Blackpool FC Reserves news thread

[Bispham Seasider]

No surprise - the game was called off after a 1pm pitch inspection due to a frozen pitch, with no date yet for the match.

[Bispham Seasider]

The reserves take on Bury tomorrow with the likes of Jermaine Wright expected to play.

[Bispham Seasider]

The game has been moved from the Reserves usual home ground, Highbury Avenue, Fleetwood to Bloomfield Road and kicks off at 7pm this evening. No team news yet.

The game has presumably been moved because the pitch at Highbury won't be in great condition with all the recent rain.

[Bispham Seasider]

Team news is in and it is a mixture of first team squad players and youngsters as well as two triallists. No idea who the triallists are, I'm guessing they are the two who played in the behind-closed-doors match last week, one of whom sported a very fetching afro!

Bury Reserves are managed by former 'Pool striker Mike Sheron.

'Pool line-up -

1. Matthew Gilks
2. Danny Coid
3. Rolston (*)
4. Alex John-Baptiste
5. Bill Breakall
6. Jermaine Wright
7. Matty Kay
8. Danny Mitchley
9. Triallist
10. Triallist
11. Foster (*)

No news of subs, all of whom will prsemably be youth teamers. Oddly there is no place for either Stuart Green or Dominic Merella. And no indication whether they are injured or possibly going out on loan.

(*) First names not known!

[Bispham Seasider]

Blackpool 1 Bury 1

The visitors had the better of a disappointing 1st half, with Matthew Gilks saving a Jack Dorney penalty after 'Pool player Matty Kay had brought down Mason in the box.

The French triallist "blazed wide" early on whilst Steve Ralston fired straight at the keeper after 15 minutes. The best chance of the half fell to striker Danny Mitchley who latched on to a good through ball from Matty Kay. His shot was well blocked by the Bury keeper and he couldn't convert the rebound, firing wide with an open net.

Blackpool made a double change at half-time with Jake Rooney and Jake Forshaw replacing Danny Coid and Alex John-Baptiste. However, neither side created many clear cut chances. The deadlock was broken though on 70 minutes when the Seasiders defence failed to deal with a long punt forward and Bury's frontman slotted home past Gilks.

Lewis Almond replaced Danny Mitchley on 5 minutes later and Blackpool battled back into the match, equalising with 7 minutes left when Jake Rooney's cross was headed home by the Latvian triallist.

[Bispham Seasider]

The Reserves next fixture is a home match against Rochdale at Fleetwood Town's Highbury Avenue ground on Wednesday 11th February.

[Bispham Seasider]

Blackpool vs Rochdale switched to Bloomfield Road

Tomorrows home match against Rochdale will now take place at Bloomfield Road. No word as to why the switch but I presume it will be the state of the pitch at Highbury.

Kick-off is 7pm and players who are expected to play are Brett Ormerod, Francesco Carratta, Stephen Crainey, Joe Martin, Jermaine Wright, Danny Mitchley and Stuart Green who will make his first appearance since tearing a hamstring in the FA Cup match at Torquay in early January.

Season ticket holders as usual can watch the match for free on production of the relevant voucher. Tickets for non-season ticket holders cost £4 for adults and £2 for concessions.

Full team news presumably tomorrow.

[Bispham Seasider]

Blackpool 4 Rochale 2

The Reserves recorded a 4-2 win with a brace from Brett Ormerod plus goals from Stuart Green and Claus Bech Jørgensen.

Blackpool fielded a strong line-up - seven players with first team experience together with new signing Francesco Carratta and highly regarded youth keeper Mark Halstead.

Blackpool team

1. Mark Halstead
2. Jermaine Wright
3. Stephen Crainey
4. Ashley Eastham
5. Ashton Bayliss
6. Stuart Green
7. Claus Bech Jørgensen
8. Francesco Carratta
9. Joe Martin
10. Danny Mitchley
11. Brett Ormerod

Subs -

Lewis Almond
Ben Fishwick
Bill Breakall
Steve Ralston
Jake Newsham

Brett Ormerod opened the scoring after just six minutes and Blackpool doubled their lead on 32 minutes through a Claus Bech Jørgensen free-kick. Just before the break Ormerod added his second and 'Pools third with a sublime finish to effectively kill off the match as a contest.

Blackpool made three changes in the 2nd half and Dale pulled two goals back before Start Green scored a 4th for the home side from a Jermaine Wright cross.

There should be a fuller report tomorrow.

[Bispham Seasider]

Apparently Brett Ormerod and Francesco Carratta really impressed in the match, with Steve Thompson saying of Caratta, "He was exactly what we thought he would be He's very good on the ball and will find the tempo of the game a little bit different, but in the 1st half he was very good, seeing a pass and getting on the ball. It is a learning curve for him because he's come with great reviews, but he's had a great attitude and worked his socks off here. And he will get better."

[Bispham Seasider]

The reserve team play Accrington Stanley on Wednesday at the Fraser Eagle Stadium, Accrington, kick-off 2pm.

[Bispham Seasider]

An un-named trialist in tomorrow afternoon's match at Accrington. A central defender, he is in his second week with the club.

Striker Stephen McPhee makes his first appearaence since suffering knee ligament damage in November. He is joined by first teamers Danny Coid, Joe Martin, Stuart Green, Jermaine Wright and Danny Mitchley as well as recent signing Francesco Carratta. Also Charlie Adam made a request to play in the game to get some competitive football before his return to first team action at Bristol City on Saturday, following his three match suspension.

