to do, but Pool are perfectly positioned and odds-on to be a Championship outfit next season.

And they deserve to be so because they have proved week after week that they can compete with the best the division has to offer.

Glorious

Not many teams have got the better of Grayson's men this season, although, in fairness, Southampton came closer than many.

For a supposedly struggling side, the visitors played well and caused problems. Having said that, had Michael Poke not brilliantly saved Claus Jorgensen's first-half drive, or had Wes Hoolahan converted a glorious chance from 10 yards late on, Pool would have won the points and wrapped up yet another home victory.

They wouldn't have deserved it though. In what was a poor quality match neither team did enough to merit victory and a draw was the correct outcome – a draw by the way that was Southampton's fourth in a row since Pearson took charge last month.

Grayson made just one change from the side which drew with Barnsley (and doesn't that seem a decent result now!), bringing back Paul Dickov to replace Andy Morrell.

In truth Dickov didn't look fully over the hamstring injury which forced him to miss the previous two games. He was off the pace and made a limited contribution prior to being replaced in the 68th minute.

Still, his record still reads five goals in five starts, and this hour of action will have done him good.

Dickov wasn't on his own in being below par. No one impressed prior to half time as a big, strong Southampton side, who mastered the blustery conditions so much better than Pool, rather cruised into the lead.

Their goal came on the half hour after a combination of Ian Evatt and Gorkss felled Stern John in the area. It may have been a soft penalty but it was a penalty – the striker was tripped.

Left back Gregory Vignal slotted a confident left-footed spot kick beyond the reach of Paul Rachubka.

Deficit

Jorgensen's belting shot aside – which produced an even better stop – Pool were oddly dysfunctional. Usually so assured on the ball and able to construct clinical, passing moves, everything was disjointed. They couldn't get going.

Hardly surprising that Grayson laid into his charges at the break and – as the weather improved, the sun suddenly replacing the brooding dark clouds – for 10 minutes after the restart the Seasiders were back to their best.

In that short time they turned deficit into advantage.

On 48 minutes Shaun Barker showed good determination to win a throw-in on the right. Keith Southern ran towards him screaming for a quick throw. Like a dad telling his 10-year-old to leave him alone, Barker waved him away.

Southern obeyed, wandered into the box … and promptly headed Barker's throw into the bottom corner, though Southampton's 22-year-old debutant keeper Poke may feel he should have done more to keep it out.

All square but not for long. Pool struck again on 55 minutes when Stephen Crainey's free-kick from the right was half-cleared and orange-feet Gorkss struck a scruffy volley from the edge of the area which rolled through a crowd of players and nestled in the bottom corner.

Pool were on their way, we thought. We were wrong. Within eight minutes Grayson's men had been pegged back by a scruffy equaliser.

Jason Euell headed John Vignal's corner goalward. Rachubka saved brilliantly but the loose ball fell to John, unmarked and barely two yards out. It was probably the easiest of his 15 goals this season.

Magic

Ben Burgess, Michael Flynn and eventually Morrell all came on but to no avail. Pool had one real chance – the ball sitting up perfectly for Hoolahan after good work by Burgess and McPhee.

But for once the Irishman's magic boots let him down and he dragged his shot from 12 yards wide, by his standards a very bad miss.

Another point, though, against a good side. Tomorrow comes another daunting-looking test at QPR, the richest club in football. Mind you, Chelsea are second richest and look what happened to them.

Blackpool 1 - Barnsley 1

THE headteacher at my old primary school once gave an assembly during which he told the tale of a young man who stumbled upon a purse heavy with gold.

He picked it up and was wondering what to do with it when he heard footsteps. He put the gold in his pocket.

A tearful young lady appeared and cried: "Woe is me. I have lost my father's money. Please, kind stranger, have you seen it?"

The man hesitated before answering 'no', and the damsel in distress wandered unhappily on.

Our headteacher was a boring bloke who, with hindsight, was going a bit senile – he must have been given some of the jumpers he wore - and he rambled on for another 15 minutes.

But to cut his very long story short, the man walked away only to get trapped in quicksand. He would have been OK but, alas, the weight of the gold in his pocket dragged him down and he suffered an unenviable death.

A big lad called Jeff Gibbons, with a brain the size of a small garden pea, spent that assembly hitting me in the back of the head with a ruler, so I never got round to asking our headmaster why the doomed man didn't just remove the gold from his pocket so he could make himself lighter and thus stop sinking.

But I digress. The moral of the story is this – it's dangerous to get too greedy.

And that is why anyone disappointed with last night's point against Barnsley should really think again.

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Look at the bigger picture. Pool are on 46 points at the start of March. They are as good as safe already.

They've lost just three times at home all season and have taken seven points from the last nine, a run which has included victories over Charlton and at Norwich.

In short it's been terrific and while it would have been nice to have seen off the Tykes, no one connected with the club should feel down for even the briefest of moments about only drawing.

It's another valuable point and another step in the right direction.

Granted the match was hardly a classic but Blackpool probably did enough to have won.

They had plenty of opportunities and were highly unlucky not to score a second goal that probably would have been enough to clinch victory.

However, credit to Barnsley. They certainly didn't look like a side with minds on Saturday's FA Cup quarter final clash with Chelsea. They were patient and disciplined, worked hard and caused the Seasiders several nervy moments with their fast counter-attacking breaks from midfield.

Architect-in-chief was Brian Howard, a classy player very confident on the ball in the centre of the park.

Kayode Odejayi isn't bad either. You might have noticed him. It's hard not to. He's 6'6, that's both height and width. Getting hit by him must be a little like running headfirst into a moving bus.

It's little wonder that Ian Evatt and Kaspars Gorkss looked a little groggy at the end. Both, though, did a sterling job – though Gorkss will probably feel hard done to that Odejayi wasn't penalised for a foul on him in the build up to Barnsley's equaliser.

The Seasiders, with an unchanged line up from Norwich, started a little sluggishly, as if perhaps jetlagged from their flight to East Anglia. It was 45 minutes after all…

But out the blue they took the lead. Stephen Crainey fired in a diagonal pinpoint cross from the left on 20 minutes and Gary Taylor-Fletcher half stooped, half dived to ram the ball in with his head from 10 yards.

He should have had a second on the half hour, connecting perfectly with Wes Hoolahan's deep corner. But his volley was so powerful it struck a surprised Stephen McPhee on the line before the frontman could get out of the way and the ball rebounded behind to safety.

Without playing brilliantly, Pool were largely in control and had half chances to nick a second.

But in first half stoppage time, with three-quarters of the crowd placing their interval pie order, Jamal Campbell-Ryce got the Tykes back on level terms.

After Odejayi had barged Gorkss off the ball in midfield (illegally, or so it looked), Sam Togwell broke down the right and lashed the ball across goal. Campbell-Ryce, a player who is either awful or superb – but rarely in between – made no mistake from 14 yards, firing a right footer past the unguarded Rachubka.

An air of disappointment at the break but all in all a general confidence that Blackpool would go on and get victory. That they didn't wasn't for a lack of trying.

Shortly after the restart Andy Morrell latched onto a flick from Stephen McPhee and struck a fierce effort which impressive keeper Luke Steele beat away. The loose ball cannoned back off defender Stephen Foster and struck the post. A major let off for the visitors.

On 57 minutes, and after excellent work from Hoolahan and Crainey, McPhee missed a glorious chance, turning excellently but firing his shot well over the bar.

A minute later Hoolahan played in Morrell but the striker – in again for the injured Dickov – guided his left foot wide.

It went quiet for a long while after that, the night only lit up by some brilliant interchange play between Crainey and Hoolahan on the left. Barnsley's Howard aside, those two were the best players on the pitch.

The visitors were always in it and always, to their credit, on the frontfoot. They caused Pool the odd problem and Dennis Souza could have done more than that had he not wastefully shot wide from Howard's cross into the box.

Grayson, perhaps sensing it wasn't going to be his side's night, tried to make things happen, throwing on three substitutes. But although the Seasiders huffed and puffed, and one of the replacements, Ben Burgess, came close with a couple of headers, that elusive goal never looked like arriving.

It means Pool still haven't beaten Barnsley at Bloomfield Road since 1991 and haven't won on a Tuesday since last March (which doesn't bode well for next week's visit to QPR), but then again this is a match that Blackpool of old would have probably lost.

So a point shouldn't be sneered at and the fact is that Grayson's men are creeping ever-closer to the safety mark.

If the fans are being honest, they'll probably admit that their disappointment at failing to win last night was because it would have been great to nudge closer to the play-offs.

But let's be realistic. Top six is out of the question. It's about staying up and this was another good point towards successfully completing that most important of missions.

Norwich 1 - Blackpool 2

IF the big boys of the Championship hadn't been taking notice of Blackpool prior to the weekend – and shame on them if they weren't – they certainly are now.

The fact that Simon Grayson's side are in the top half of the table at the start of March is little short of a miracle.

It's a quite stunning achievement and the manager, the coaching staff and all the players deserve one giant collective pat on the back.

The performance at Norwich was outstanding, especially in a first half which ranked up there with the best the Seasiders have produced away from home all campaign.

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The second period was tougher as the Canaries fought back. But Pool proved they can battle with the best of them and in the end ground out three points which has lifted them to nos-bleed territory – 12th top and seven points off the play-offs.

For the first time since September, Grayson's men are closer to the top six than the bottom three.

For a club tipped by just about every critic in the country to go down, it's a superb position and with eminently winnable home games against Barnsley and Southampton – and not to mention Preston – coming up, Pool could conceivably be challenging for a play-off place come the end of the month.

