Blackpool boss McPhillips salutes players’ spirit amid off-field distractions

Posted Sunday, February 17, 2019 by PA

Terry McPhillips praised his players for the way they are handling the off-field issues affecting the club after their 0-0 at Charlton.

A High Court judge on Wednesday appointed receivers to take control of the club, a move that ended Owen Oyston’s 31-year reign but which comes with the risk of a 12-point penalty.

McPhillips felt that his side, who made it seven games unbeaten on Saturday, are coping well amid the distractions.

However, with a five-point gap to the play-offs, he wants them to start feeling the benefit of big home crowds that have been lacking due to supporter boycotts.

He said: “If we can get a big crowd back that would be fantastic for us.

“We’ve always said from day one that we can only affect what we are responsible for, we cannot affect what goes on outside the football.

“There’s great camaraderie like in the second half, they stick together. It’s a hell of a group of lads to work with.

“I thought we were brilliant in the second half, that’s 18 clean sheets in all competitions.

“We need to get better at scoring goals and I hope the lads we have bought in January can help us with that.”

In a game in which Both teams lacked quality in the final third, Jonny Williams forced Blackpool goalkeeper Mark Howard into saves on three occasions.

The best chance for Blackpool fell to Armand Gnanduillet after 82 minutes after a solo run ended with a finish that looped just over.

Charlton manager Lee Bowyer felt his side did not make full use of the return of Lyle Taylor, who had been out for three games with suspension.

He said: “We have not had our main striker Taylor for the last three games and we didn’t have our other striker for the two before that.

“It’s been tough, but we had two strikers today on the pitch and we didn’t create enough chances.

“We were better in the second half, got into some good areas, but it’s the final ball.

“In the second half we huffed and puffed, but we just couldn’t break them down. It’s that final decision that’s let us down today.

“If you make mistakes doing the right things, that’s football. I don’t mind that. On the positive side we defended well, we worked hard as a team, and we tried.”