The team tomorrow is from -

Mark Halstead
Danny Coid
A Trialist
Ashton Bayliss
Joe Martin
Stuart Green
Francesco Carratta
Jermaine Wright
Charlie Adam
Danny Mitchley
Stephen McPhee
Ashley Eastham
Steve Ralston
Jake Hobbs
Ben Fishwick
Billy McKenna

[Bispham Seasider]

Reserve team manager Gary Parkinson confirmed a strong line-up for this afternoons match -

Mark Halstead

Danny Coid
Ashton Bayliss
A Trialist
Joe Martin

Stuart Green
Francesco Carratta
Jermaine Wright
Charlie Adam

Stephen McPhee
Danny Mitchley

Subs:
Ashley Eastham
Steve Ralston
Jake Hobbs
Ben Fishwick
Billy McKenna

The club have confirmed that the central defender trialist is English, and that he has been with Blackpool for two weeks.

The result will hopefully come in later today.

[Bispham Seasider]

Accrington Stanley 2 Blackpool 4

Two goals from Charlie Adam, and one each from Danny Mitchley and Stephen McPhee saw Blackpool record a 4-2 win. Not only that but Adam, who asked to play today, scored a spectacular goal from the just inside the halfway line!

Blackpool started the match with seven players who have first team experience, but it was Accrington who scored first when winger Kallum Higginbotham scored from a free-kick. The Seasiders soon equalised though with Charlie Adam scoring his first goal in tangerine, with a low shot. Blackpool finished the half stronger, although Mark Halstead tipped over a curling free-kick from Stanley's Robert Grant.

Just five minutes into the 2nd half Charlie Adam put Blackpool into the lead with a spectacular goal. He got the ball, jsut inside the Stanley half and curled an impressive finish over Accrington keeper Matthew Ince.

Moments later Stephen McPhee missed a great chance from 3 yards, sending his shot flying over the bar. He made amends though when he made it 3-1 with a well taken finish after Jermaine Wright and Danny Mitchley linked up, with Mitchley reversing a great pass into McPhee's path.

The hosts pulled a goal back on 67 minutes with another curling free-kick from Robert Grant. But on 75 minutes Danny Mitchley added a 4th goal to give Blackpool a 4-2 win.

[Bispham Seasider]

The Blackpool Gazette have full match highlights here including, of course, Charlie Adams' specatacular half-way line goal.

http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/video.aspx?VideoPath=BLAC/poolvaccy_goals512k_stream.wmv&VideoID=32425&ArticleID=5018528

[Bispham Seasider]

Next game is not until Wednesday 11th March, a home match against Carlisle United.

After that there are only three fixtures left -

Wednesday 25th March Burnley (away)
Tuesday 7th April Manchester City (away) 2pm
Wednesday 22nd April Tranmere Rovers (home)

[Bispham Seasider]

The Central League, Division One West

Current league table

Position | club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For-Against | Points

1st Manchester City 10 7 1 2 29-13 22
2nd Carlisle United 12 6 3 3 23-20 21
3rd Burnley 7 5 2 0 18-7 17
4th Blackpool 12 4 3 5 21-27 15
5th Preston K End 10 4 1 5 20-14 13
6th Tranmere Rovers 9 3 3 3 19-15 12
7th Bury 10 3 2 5 14-18 11
8th Rochdale 10 3 1 6 16-28 10
9th Morecambe 9 2 2 5 14-23 8
10th Accrington Stanley 9 2 2 5 10-19 8

[Bispham Seasider]

A very young and inexperienced reserve team, made up mostly of youth team players, with only Jermaine Wright with any real first team experience were hammered 6-1 at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday.

Francesco Carratta missed the match after picking up a groin injury in training on Monday and an un-named American trialist, a defender, was included in the starting line-up.

Jake Hobbs scored Blackpools solitary goal.

Blackpool line-up

Mark Halstead
Ben Fishwick
Steve Ralston
Matty Kay
Ashton Bayliss
A Trialist
Jake Hobbs
Lewis Almond
Danny Mitchley
Jermaine Wright
Billy McKenna

Subs:
Jake Newsham
Foster (first name not known)
Ashley Eastham
Jake Rooney
Jake Forshaw

[Bispham Seasider]

The reserve team should have played Burnley at Accrington Stanley's Fraser Eagle Stadium this evening but the game was postponed.

It was called off due to the pitch being "unplayable". A date has yet to be arranged for when the game will now take place.

[Bispham Seasider]

Central League West Division

Current table

Position - Club - Played - Points

1st Manchester City 14 28
2nd Carlisle United 15 26
3rd Burnley 12 25
4th PKE 14 20
5th Morecambe 14 18
6th Blackpool 14 18
7th Rochdale 15 18
8th Tranmere Rovers 15 17
9th Bury 13 12
10th Accrington Stanley 14 12

[Bispham Seasider]

Blackpool beat table toppers Manchester City 4-1 this week with a hat-trick from Stuart Green. (Not that it will do his Pool career any good as he is one of a number of players who are expected to be released at the end of the season. Youngster Lewis Almond got the other goal.

Pool lineup:

Mark Halstead
Jermaine Wright
Danny Coid
David Fox
Ashley Eastham
Ian Evatt
Matty Kay
Francesco Carretta
Lewis Almond
Stephen McPhee
Stuart Green

Subs:
Jake Newsham
Jake Forshaw
Billy McKenna
Kieran D'Arcy
Potts (Don't know his first name)