But steady. Let's not get too carried away. First things first and the Seasiders must get to, and then past, the 53-point mark. When that is achieved and Championship football next season is secured, only then should we get a little frivolous and dream of what might be.

In the meantime it's about the boring but necessary stuff – accumulating enough points to ensure the club is safe.

This they should do with ease because they are coming bang into form at the right time.

Even without Paul Dickov, their talisman in recent weeks, Pool still shoved aside an in-form Norwich with relative ease.

Stephen McPhee was the difference, two excellent finishes and an all round performance that proved his display against Charlton the previous week was no fluke.

Crucial

His blend of power, pace and deadly finishing is a beguiling combination and he has already made such a difference up front. Massive credit to the manager for identifying McPhee's potential and taking decisive action to get him to the club.

Wes Hoolahan was equally as crucial, though. He's been slowly coming back to form after a difficult Christmas and at Carrow Road he was truly back to his best.

Norwich couldn't get near him first half and the winger played a major role in nearly everything good the Seasiders did. His contribution to both goals, especially the second, was huge.

Mind you everyone in tangerine had a good game. Ian Evatt was a massive figure as Pool held on to their lead after the break; Shaun Barker kept Darren Huckerby quiet; and Keith Southern and Claus Jorgensen did their jobs quietly but oh so effectively in the middle.

All this combined good work was the reason for victory – Pool's fourth away win of the campaign and their first win at Norwich since a 1-0 success 40 years ago. Jimmy Armfield played in that 1968 contest, that's how long ago it is.

The Seasiders are making a habit of breaking old records and there's a simple reason for it – the team they've got now is a cut above anything they've had in the past three decades.

It's amazing how quickly things have turned around. When I started covering the club just a few years ago, the squad contained the likes of Lee Collins, Phil Barnes, Graham Fenton, James Pullen, John O'Kane, Brian Reid and Rhys Day.

Compare it to the present day players – the improvement is there for all to see.

Even the little things like goal difference is impressive. Pool's is plus two – that's better than any team below them and only one fewer than leaders Bristol City.

When Grayson stated at the beginning of the campaign that he would be happy if his side finished 21st he was sensibly aiming low. In private he was hoping for better. However, even he, in his wildest dreams, couldn't have imagined it would be quite this good.

At Norwich his team were two up at half time, but it should have been double that margin.

McPhee got the ball rolling 14 minutes in although it could easily have been Andy Morrell.

Preferred to Ben Burgess as the replacement for the injured Dickov, Morrell was released by a sumptuous pass from Hoolahan. His angled shot was saved by the keeper – the loose ball was clipped across by Gary Taylor-Fletcher and McPhee, lurking at the back post, powered in a header from the tightest of angles.

Rather than keep it out keeper David Marshall kindly helped it in.

Injury

Pool then had two more one-on-ones. Marshall again denied Morrell with his legs and McPhee profited from great work by Hoolahan and Taylor-Fletcher but put his shot wide.

Then a bit of good old fashioned refereeing controversy. Shaun Barker probably did bring down Huckerby in the area on 39 minutes after a very rare Norwich attack.

Ref Shoebridge waved play on. Then, 60 seconds later, the official failed to spot a home player prostrate on the ground with a head injury.

The Seasiders broke forward and Hoolahan and Morrell exchanged passes in the centre circle before the Irishman slipped a delightful ball to McPhee. In again on goal, the striker hit his shot early and deliciously, sending it crashing past Marshall and into the net. A terrific finish.

The home crowd were incensed, especially as the injured party – skipper Mark Fotheringham – had to be stretchered off.

It was unfortunate and, if we're being honest, harsh on Norwich. But the injured player was behind play, none of the Blackpool players breaking forward could see him and the ball was in the back of the net before anyone realised.

It certainly wasn't Blackpool's fault. It's the referee's call to stop a game for a head injury.

The Seasiders had two more glorious chances to wrap the up points at the start of the second half. McPhee ran from the halfway line but Marshall saved his effort, while Taylor-Fletcher glided beautifully past two defenders but sent his shot narrowly wide.

Then another talking point. Far be it from me to suggest that referee Mr Shoebridge was atoning for his earlier oversight, but the official awarded the softest of penalty decisions in Norwich's favour, penalising Shaun Barker for an alleged foul on substitute Matty Pattison. Contact was minimal to put it mildly.

Probed

Jamie Cureton sent Paul Rachubka the wrong way and with 27 minutes remaining, Pool suddenly weren't sitting quite so comfortably.

Still, they always looked as if they might score another and indeed did do, twice more, though McPhee and Jorgensen's strikes were both ruled out for offside.

Norwich, considerably brighter after the interval than they had been before it, pressed and probed, though without creating anything clear cut.

Their best chance of snatching a point came right at the end. Impressive substitute Ched Evans charged down the right and picked out Huckerby, but Evatt and Barker were alert and bravely blocked the shot at goal.

The TV monitors in the Press box showed Canaries chief exec Delia Smith looking mightily depressed at the final whistle. Not sure why, as she had been flogging autographed copies of her new book for 20 quid a pop prior to kick-off.

But then again maybe even that didn't mask the pain of seeing her team outplayed and beaten by a Blackpool side on the verge of something very special.

Last season was terrific. A top half finish this year would probably be even better – and at this stage it looks very much on the cards.

Blackpool 5 - Charlton 3

SOMETIMES when life seems a bit unfair – if you receive a hefty gas bill, get stuck in an eight-mile tailback on the M1, or the 65-year-old bald guy with halitosis over the road starts dating an 18-year-old blonde – you wonder whether it's worth carrying on.

Then a football match like this comes along and everything in the world suddenly seems OK.

There is a particularly bad horror movie from the 1950s in which a mad professor attempts to invent a potion that will make everyone deliriously happy.

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It involves test tubes full or mysterious liquids, not to mention plenty of bad camerawork, but alas the professor – old, flowing white hair and a crazy face, thus not a stereotype in any way – can never perfect his potion.

Next time, mate, just show them a video of this game, for it is guaranteed to leave every Blackpool fan with a smile a mile wide and one of those 'did that really happen?' looks.

Pool did to Charlton what Charlton did to them last month – hammered them.

It was the Seasiders' biggest and best win of the season, the first time they have scored five since Simon Grayson's first game in charge (v Scunthorpe in November 2005) and – as I'm in the midst of a quite astounding stat-filled paragraph – the first time there have been eight goals in a league game at Bloomfield Road since 1993, when, if you're still awake, Blackpool defeated Hull City 6-2.

But forget the figures. This was simply a glorious, exhilarating football match, that swung from end to end and warmed the cockles of the heart.

Even the most blinkered Charlton fan would have to admit that it was a corker and that the Seasiders thoroughly deserved their victory.

It was almost comical that there was a demonstration at the end, over Karl Oyston failure to get a new stand built.

Blackpool had just given the richest club in the Championship a thumping and we had fans staying behind to chant for the chairman's head. The phrase 'only at Blackpool' springs to mind.

Anniversary

Not that I'm criticising the supporters concerned because it's easy to understand their point of view.

Saturday marked the sixth anniversary of the opening of the north and west stands. That means it's a long time since there was any new development at Bloomfield Road and a south stand really does need building.

But bear this in mind: last time Blackpool beat Charlton was in 1978, when funnily enough they also scored five times – winning 5-1.

But due to unrest behind the scenes, the board sacked manager Allan Brown (around this time of year incidentally) and Pool – previously in a comfortable mid-table position – sank like a stone.

They were relegated and it is only now, 30 miserable years later, that the club has finally managed to climb back into the top two tiers.

The issues may have been different back then but the conclusion is the same: be careful what you wish for.

Pool are up to 14th in the Championship and building towards a potentially exciting future. Nearly every effort should be concentrated on that.

Sure the chairman has to get his finger out and join in, and there's no harm in chanting to remind him of his responsibilities – but let's not get too preoccupied by it.

Colchester move into a lovely new stadium next season – chances are the crowd will be watching League One football in it. I, for one, am more motivated at the moment by higher-division football than having an extra stand.

Gosh, that all got a bit heavy, didn't it? Apologies because we really should be focusing on the football.

It was a veritable feast, the best game at Bloomfield Road all season and a terrific advert for the game.

One had to feel a bit sorry for Charlton – who gave it their best from beginning to end – and also their manager.

Alan Pardew had spent the week urging supporters to travel to Blackpool and get behind his promotion-chasing side.

It worked. The away enclosure was a sell-out. Alas, Pardew might have preferred none of the club's supporters to have seen what for them was akin to a horror show.

Charlton – a team, lest we forget, of multi-millionaires bankrolled by Premier League parachute payments of £12m – were steamrollered into submission by a Seasiders team which made its intentions clear from the first whistle.

They went straight on to the front foot and strained every sinew to chase down and overcome the opposition.

It led to humiliation for the Addicks, topping the 4-2 loss at West Brom as their heaviest defeat of the season.

It also proved once again that Pool have the character and spirit to make mincemeat of anyone in this rich man's league.

Nutmegging

Paul Rachubka made a brilliant, vital, one-on-one stop from Andy Gray early on before Stephen McPhee got the ball rolling on 15 minutes.

He started the move – beautifully nutmegging an opponent in midfield – and finished it by rifling in a loose ball off the post from 14 yards after fine work from Wes Hoolahan.

Kaspars Gorkss made it seven for the season and propelled himself to the top of the goalscoring charts with a thunderous volley from a tight angle on 26 minutes, after Nicky Weaver had parried Paul Dickov's close-range shot.

