Neil Critchley lauds Blackpool’s ‘well-earned’ victory at Portsmouth
Posted Sunday, February 21, 2021 by PA
Blackpool manager Neil Critchley was bursting with pride after his side triumphed 1-0 at Portsmouth to put a dent in the hosts’ automatic promotion hopes.
Jerry Yates scored his 11th goal of the season eight minutes from time to lead the Seasiders to victory at Fratton Park.
Boss Critchley: “I was really proud of the performance. You know coming to Portsmouth, you are going to be up against a proper team.
“Anything you get is going to be well-earned and I felt it was a well-earned victory.
“We limited them to very little and the longer the game went, I felt we looked the most likely to score.
“There were not many chances at either end but a moment of quality has won it for us.
“We all play to win so we did not come here and settle for a point at 0-0. We were positive, believed in ourselves and got our reward for that.
“I did not feel in any danger after we scored. As a team, we stood up really well and I could not be happier with our defensive play.”
Blackpool could have taken the lead after only three minutes when Ellis Simms saw his shot saved superbly by Craig MacGillivray and Yates’s rebound shot was blocked by Charlie Daniels.
Defender Danny Ballard saved Blackpool from going a goal down by somehow getting in the way of a Rasmus Nicolaisen shot from point-blank range.
Elliot Embleton had a second-half shot beaten away by MacGillivray but both goalkeepers had a relatively quiet afternoon.
MacGillivray reacted bravely to punch away a Yates cross before Embleton could get on the end of it as the visitors pressed for a second goal in the dying stages.
This was Pompey’s first game since manager Kenny Jackett was forced to take a sabbatical from the touchline for health reasons although he was watching from the stands.
Yates had the final word in the 82nd minute, finishing smartly with an angled drive after riding a foul tackle from Nicolaisen.
Portsmouth assistant-manager Joe Gallen said: “We needed the three points so to come out with nothing is bitterly disappointing.
“We were up in the box a lot and had a lot of territory without creating a lot of chances.
“There’s disappointment that we didn’t create a lot of chances or work their keeper enough with a lot of crosses going into the box.
“We need to do better in terms of creating clear-cut opportunities – and we didn’t do that.”
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