Michael Appleton tells Blackpool players to savour derby success over Preston
Posted Saturday, October 22, 2022 by PA
Michael Appleton wants his players to savour Blackpool’s rip-roaring 4-2 victory over fierce Lancashire rivals Preston.
Preston travelled to Bloomfield Road boasting both the Championship’s best away record and stingiest defence.
But Ryan Lowe’s team were stunned by a rush of second-half goals, with Blackpool rallying against the run of play to score three times after the break and send Preston home empty handed for the second successive season.
Appleton, a former Preston player, was tasting this fixture as a manager for the first time and his team were pegged back by Ben Whiteman’s penalty after Jerry Yates opened the scoring for the hosts.
But Charlie Patino restored Blackpool’s advantage on 68 minutes and subsequent strikes from Yates, his eighth of the campaign, and CJ Hamilton, meant Callum Connolly’s late own goal counted for nothing.
“It was incredible. Before the game, the staff, the players were saying how the place was bouncing, and I knew it was anyway because I was sitting in my office, I could hear it going absolutely mental,” said Appleton, whose side move three points behind Preston.
“These are the games why we all do it, the reasons why we do it and I just said to the players to milk it for all it’s worth.
“Why not? Enjoy it, enjoy the moment, because there are too many moments where you’re having to dig deep or struggle, these types of moments don’t come around that often.
“Only twice a season – and I mean a proper derby, by the way. That’s no disrespect to the other teams… so enjoy the moment and a couple days of recuperation.
“I’ve got a dry mouth, I’m tired, I just want to have a beer.”
If Appleton was plotting a celebratory drink, opposite number Lowe had no plans to drown his sorrows.
Preston were typically solid in the opening half, save for a lapse at a set-piece when Yates headed home. Patino’s crisp low strike opened the floodgates, however.
Yates grabbed his second from Patino’s delivery. And after Blackpool full-back Connolly inadvertently reduced the deficit, Hamilton raced clear at the end of five minutes’ added time to steer into a net vacated by goalkeeper Freddie Woodman, who joined the attack for a corner.
“I don’t like the goalkeeper going forward, especially when you’re leaving a defender back, and I’ve told them that,” said Lowe.
“Did we deserve to lose? Probably not. But they got the goals and we didn’t.
“I am not going to go home tonight and just sit there and drink a glass of wine.
“I will be watching the game. I am a fan myself and I share their [supporters’] disappointment but they know what we are trying to do.
“There were some slack moments… but they are just that eager to do well for the club. We have kept the back door shut for large parts of games.
“We have conceded four today but that won’t happen again because we will see what we can do better.
“And if we can have that clinical edge at the top end of the pitch, we will win more games.”
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