Charlton looked stunned but suddenly clambered back from the abyss.

Two goals in the space of a minute from Darren Ambrose levelled proceedings – his first a backpost finish from Grant Basey's left wing cross; his next a volley from 18 yards, which swung out of Rachubka's reach and into the top corner.

All square at the break and anyone's game. "I'll take a point now," said a worried supporter in the west stand to murmured agreement. We really should learn to trust Grayson and his team…

The brilliant McPhee, preferred to Ben Burgess, had a shot athletically pushed away before Gary Taylor-Fletcher restored the Seasiders' lead just before the hour.

The winger nipped in ahead of the ponderous Greg Halford after Dickov's shot had been half-stopped by Weaver.

Delight inside the stadium turned to ecstasy three minutes later as Dickov profited from some brilliant harassment of the Charlton defence by McPhee to beat Weaver to a 50-50 and get enough on the ball to send it trundling over the line. What a signing the Scot has been.

There was yet more. On 69 minutes, Taylor-Fletcher pulled his foot back with the aim of firing goalward. He completely miskicked and the ball looped over Weaver and in off the post. It summed up the day – crazy but wonderful.

Charlton kept going. Jonathan Fortune fired a close-range left-footed shot past Rachubka on 74 minutes to make it 5-3.

The goal was scored with slightly comic timing, given that the home fans were in the midst of a "Grayson, Grayson, give us a wave" chant. Not surprisingly, the manager didn't co-operate.

Had it not been for Stephen Crainey's goal-line clearance from Ambrose and an excellent Rachubka stop after Halford had tried his luck from 20 yards, it could have been a nervous finish.

On the other hand, McPhee wasn't far off making it six, bursting through and beating Weaver with his left-footed shot but unfortunately the far post as well.

Breathtaking

As it was, eight goals were all we would get, and eight we'll take.

A truly breathtaking afternoon of football and what a response after the meeting at the Valley as Pool extracted full revenge for their heaviest defeat of the season.

A total of 13 goals from two games between the sides this season. The only thing that narks is that Charlton win 7-6 on aggregate!

After Saturday, I'm sure Grayson and his team can live with that.

Safety is within touching distance.

How wonderful it would be to have that wrapped up by mid-March. In this form – and with home games against Barnsley, Southampton and Preston to come soon – don't bet against it.

Ipswich 2 - Blackpool 1

AFTER a football match ends, members of the media mill around in the press room waiting for the managers to appear to give their views.

While we were doing just that on Saturday, one member of the press told the following joke.

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Doctor: "I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you and some very bad news"

Patient: "What's the bad news?"

Doctor: "You have 24 hours to live."

Patient: "And the very bad news?"

Doctor: "I should have told you yesterday."

Unfortunately he delivered the punchline at the very moment Simon Grayson entered the room, which meant the Blackpool boss was greeted by a large group of giggling journalists.

The sight of Grayson immediately halted the mirth. After all, losing managers are notoriously tetchy, not surprising given that winning games is their job and their livelihoods are constantly on the line.

Hand grenade

When Steve McMahon had lost a game, for example, he was like a hand grenade – ready to go off at any given moment, in any direction and with great force. I know from personal experience.

Grayson had every right to be in such a mood, given that he had plenty to moan about.

And yet he wasn't. Instead he wore one of those 'what can you do?' looks. Why? Because he realised there's nothing one can do when the fates conspire against you to the extent they did at Ipswich.

The loss of two centre-backs half an hour into a game is not so much bad luck as scarcely believable.

Ian Evatt's ninth-minute departure with a lower back problem was followed by the torn hamstring which forced Michael Jackson to join him in the dressing room a few minutes later.

It left Blackpool with a full-back (Shaun Barker) and a central midfielder (Keith Southern) in the heart of defence.

That's a bit like needing an operation but having no surgeons available and so getting a hospital porter to do it instead.

It would have been difficult to get anything from Ipswich – who have the best home record in the Championship – with a first choice 11. To lose two mainstays of your team made it nigh on impossible.

Although Pool battled to the death – something they deserve great credit for – the match was very one-sided.

Such was the pattern of play and Ipswich's control that it had the air of a game in which one team was down to 10 men.

Grayson didn't whine too much about the cruel hand his team had been dealt.

The injuries made things terribly difficult but added that Ipswich were by far the better team and thoroughly deserved their victory. He was spot on.

The biggest shock of the day was that the home side only won by a single goal. On the balance of play they should have triumphed by at least four or five.

Pool uncharacteristically poor at keeping possession, hit the crossbar and created half a dozen good chances. Paul Rachubka made two terrific stops.

But – and this is what really sums Blackpool up in the last couple of years – despite their patched- up, makeshift side the Seasiders battled till the end.

And after Paul Dickov had scored late on – with the help of some sharp refereeing – they almost, somewhat amazingly, snatched the unlikeliest of points.

Claus Jorgensen's 92nd-minute left-footed shot appeared to be heading for the net until the leg of an Ipswich defender got in the way.

Hat it gone in, it would been an almighty miscarriage of justice for Grayson's men were definitely second best.

However, that is nothing to be ashamed about. Ipswich are a big club – one look around Portman Road tells you that.

The stadium is top-notch. There are statues of Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson outside, and newspaper cuttings and photographs of past glories adorn every wall.

The whole place is set up for the top-flight of English football, and on the evidence of these 90 minutes you wouldn't bet against it happening soon.

Bolstered by the January acquisitions of £2m right winger David Norris and Macedonian international Velice Sumulikoski, Ipswich are flying and this 12th home victory of the campaign cemented their play-off spot.

It was always unlikely the Seasiders would get anything from the contest, which is perhaps the reason why Grayson was so calm afterwards.

He knows that any points on the road, especially somewhere like Fortress Ipswich, are a bonus. It's at Bloomfield Road where it all matters.

There are 13 matches remaining, seven of which are at home, and the Seasiders need four wins, possibly five, to be certain of survival. In short, the odds are still very much in their favour.

Of course, the worrying thing is that they may have to reach that target without two very important members of the squad.

Club captain Jackson looked to have done his hamstring good and proper. That's normally a six-week job.

Evatt, meanwhile, has suffered a recurrence of an old injury in his lower back and could be set for a lengthy spell out too.

With Stephen Crainey's fitness in the balance, suddenly Pool are in danger of losing three of their most reliable defenders at a crucial stage of the season.

Before you fret too much, Barker and Kaspars Gorkss can play at centre-back and in Danny Coid and John Hills Pool have two very decent footballers available for the full-back roles.

However, there ain't much cover and it is clear that Grayson suddenly has work to do in the loan market.

Pool were disrupted by the early loss of Evatt and then Jackson, though they were already under pressure before the latter limped off.

Coid had cleared Jonathan Walters' close- range shot off the line; Rachubka had brilliantly pushed away a shot from the same man; and Alan Lee had rattled the bar with a thunderous half-volley from the edge of the area.

Walters and Lee were excellent up front and caused Pool countless problems. Mind you, they are big, powerful lads, so they were bound to, especially after Evatt – the only Blackpool player to match them in the physique stakes – had departed.

Southern, getting some brief respite from his centre-back role, had Pool's best chance just before the break, firing over after Dickov had flicked on a Wes Hoolahan cross.

No goals at the break but it was obvious that Pool were unlikely to hang on in there and cause an upset.

To have any chance they needed to stay firm and not concede for at least 20 minutes after the restart. They managed only six.

Sumulikoski thumped a beautifully-struck rising drive into the net from 12 yards after a lay-off from Lee.

Six minutes further on and it was pretty much all over. Southern was outmuscled as he and Walters challenged for a bouncing ball, and the big frontman advanced into the area and coolly slotted past Rachubka.

Southern might have been at fault but he shouldn't be blamed. He's not a centre-back and did an otherwise excellent job. That was the only time he was caught out.

Ipswich swarmed all over Pool and had several openings, the best when substitute Alan Quinn got clean through. Rachubka made an excellent parry.

Grayson's side never looked like scoring, so it was a shock when they did two minutes from the end, courtesy of a rather bizarre goal. Quinn challenged Jorgensen in midfield and the ball squirted off the Ipswich man into the path of Dickov.

The linesman, who hadn't seen the ball come off the Ipswich player, flagged for offside.

Dickov, being the pro he is, proceeded to round keeper Stephen Bywater and score. The referee over-ruled the linemsan and awarded the goal, much to the annoyance of Ipswich. It caused a bit of a row as well as a few late jitters from the home side, but they held on for a victory which was richly deserved.

Pool, meanwhile, were left to count the cost of a bruising encounter, not so much concerned by the result as by the injuries sustained.

Physio Phil Horner has plenty of work to do this week. So does Grayson. He needs a centre-back and he needs one fast.

Blackpool 0 - Wolves 0

Seasiders moved a point closer to Simon Grayson's 53-point survival target with last night's goalless draw against Wolves.

As the scoreline suggests, there was nothing to split the sides, which, given the amount of cash Mick McCarthy has spent assembling his troops, is a credit to the Seasiders.

Click here to view our Pool v Wolves picture gallery

The result means Pool are still unbeaten at home in 2008 and have shuffled a little closer towards the magic 53-point mark.

Before kick-off 15 points were required from the final 15 matches. It's now 14 from 14, very attainable indeed, and chances are that the Seasiders will not need that many, especially given that four or five clubs at the bottom seem to be struggling badly.

Victory last night would have been nice but there wasn't too much disappointment when it didn't happen.

The fans who had cheered on the Tangerines so marvellously for 90 minutes – and I mean marvellously – left fairly content ... and so they should have.

They witnessed a good team performance with some fine individual displays.

The tireless Claus Jorgensen was immense in midfield, while Ian Evatt and Stephen Crainey had huge games in the back four.

But the pick of the lot was Wes Hoolahan. He's had a tough time recently but he kept things neat and simple, almost as if he was trying to, and getting back to the basics paid off.

On the whole he chose the right times to pass the ball and the right times to run with it. He wasn't at his very best but he was very good, always asking questions, and in my opinion, the best player on the pitch.

A display like this can only help his confidence and it is heartening, that coming into the last two and a half months of the campaign, a key figure like Hoolahan appears to be running back into prime form.

Keith Southern – preferred to Michael Flynn, who was surprisingly left out of the 16 altogether – did a fine job and it's testament to his hard work in training that he lasted 87 minutes.

Paul Dickov is also worthy of mention. He is exactly what you expect – a real nuisance, but with no lack of skill. He has a particularly nice habit of bouncing off defenders but still somehow emerging with the ball.

There may have been no goal on the night (he now has a disappointing scoring rate of only one a match…), but he's going to be a big player in the coming weeks.

Dickov had the best effort of a lacklustre opening half, flashing a right-footed curling shot just past the post.

Cheer

Shaun Barker played a part in creating that chance – not surprising given that he played almost as a right winger in the first half. When he gets forward like that it means his confidence is high and so it should be – he is bang in form.

Other than that the most entertaining moment of the first period was the first indication that Paul Rachubka is a secret admirer of Bruce Grobbelaar. As Kevin Kyle came to close down a clearance, Rachubka produced a Ronaldo-like stepover to wrongfoot the striker. It drew a huge cheer from the crowd, as well as increasing a few pulse-rates.

The second half was much better viewing, with Pool taking the game to their opponents. That resulted in both midfields becoming stretched and play swung from end to end.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher, after beautifully controlling a Michael Jackson up-and-under clearance on his chest, fired a cracking drive from 20 yards. The sheer power of the shot took Wayne Hennessey by surprise but the keeper managed to get one hand to the ball and knock it onto the post.

A let-off but 60 seconds later Pool had their own great escape as Sylvain Ebanks-Blake twisted away from Jackson and thumped a shot against the woodwork.

It was a good effort from a good player – it's easy to see why Wolves paid Plymouth £1.5m for

the strong and skilful frontman during last month's transfer window.

Both sides had one more real chance. Kyle rose highest at a corner and headed narrowly wide, while for the Seasiders substitute Stephen McPhee latched onto a Ben Burgess flick but dragged his shot wide from 18 yards.

Not a classic but an entertaining tussle nonetheless and against a Wolves side very strong at the back and always potential of causing problems up front (especially Andy Keogh), this was a very decent result for Pool.

It will further top up confidence levels for the trip to Fortress Portman Road on Saturday. If Ipswich had scouts watching this one, they won't need an engineer to tell them that they are in for a hard time.

POOL: Rachubka, Barker, Crainey, Jackson, Evatt, Taylor-Fletcher, Hoolahan, Southern, Jorgensen, Burgess, Dickov. Subs: Coid, McPhee, Morrell, Green, Gerrard

Hull 2 - Blackpool 2

IN the build-up to the 1994 World Cup Finals, which were being hosted by the US for the first time, a series of TV ads ran in the States accompanied by the voice-over 'Soccer. A sport where the players actually enjoy getting hit in the head by a ball'.

The cheek of it. As well as confirming once and for all that Americans will never understand the beautiful game, it was also slightly ironic given that their favourite pastime (aside from eating burgers and destroying other countries) involves 20 grown men, dressed in helmets and wearing shoulder pads the size of a small British town, running into each other.

To see our Hull v Pool gallery click here

The point is that anyone lucky enough to be in Hull on Saturday (and there's a sentence you don't see often) will have discovered exactly what is so good about football.

This was a cracking encounter, which swung from end to end and had just about everything, not least a lovely bit of controversy with the Seasiders camp accusing rival boss Phil Brown (once of Blackpool himself of course) of refereeing the game from the dugout.

Fuming

To sum proceedings up: Pool worked hard to get into a 2-0 lead. Then, cruising with half an hour left, they sat too deep, twice conceded and, as they desperately battled to keep out a rampant home side, had Kaspars Gorkss sent off. In the end they did very well to earn a point.

Before anyone gets too critical about throwing away a two-goal advantage, think again.

Hull are a good side. Blackpool played well and this was a fine point, one which everybody in tangerine would have gladly accepted before kick-off.

Afterwards Grayson and his players were fuming with the performance of referee Jonathan Moss – who was pretty shocking – and also with Phil Brown.

Grayson wouldn't admit that latter complaint in public but Ben Burgess did. They felt Brown influenced the referee and thus the game, and it has to be said that it was a minor miracle the Tigers manager wasn't banished to the stand, not least for marching onto the playing surface at one stage during the first half because he didn't agree with a decision.

All jolly fascinating, but a shame because it took the shine off what was not just a very good Pool performance but a quite wonderful Paul Dickov display.

What a signing he's turning out to be. That's four points he's earned the club in a mere 92 minutes on the pitch –13 minutes against Leicester and a further 79 here – with the end product of three goals.

Finally the club possesses not just someone who can poach a goal (his first here) but a frontman who can score brilliantly too (his second).

The lob which put the Seasiders two up in this game was pure quality, a moment of magic.

I certainly can't recall a Blackpool player performing so well on his full debut.

Even taking Dickov's goals out of the equation he was just what the team needed, chasing lost causes and harassing defenders and doing exactly what Grayson expected of him: ie, being a nuisance.

What was most astonishing was his workrate, which never lapsed prior to his substitution late on. For a player who hasn't played a game in three months, that speaks volumes about Dickov's professionalism and his work ethic in training.

Stephen McPhee, left out of the squad for this one because of a gentleman's agreement with Hull, will be now fretting on his place.

The magnificent Dickov deserved to be the matchwinner, but alas Hull spoiled things somewhat.

However, as disappointing as it is to squander a two-goal advantage, I'd have taken this result all day long.

Hull were flying coming into this fixture and have some excellent players. A point will do just nicely. It keeps the gap over the bottom three at more than two victories, and also keeps that points tally ticking along. Pool are edging closer, bit by bit, to the Holy Grail of 53 points and guaranteed safety.

Wolves tomorrow is tough – especially if Freddy Eastwood is in the mood – but I would back Blackpool against anyone at Bloomfield Road. Three more points against Mick McCarthy's team (and boy do Pool owe them one after being robbed of victory at Molineux earlier in the season) and things really would be looking rosy.

And maybe then we could stop looking down and fretting so much. After all let's not forget that Pool are the same number of points off the top six as they are from the bottom three – seven.

For the neutral, this clash with Hull was a belter.

Dickov for McPhee was Pool's only change from last weekend's win over Leicester and they started where they left off, going for goal.

Shaun Barker had an early header athletically tipped over by Bo Myhill, while at the other end Dean Windass missed a sitter from four yards.

The first 17 minutes were superb, end to end with no thought for defence.

Then a serious injury to Bryan Hughes, sustained in an accidental clash with Dickov, saw a six-minute stoppage and the game lost its rhythm.

But it was still intriguing, with the odd chance here and there. Windass, so annoying as an opponent but a great player to have in your team (a bit like Dickov in fact), broke clear in the box and blasted a pile-driver of a shot which Rachubka beat away.

Then in the last five minutes of the half Pool suddenly went berserk.

On 40 minutes they scored. Myhill made a bad decision, choosing to come to the edge of his area to collect a long punt forward. But Gary Taylor-Fletcher outjumped the keeper and flicked a header over Myhill and towards an unguarded goal.

Two defenders charged back to clear but Dickov was braver than the pair put together and forced the ball over the line from six yards. Bravery and the instincts of a goalpoacher.

Perfect. Just what Pool have been lacking.

Two minutes later and with Hull at sixes and sevens, the Seasiders tried to walk the ball into the net. Four players had opportunities to shoot before Claus Jorgensen eventually did but his effort was deflected wide.

And another chance before the half was out, Wes Hoolahan brilliantly sending Barker clear on the right. The full back delivered a pinpoint cross along the floor which found Gorkss all alone at the back post, but the defender, faced with an open net, finished like a defender, slicing his shot so badly it ended up travelling away from the net as opposed to towards it.

Gorkss was one of three Tangerine players already booked before the break. His was never a yellow card, the referee clearly evening things up because he had cautioned Nick Barmby, on for the stricken Hughes, moments earlier. Gorkss would pay the price in the 82nd minute when he was shown a second yellow – this one fully deserved after his mistimed lunge chopped down Dean Marney – and sent off.

By that point it was all square at 2-2. Pool had gone two up on 50 minutes and what a cracker it was.

Latching onto a ball into the box and facing away from goal, Dickov looped the ball over a defender's shoulder and then – when 99.9 per cent of other players would have simply hammered a shot goalward – produced the deftest of lobs over Myhill, getting the ball up and down and into the back of the net from 16 yards. Pure class.

With the home crowd restless, Phil Brown went for broke, brought on £1m man Caleb Folan and played three up front. The results were immediate.

Frazier Campbell, an exciting, young player on loan from Manchester United, turned Gorkss inside the area and crossed low. Folan, who had been on the pitch for less for one minute 49 seconds, cleverly flicked the ball past Rachubka from close range.

Hull were on fire, laid siege to the Pool goal and it was no surprise when the equaliser arrived on 71 minutes.

Dickov – in just about his only sloppy moment – failed to react on the halfway line to a clearance, which allowed Sam Ricketts to collect the ball and charge forward. His right wing cross clipped Stephen Crainey and looped over Rachubka. It looked as if it had already crossed the line before Dean Windass made sure. Flukey goal but as far as Hull were concerned it didn't matter. The fightback was complete.

Strangely Blackpool, rather than being shell-shocked and there for the taking, came back into it after that and Hoolahan had a wicked shot from 18 yards well parried by Myhill. However, after Gorkss went, the final eight minutes were simply about keeping the opposition out. Credit to Pool, and particularly the back four, that they did.

So many times this season, Grayson's men have played well on their travels but departed with nothing to show for their efforts.

At least the same didn't happen here. Just.

Bristol City 1 - Blackpool 0

IN the build-up to the 1994 World Cup Finals, which were being hosted by the US for the first time, a series of TV ads ran in the States accompanied by the voice-over 'Soccer. A sport where the players actually enjoy getting hit in the head by a ball'.

The cheek of it. As well as confirming once and for all that Americans will never understand the beautiful game, it was also slightly ironic given that their favourite pastime (aside from eating burgers and destroying other countries) involves 20 grown men, dressed in helmets and wearing shoulder pads the size of a small British town, running into each other.

To see our Bristol City v Pool gallery click here

The point is that anyone lucky enough to be in Hull on Saturday (and there's a sentence you don't see often) will have discovered exactly what is so good about football.

This was a cracking encounter, which swung from end to end and had just about everything, not least a lovely bit of controversy with the Seasiders camp accusing rival boss Phil Brown (once of Blackpool himself of course) of refereeing the game from the dugout.

Fuming

To sum proceedings up: Pool worked hard to get into a 2-0 lead. Then, cruising with half an hour left, they sat too deep, twice conceded and, as they desperately battled to keep out a rampant home side, had Kaspars Gorkss sent off. In the end they did very well to earn a point.

Before anyone gets too critical about throwing away a two-goal advantage, think again.

Hull are a good side. Blackpool played well and this was a fine point, one which everybody in tangerine would have gladly accepted before kick-off.

Afterwards Grayson and his players were fuming with the performance of referee Jonathan Moss – who was pretty shocking – and also with Phil Brown.

Grayson wouldn't admit that latter complaint in public but Ben Burgess did. They felt Brown influenced the referee and thus the game, and it has to be said that it was a minor miracle the Tigers manager wasn't banished to the stand, not least for marching onto the playing surface at one stage during the first half because he didn't agree with a decision.

All jolly fascinating, but a shame because it took the shine off what was not just a very good Pool performance but a quite wonderful Paul Dickov display.

What a signing he's turning out to be. That's four points he's earned the club in a mere 92 minutes on the pitch –13 minutes against Leicester and a further 79 here – with the end product of three goals.

Finally the club possesses not just someone who can poach a goal (his first here) but a frontman who can score brilliantly too (his second).

The lob which put the Seasiders two up in this game was pure quality, a moment of magic.

I certainly can't recall a Blackpool player performing so well on his full debut.

Even taking Dickov's goals out of the equation he was just what the team needed, chasing lost causes and harassing defenders and doing exactly what Grayson expected of him: ie, being a nuisance.

What was most astonishing was his workrate, which never lapsed prior to his substitution late on. For a player who hasn't played a game in three months, that speaks volumes about Dickov's professionalism and his work ethic in training.

Stephen McPhee, left out of the squad for this one because of a gentleman's agreement with Hull, will be now fretting on his place.

The magnificent Dickov deserved to be the matchwinner, but alas Hull spoiled things somewhat.

However, as disappointing as it is to squander a two-goal advantage, I'd have taken this result all day long.

Hull were flying coming into this fixture and have some excellent players. A point will do just nicely. It keeps the gap over the bottom three at more than two victories, and also keeps that points tally ticking along. Pool are edging closer, bit by bit, to the Holy Grail of 53 points and guaranteed safety.

Wolves tomorrow is tough – especially if Freddy Eastwood is in the mood – but I would back Blackpool against anyone at Bloomfield Road. Three more points against Mick McCarthy's team (and boy do Pool owe them one after being robbed of victory at Molineux earlier in the season) and things really would be looking rosy.

And maybe then we could stop looking down and fretting so much. After all let's not forget that Pool are the same number of points off the top six as they are from the bottom three – seven.

For the neutral, this clash with Hull was a belter.

Dickov for McPhee was Pool's only change from last weekend's win over Leicester and they started where they left off, going for goal.

Shaun Barker had an early header athletically tipped over by Bo Myhill, while at the other end Dean Windass missed a sitter from four yards.

The first 17 minutes were superb, end to end with no thought for defence.

Then a serious injury to Bryan Hughes, sustained in an accidental clash with Dickov, saw a six-minute stoppage and the game lost its rhythm.

But it was still intriguing, with the odd chance here and there. Windass, so annoying as an opponent but a great player to have in your team (a bit like Dickov in fact), broke clear in the box and blasted a pile-driver of a shot which Rachubka beat away.

Then in the last five minutes of the half Pool suddenly went berserk.

On 40 minutes they scored. Myhill made a bad decision, choosing to come to the edge of his area to collect a long punt forward. But Gary Taylor-Fletcher outjumped the keeper and flicked a header over Myhill and towards an unguarded goal.

Two defenders charged back to clear but Dickov was braver than the pair put together and forced the ball over the line from six yards. Bravery and the instincts of a goalpoacher.

Perfect. Just what Pool have been lacking.

Two minutes later and with Hull at sixes and sevens, the Seasiders tried to walk the ball into the net. Four players had opportunities to shoot before Claus Jorgensen eventually did but his effort was deflected wide.

And another chance before the half was out, Wes Hoolahan brilliantly sending Barker clear on the right. The full back delivered a pinpoint cross along the floor which found Gorkss all alone at the back post, but the defender, faced with an open net, finished like a defender, slicing his shot so badly it ended up travelling away from the net as opposed to towards it.

Gorkss was one of three Tangerine players already booked before the break. His was never a yellow card, the referee clearly evening things up because he had cautioned Nick Barmby, on for the stricken Hughes, moments earlier. Gorkss would pay the price in the 82nd minute when he was shown a second yellow – this one fully deserved after his mistimed lunge chopped down Dean Marney – and sent off.

By that point it was all square at 2-2. Pool had gone two up on 50 minutes and what a cracker it was.

Latching onto a ball into the box and facing away from goal, Dickov looped the ball over a defender's shoulder and then – when 99.9 per cent of other players would have simply hammered a shot goalward – produced the deftest of lobs over Myhill, getting the ball up and down and into the back of the net from 16 yards. Pure class.

With the home crowd restless, Phil Brown went for broke, brought on £1m man Caleb Folan and played three up front. The results were immediate.

Frazier Campbell, an exciting, young player on loan from Manchester United, turned Gorkss inside the area and crossed low. Folan, who had been on the pitch for less for one minute 49 seconds, cleverly flicked the ball past Rachubka from close range.

Hull were on fire, laid siege to the Pool goal and it was no surprise when the equaliser arrived on 71 minutes.

Dickov – in just about his only sloppy moment – failed to react on the halfway line to a clearance, which allowed Sam Ricketts to collect the ball and charge forward. His right wing cross clipped Stephen Crainey and looped over Rachubka. It looked as if it had already crossed the line before Dean Windass made sure. Flukey goal but as far as Hull were concerned it didn't matter. The fightback was complete.

Strangely Blackpool, rather than being shell-shocked and there for the taking, came back into it after that and Hoolahan had a wicked shot from 18 yards well parried by Myhill. However, after Gorkss went, the final eight minutes were simply about keeping the opposition out. Credit to Pool, and particularly the back four, that they did.

So many times this season, Grayson's men have played well on their travels but departed with nothing to show for their efforts.

At least the same didn't happen here. Just.

Blackpool 2 - Leicester 1

In a week when a ferry washed up on a beach in Cleveleys, it was important the Seasiders didn't flounder in a match that could prove pivotal in their campaign to stay up.

Unlike the Riverdance, they didn't.

Having once sat in a dinghy on Fairhaven Lake as a child, I consider myself fairly clued up on maritime issues and the thing that got me about the ferry was the 'revelation' that it got in trouble after being hit by a freak wave.

See the match gallery here

It was sailing across the Irish Sea in the worst weather conditions for years. What did they expect? A millpond?

Mind you, at least it has provided Blackpool with some much-needed revenue. The sight of the stricken boat has drawn more visitors than the Illuminations.

You can't move in Cleveleys for blokes in shellsuits wandering around the beach taking pictures of a boat, which means an absolutely thrilling slideshow for an unfortunate neighbour at a later date.

On the bright side, it provided the local population with plenty of chocolate digestives, packets of which were being transported on the vessel and have since washed up on the beach in huge numbers.

They are a little soggy but still edible, at least according to my Aunty Edna, who ventured out at 5am on Saturday and returned home with 127 packets.

She was at the match on Saturday, eight chocolate digestives wrapped in tin foil as a half-time snack, and witnessed Pool grab three points that could be huge in the context of the season.

It was one of those victories that felt all the sweeter because it was possibly a little ill-deserved – Leicester had worked hard and their performance, certainly in the second half, merited a point.

It was particularly satisfying for Simon Grayson because it was his astute deadline day signing who secured the points.

Paul Dickov came off the bench on 77 minutes and, with less than 60 seconds remaining, was the right man in the right place to pounce on a loose ball in the penalty area and earn Pool victory.

The Leicester fans probably expected it. Dickov lists the Foxes among his former clubs, and how many times have we seen players come back to haunt their former employees? It's one of the rules of football.

It was a huge moment because Grayson's men, without a victory since the New Year's Day demolition of Burnley, were desperate for maximum points.

However, after Steve Howard had cancelled out Gary Taylor-Fletcher's terrific early goal, it appeared yet another frustrating draw was on the cards – a carbon-copy of the last game at Bloomfield Road against Ipswich.

Then came Dickov's timeliest of interventions to change the mood of every single person in the ground – from the away fans who trooped to the exits, to the Blackpool supporters jumping with delight, to the fourth official, who stood there desperately trying not to jump up and punch the air.

Plucked

'Why?' I hear you cry. Because he was a Blackpool fan, plucked from the stand.

When linesman Ian Siddall pulled up with a muscle strain (though you'd be forgiven for thinking it was much worse given that he hobbled from the pitch like a survivor from the Somme), an announcement went out over the Tannoy asking if there were any "level 4 or 5 referees in the ground".

The fourth official replaced the linesman, so they needed someone to stand between the rival managers in the dugout area.

Steve Townsend, a Blackpool Sunday Alliance ref who had been cheering Pool on from the North Stand, wandered over to volunteer his services.

Moments later, after swapping the tangerine Seasiders top he was wearing for a more neutral black, he found himself chatting with Grayson and Ian Holloway and getting a big cheer from the crowd when he held up the time-added-on board at the end of the first half.

Both managers saw the funny side, although Holloway wasn't laughing at the end. He was left sickened by the late defeat and who can blame him? There's nothing worse than seeing your team lose at the death.

On the flipside, it doesn't get much better than watching your team pinch the points in the last seconds, which is why the two managers were in very contrasting moods afterwards.

Grayson looked as though he'd won tickets to see Paul McCartney; Holloway looked as if he'd won tickets to see Paul Daniels.

The winning boss could afford to be honest in his assessment It was a pretty lousy game, said Grayson, adding that his team had been fortunate to emerge victorious. He was right on both counts.

The match was anything but a classic, but then again have you tried playing football in a wind tunnel? Conditions were awful, the pitch bumpy and so players found it almost impossible to string passes together.

Even Wes Hoolahan realised it wasn't a day to run with the ball, and in the second half he sensibly kept it very simple, sticking to basic passes.

Mind you, that could also have had something to do with a rollicking he got from the manager after a flashy first-half backheel went wrong.

There wasn't much to separate the sides and Pool won because they got a lucky break at the end.

But although Leicester will feel hard done by, the Seasiders won't care a jot.

This victory lifts the clouds of doubt that were beginning to gather after a few winless weeks.

It takes the pressure off and gives the Seasiders great heart going into a month of testing fixtures.

Despite bringing in Dickov, Stuart Green and a Latvian keeper last Thursday, Grayson chose none of them in his starting 11.

Instead he went with the tried and trusted, and returned to the 4-4-2 formation which suits Blackpool so well at home. That meant Hoolahan was back, along with fit-again Taylor-Fletcher on the other flank. The latter made a devastating early impression, scoring after two and a half minutes.

Stephen Crainey was the architect, picking out Taylor-Fletcher with a superb 60-yard diagonal pass.

The winger controlled the ball magnificently and his second touch was even better, clipping the ball past a rooted Ben Alnwick with the outside of his foot – a clever, quick-witted finish.

Shock

Alnwick never moved, though that could have been the shock of being beaten. It's the first goal the England Under-21 stopper has conceded since joining Leicester from Spurs four games ago.

Fourth official fun aside, little else happened until the minutes leading up to the break. Then Ben Burgess broke free but dragged his shot wide, and Shaun Barker sneaked in front of his marker at a corner but put his header over.

Credit to Holloway – the Leicester boss brought on two substitutes for the second half, including the lively DJ Campbell, and switched to an adventurous 4-3-3. It worked.

The Foxes got back in it on 63 minutes, although Pool won't be happy with their defending.

Both Barker and Ian Evatt made mistakes as Pool failed to clear a cross and Howard, who scores goals wherever he goes, was on hand to sidefoot the ball in from 10 yards. It repaid some of the £1.5m Leicester paid to Derby for his services last month.

But money doesn't guarantee success – ask Northern Rock.

With the game drifting to a draw, after Burgess had missed Blackpool's best chance by shoo

ting over from 30 yards with Alnwick stranded, Dickov popped up on his debut to grab the headlines and the points.

Barker made a big contribution to the goal, which atoned for his earlier error.

The skipper showed great bravery to get on the end of Paul Rachubka's free-kick into the box. The ball dropped kindly for Dickov. Redemption for Barker.

One final thought – before kick-off, it had been 70 seasons since Leicester last won at Bloomfield Road in a league match. Make it 71.

POOL: Rachubka, Barker (cap), Evatt, Gorkss, Crainey, Taylor-Fletcher, Jorgensen, Flynn, Hoolahan, McPhee, Burgess. Subs: Jackson, Morrell, Fox, Welsh, Dickov

LEICESTER: Alnwick, Kisnorbo, McAuley, Clemence, Hume, Stearman, Mattock, Hayles, Oakley, Laczko, Howard. Subs: Chambers, N'Gotty, DJ Campbell, Fryatt, Bori

REF: Graham Laws (Whiteley Bay)

Bristol City 1 - Blackpool 0

THERE is a sketch in a Marx Brothers film where a dinner party at an extremely posh mansion is about to commence.

The lady of the house gestures for a handsome young buck to sit on the chair next to her. "You sit on my left hand," she instructs, before addressing another male guest, "while you sit on my right hand."

Groucho looks at her and says: "How you going to eat?"

Left and right was the problem for Simon Grayson in this fixture because an unbalanced formation and a lack of real width in the first half was undoubtedly the Seasiders downfall.

See the match gallery here

Gary Taylor-Fletcher was injured, so no one on the right. And on the other flank, and very surprisingly, Wes Hoolahan was omitted, dropped to the bench.

It was a bold move to say the least, especially as the manager chose Andy Morrell to play on the right and told Stephen McPhee to play on the left. Neither looked wholly comfortable.

"It was designed to be a 4-5-1 when we defended," explained Grayson, " and a 4-3-3 when we attacked."

The boss opted for this unusual shape because of the heavy defeat at Charlton in which his side were ripped apart by a confident and pacy home team.

Demolished in unceremonious fashion at the Valley, Grayson was eager to avoid the same outcome here against a team bidding – successfully as it turned out – to go top of the Championship.

Tick

And yet the plan backfired for it was in the opening 45 minutes – playing this new formation – that Pool were outplayed.

Bristol City exploited the Seasiders discomfort with their new tactics, especially the fact that both Morrell and McPhee looked hugely ill at ease with the positions they were being asked to play.

The home team dominated the opening half with consummate ease and Pool, who just never got going, were fortunate not to be more than a single goal behind at the interval, a goal which keeper Paul Rachubka will not look back on with too much pleasure.

Fortunately (though unfortunately due to an injury to McPhee) there was a reshuffle at the break. Hoolahan entered the fray and suddenly the team started to tick.

The winger, a little indifferent in recent weeks, looked as if he had a point to prove and to say he ran Bristol ragged is no overstatement.

In the end Robins boss Gary Johnson resorted to bringing Cole Skuse off the subs bench with the direct order to man mark Hoolahan. Skuse was promptly booked minutes after coming on for almost chopping Wes in half with a late, diving tackle.

Admit

Andy Welsh also came off the bench, for a slightly unfortunate Jorgensen. He too held the ball up and worked it around and suddenly Pool looked a balanced and polished outfit.

But for the crossbar and Adriano Basso's fingertips stopping Stephen Crainey's free-kick and an Ian Evatt header flashing the wrong side of the post, they would have earned a point.

Afterwards Grayson admitted the first half hadn't gone to plan and if he's being honest, as he always is, then he might privately admit he might have got his team selection wrong from the off.

However, in fairness to the boss one could see his thinking. He wanted to keep it tight and felt that 4-5-1 formation would do the trick, as well as perhaps giving Hoolahan a reminder that he isn't indispensable.

In the long run, if he gets the latter right then it could prove to be a masterstroke.

Unfortunately though it led to a frustrating afternoon resultwise, and probably wasn't pleasurable viewing for Valery Belokon.

Yes, you heard right. Belokon was there!

Unless he's got a particularly good double and the Oystons are going to extreme lengths to cover up a fall-out, the club president was sitting in the directors box alongside his wife.

He doesn't half look the part. Pristine in designer suit, complete with tangerine tie and the coolest pair of sunglasses you can imagine, he wouldn't have looked out of place at the Milan Fashion Show. Or the Riga Fashion Show, if they have one.

Perhaps the sunglasses were to cover his eyes from the glare of the fireworks which erupted from the ground when the teams walked onto the pitch. Bristol City are obviously taking this Championship marlarkey way too seriously. At Blackpool it's a triumph when the clock's working.

After an even opening, the home side, having such a glorious first season back in the Championship after an absence of seven years, went ahead on 22 minutes.

Stranded

Rachubka came too far from his line to try to deal with a Lee Johnson free-kick into the area. He collided with Kaspars Gorkss, who was trying to clear, and the end result was that the ball looped to Marvin Elliott the edge of the area.

The midfielder clipped a beautifully controlled first-time volley back over the stranded Pool keeper and into the top corner.

Without ever really forcing Rachubka to make a real save, Bristol controlled proceedings for the remainder of the half. Grayson's men had just a couple of corners – none particularly well delivered – to show for their efforts.

Then the half-time substitution and suddenly the tide turned.

Hoolahan was at the centre of everything, demanding the ball in that trademark fashion of his and leaving even the home fans breathless with his array of twists and turns.

Several times he came so close to creating something from nothing, prodding and probing on the edge of the box like a surgeon about to complete a hitherto unheard of procedure.

Andy Welsh did the same too when he came on and the pair, both people who like to get hold of a football and do something constructive with it, converted Pool from average to something special.

Crainey's free-kick from 25 yards was tipped onto the bar on 59 minutes, while Ian Evatt – looking back to his old self – and Michael Flynn had shots blocked.

Evatt missed the target by a whisker with a header from a David Fox free-kick on 71 minutes and moments later Morrell – teed up by Hoolahan, who had beaten three men and squared the ball – had a low drive from 12 yards blocked.

Long before the end the home fans were getting twitchy and agitated and with good reason. The Seasiders, after a pretty abject first period, had bossed the second and if they'd equalised, it would have been fully merited.

Agitated

As it is Bristol City go

top and Pool are once again left to look over their shoulders in slightly agitated fashion.

So many times this season, and especially away from home, Grayson's side have matched their opponents but failed to collect any points.

This was another example. A game of two halves. Pool deserved a point but left empty-handed.

It's frustrating on one hand, but on the other hugely encouraging. Grayson's men continue to play well, but – and here's the thing – especially when Hoolahan's in the starting line up.

POOL: Rachubka, Barker, Evatt, Gorkss, Crainey, Jorgensen, Flynn, Fox, Morrell, Burgess, McPhee. Subs: Gerrard, Jackson, Vernon, Hoolahan, Welsh.

BRISTOL CITY: Basso, Orr, Vasko, McCombe, McAllister, Carle, Johnson, Elliott, McIndoe, Trundle, Byfield. Subs: Fontaine, Murray, Noble, Skuse, Weale.

REF: Roger East (Wiltshire)

Blackpool 1 - Ipswich Town 1

FOURTEEN times this season, Ipswich fans have risen on Saturday mornings to follow their team on an away journey.

Fourteen times they've returned home later the same evening and with that beautifully optimistic outlook only football fans possess, have shrugged their shoulders, cracked open a can of mild and sighed "Never mind, there's always next week."

Ipswich, you see, haven't won away from home all season, which is why it is hard to begrudge them the point they departed with from Blackpool.

See the Ipswich match gallery here

The visitors worked hard and showed excellent spirit to equalise when down to ten men.

However, it left the majority of people inside Bloomfield Road mightily frustrated because, in truth, Pool let their travel-sick visitors off the hook.

Without ever playing brilliantly – despite home fans that created a quite brilliant atmosphere throughout – Simon Grayson's men were in control of the contest for an hour.

Cruise

Perhaps not full control, for a lively and fast-breaking Ipswich always looked dangerous and liable to cause problems.

But nevertheless after taking the lead through Claus Jorgensen's tap in – excellently created by the busy and impressive Stephen McPhee – the Seasiders were on cruise control and set for victory.

Then Ipswich had a man sent off and suddenly, galvanised by the setback and what they, possibly quite rightly, considered a harsh red card, Jim Magilton's team turned the contest on its head.

They equalised through a fine header from powerful winger Jon Walters, made a couple of substitutions to shore up the defence, and from then on Blackpool never really looked breaking down the ten men in blue.

It led to a disappointing conclusion to the contest and a manager who afterwards was as frustrated as I've seen him in a long time.

Not one to blame the players if he can at all help it, Grayson went, by his standards, mildly berserk at his side's defending from set-pieces.

Walters had headed Ipswich's equaliser from a corner, following on from the two set-pieces Charlton scored against Pool last weekend.

It left Grayson quietly seething and there are bound to be some harsh words said to his team as a whole – for it's not just the defence who are responsible for picking up opponents at set pieces – prior to next Saturday's trip to Bristol City.

Survival

What added to Grayson's unhappiness was an overwhelming sense of 'what if?' Three points here would have lifted the Tangerines nine points clear of the drop zone and given them a terrific foundation for survival going into the last 18 games.

Instead while a seven-point gap is still healthy, given the nature of this division and the unpredictability of results on a weekly basis, it is not quite healthy enough.

And so, while a 1-1 draw against a side seventh from top in the Championship is hardly a disaster, one can understand the manager's frustration.

Ipswich are a decent outfit but you could sense their limitations and a lack of confidence away from home and a Seasiders victory was there for the taking.

It was also doubly annoying to concede moments after the opposition has been reduced to ten men. While football managers might have a point when they waffle on about how hard it is to score against 10 players, conceding to a team shorter on numbers is inexcusable.

Pool did and paid the price, although let's give some credit to Ipswich. They showed terrific spirit and in the final half hour – apart from a flurry of Blackpool corners at the end – probably looked the more likely to nick a second goal and claim victory.

Skill

In truth Pool hadn't played that well from the start. Grayson had made two changes, and after last weekend's hammering at Charlton fairly predictable ones. Ian Evatt replaced Michael Jackson, and Stephen McPhee made his full debut at the expense of Scott Vernon.

McPhee did well throughout the afternoon (aside from one result-turning miss, which we'll come to later) and showed what he was made of 39 seconds into the contest when he beat a defender and fired in a shot.

He looks like a tireless worker, he has skill and pace, and what is most impressive is that for a smallish frontman he possesses great strength.

He was marked by Jason De Vos, a centre back so enormous he looks like three men welded together. It's quite possible that Roald Dahl based his book the Big Friendly Giant on him. And yet McPhee held off this man mountain on several occasions.

In short, he looks a very good buy and could be just what Blackpool have been missing.

He also linked well with Ben Burgess, the man who, in a lacklustre opening half hour, had Pool's best chance.

Picked out by Gary Taylor-Fletcher, the striker should have done better than plant his 27th minute header straight at Neil Alexander.

It wasn't great stuff although proceedings were enlivened by a number of dodgy decisions from a flag-happy linesman and an excellent WWF-style shoulder slam by Paul Rachubka, which floored Ipswich striker Pablo Counago in no-nonsense fashion.

Then the breakthrough arrived.

Burgess's 39th minute touch sent McPhee clear of the centre backs. The striker headed for goal and cleverly recovered from a heavy final touch – just beating the on-rushing Alexander to the ball and squaring it to the unmarked Jorgensen. Standing all on his own in the six-yard box, the Dane couldn't miss.

Ipswich appealed in vain for offside, the irony being that for the first and most crucial time all match, the linesman had kept his flag down.

Dangerous winger Danny Haynes missed a good chance on the stroke of half time – failing to find a way through a crowd of players with a free volley from a half-cleared corner – but after the break Pool looked very much at ease.

Shaun Barker headed wide and Taylor-Fletcher did brilliantly to win the ball and burst into the box, though he couldn't beat Alexander with his lunging, left-footed shot.

It was all fairly comfortable, summed up by the crowd's rendition of "Oyston, where's the stand?" and "We've only got two stands".

Personally I don't know what the crowd's problem is. The chairman said he'd start building the south west corner on September 23, 2006. He's only 485 days out; give the bloke a break…

Glorious

The fans and everyone else were shaken from their good spirits by a crazy three minutes.

Castro Sito got his marching orders in the 62nd minute for what looked like a two-footed challenge on Wes Hoolahan.

Referees have been told to clamp down on two-footed tackles but Sito won the ball cleanly and his feet didn't appear to be off the ground. Grayson remarked afterwards that soon no tackles would be permitted in football and I'm on his side. It was harsh.

Less than 60 seconds later Pool had a glorious opportunity to make the points safe. Burgess chipped the ball into the centre and McPhee, steaming in to the six yard box, seemed odds on to head the ball into the net. He put it wide – a bad miss.

Costly too, for on 65 minutes Gary Roberts swung in a corner and Walters, a winger built like an old-fashioned style centre forward, headed the ball in off the underside of the bar. Great header, but poor marking again.

Despite having an extra man, the Seasiders just couldn't make it count. They had one real chance to nick victory but just when Kaspars Gorkss's header looked destined for the top corner, Alexander clawed the ball behind – a terrific one-handed stop.

Disappointment all round at the end, though not for the 1,495 visiting fans. They haven't seen their team win away since last March, but this must have felt like a victory. Which is why, for Pool, and particularly Grayson, it felt like a defeat.

POOL: Rachubka, Barker, Evatt, Gorkss, Crainey, Taylor-Fletcher, Flynn, Jorgensen, Hoolahan, Burgess, McPhee. Subs: Jackson, Morrell, Vernon, Fox, Welsh.

IPSWICH: Alexander, Sito, Bruce, De Vos, Wright, Haynes, Roberts, Garvan, Walters, Counago, Legwinski. Subs: Supple, Alan lee, Tommy Lee, Naylor, Rhodes

REF: Mike Pike (Barrow)

Charlton 4 - Blackpool 1

THIS is the time of year when many people finally get round to glancing at the various books bestowed on them at Christmas.

I am no exception and on Saturday morning found myself leafing through the pages of a trivia book, staring in wonder at the description of how a wombat kills pursuing predators.

The Australian animal runs at a speed of up to 30mph before coming to a sudden halt – unlike a car, no stopping distance is required.

Whatever is behind it can't react in time, slams into the wombat's unusually tough backside and more often than not keels over and pops its clogs.

See the match gallery here

On the rare occasions the attacker survives, it has a hell of a headache the next morning.

I mention this because I imagine the look of surprise on a predator's face at the exact moment it smashes into a speeding wombat's bottom is similar to that which adorned Simon Grayson's 10 minutes into this contest.

The manager couldn't have looked more shocked as Charlton – a team he really fancied his side could beat – were two goals up and rampant.

Grayson's expression stayed the same right through until the end, by which point the home side had cantered to a victory that could, and in all honesty should, have been even more convincing.

Mind you, it's little wonder the boss was so stunned. He's not used to seeing his side get beaten so heavily. This was the first time a team he has managed has conceded four goals in a league game.

In fact, not since being hammered 4-1 at Rotherham in August 2005 have Blackpool been similarly walloped. Colin Hendry was in charge then, three months before Grayson took over.

On Saturday, the fact is that Charlton were simply too good for the Seasiders and it led to a very disappointing 90 minutes.

For the first time all season, Grayson's men were outplayed and second best. They never really had any degree of control over the proceedings and, but for the brief period of hope given to them by Ben Burgess' quite wonderful right-foot volley, they didn't ever look likely to come away with any points.

But then again, should we really have expected different?

Misleading

Charlton's starting 11 cost a total of £9.4m. Blackpool's cost £295,000. One shops in Harrods, the other in the Pound Store.

And although the Seasiders were the form team going into the contest (they were unbeaten in four league games, while Charlton had not won in six), statistics can be misleading.

The fact is that Alan Pardew has a very good team at the Valley. They were a Premier League side eight months ago and their squad is packed with quality players. Charlton were expected to beat Blackpool and they duly did.

And yet we still can't help but be surprised by the ease of the Addicks victory. Why is that? The answer is because Blackpool have, in many ways, become a victim of their own success.

Such has been the style and form of Grayson's side over the last 18 months that you kind of expect them to brush teams aside, or at least to put up a damn good show.

They had done that at places like Watford, Wolves and West Brom, often making their far wealthier and more experienced hosts look inferior. But at Charlton they caught a very good side on a very good day.

Pardew reckoned it was the best his team has played all season.

In contrast, Grayson thought it was probably the worst his players had performed … which explains the result in a nutshell.

Pool, so magnificent all season, had an off day, particularly at the back.

The manager brought back the four players missing at Barnsley the previous weekend.

In theory they should have been rested and refreshed. What a load of rubbish that theory turned out to be, for not even the presence of Shaun Barker, Kaspars Gorkss, Claus Jorgensen and Wes Hoolahan in the starting 11 could save the Seasiders.

Barker and Gorkss were part of a back four that had a real tough afternoon.

They were torn apart by the brilliance of Luke Varney, who occupied the region between Blackpool's midfield and the back four and caused problems from first minute to last.

Mind you, it was goalkeeper Paul Rachubka who has to hold his hands up for getting Charlton off to a flier.

He failed to prevent a fifth-minute Darren Ambrose corner sailing over his head, which allowed right-back Madjid Bougherra to nod in unmarked from approximately two yards out.

Rachubka claimed he was impeded but he's an honest lad and won't need telling that he should have done much better.

Five minutes later, and with Pool still shell-shocked, it was two. Varney cut inside Gorkss with ease, and although he didn't catch his shot from 14 yards perfectly, it was so well-placed that it rolled past Rachubka and into the bottom corner.

On 12 minutes, and with play swinging from end-to-end, Pool hit back. The ball looped to Burgess 20 yards from goal and he struck an instinctive first-time volley right-footed, which dipped perfectly over Nicky Weaver.

It was the striker's sixth goal of the campaign and probably as good a strike as he has ever hit. It was also, strangely enough, his first goal away from home this season.

But Varney was still running free and pulling the strings, causing Jackson and an out-of-sorts Gorkss real problems.

On 24 minutes it cost the Seasiders dear. The former Crewe man cut inside Barker with almost arrogant ease on the right of the penalty area and pulled the ball back.

It eventually fell to Charlton's £2m Chinese international Zheng Zhi, who pounced left-footed and beat Rachubka from 12 yards.

Leaping

It was still 3-1 at half-time but Pool needed to score the next goal to have any chance. They didn't.

Instead Charlton ended the match as a contest on 54 minutes. Zheng Zhi again scored it, but Bougherra did the hard work – leaping superbly to head an Ambrose corner against the post. Zheng netted the rebound.

Two goals conceded from set-pieces – very sloppy indeed – and it would be no surprise to see Ian Evatt back in the line-up against Ipswich on Saturday.

Grayson made changes. Stephen McPhee came on to make his debut (and did well, looking lively and displaying a nice touch which bodes well), while David Fox and later Andy Morrell also entered the fray.

And credit to the men in Tangerine for sticking to their task to the end, though with increasing futility.

Indeed, Pool came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, a powerful shot by an out-of-sorts Hoolahan testing Weaver and Morrell almost sneaking clear.

But the home side had the better opportunities and should have extended their lead. Substitute Jerome Thomas

was the worst offender, shooting over from eight yards with the goal at his mercy after more great work from Varney.

It was a blessed relief when the referee ended the match. This was a bad day at the office for Blackpool and a chastening experience for all involved.

It might do them good, though. The Seasiders have a great team spirit and individuals in the squad with a terrific attitude. They don't like losing and detest being outplayed.

So watch out Ipswich for Pool will be determined to put things right – and knowing Grayson and co, they probably will.

POOL: Rachubka, Barker, Jackson, Gorkss, Crainey, Taylor-Fletcher, Jorgensen, Flynn, Hoolahan, Vernon, Burgess SUBS: Evatt, McPhee, Welsh, Morrell, Fox

CHARLTON: Weaver, Moutaouakil, Zheng, McCarthy, Holland, Ambrose, Varney, Sam, Bougherra, Youga, McLeod SUBS: Randolph, Thomas, Iwelumo, Semedo, Dickson

REF: J Singh

Blackpool 3 – Burnley 0

THE reward for the Blackpool players for demolishing Burnley in this sweetest of Lancashire derby victories was a slap-up meal at the Grand Hotel in St Annes.

Given the nature of this win, first-class air travel to Heathrow followed by a chauffeur-driven limo to the Ivy would have been justified.

I made a joke about the Seasiders mounting a promotion challenge following the win at Colchester. Maybe I shouldn't have. It's obviously given the players ideas above their station!

They appear to have held a team meeting sometime before Christmas where they clearly said 'forget this relegation malarkey, it's over-rated. Let's go for the top six instead'.

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At least that's how it seems for how else can one explain a quite astonishing 10-point haul over the Christmas and New Year period?

In my six years as Blackpool reporter I've rarely seen the team win a throw-in over the festive spell, let alone three games.

More than halfway through the season they are six points off the top six and higher in the table than Southampton, Sheffield United, Norwich and Leicester, to name but a few. Who would have thought it?

Mind you I think they had this win over Burnley in the bag before kick-off. After all, the sight of Clarets keeper Gabor Kiraly in just about the worst pair of jogging bottoms ever seen – in society in general, never mind just on a football pitch – could only have encouraged the Seasiders troops.

The offending item was long, grey and flabby, a bit like Kiraly had rummaged desperately through the Christmas sales bargain bin at JD Sports and come across one remaining pair – extra large, not quite his size, but nonetheless a bargain at £3.99.

They reminded me of a pair my dad started sporting shortly after he retired and only left the house to buy a pint of milk and a Daily Mirror from the local store.

He had a bad day (Kiraly, not my dad), blamed by his manager for Kaspars Gorkss's opener and being beaten by a cruel deflection for Claus Jorgensen's third. In between that he had no chance with a Ben Burgess close-range header.

Those were the goals that won this pulsating match for Pool and once again emphasised how determined Simon Grayson's Seasiders are to beat the drop.

To see off Burnley with such disdain suggests they will, for it is no mean feat. Since Owen Coyle replaced Steve Cotterill as boss two months ago he hasn't witnessed his side lose away from home. Against Pool they were hammered – the Clarets' first defeat on the road since October 6 at Cardiff.

And it was a completely deserved success. The Seasiders dominated for the opening half hour, and for the whole of the second half.

Once again Grayson had a good day with his selections. He decided to stick with Scott Vernon up front but bring back Burgess in place of Andy Morrell. Morrell – the man who scored at the death to pinch a point at Turf Moor in the reverse fixture in September – was gutted, and understandably so. But Burgess, who had suffered his own great disappointment when he was left out of the previous match at Colchester, was in the mood to make a point and by scoring that crucial second goal, certainly did so.

Solid

Competition among the strikers is just what is required and with the manager aiming to add two more during the next month, it will be interesting to see what combination he is playing come the end of the season.

Other than that switch up front, the team remained the same as at Colchester and just as they did at Layer Road, Pool turned in a thorough and professional performance.

Aside from the flair and movement going forward, the side was solid and resolute in defence. Kaspars Gorkss and Michael Jackson snuffed out the threat of 13-goal Andy Gray and the tricky Robbie Blake to the extent that Blake was substituted 10 minutes after half-time. His replacement Adi Akinbiyi had a similar lack of success.

Star man for me though was Michael Flynn. He didn't get on the scoresheet for once, but his display had just about everything else. He was a rock both in attack and defence and got through an astonishing amount of work.

Keith Southern's injury was a