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Blackpool
Championship
Oct 19, 2013 at 12.15pm UK
 
Wigan logo

1-0

Ince (24' pen.)
FT(HT: 1-0)

Live Commentary: Blackpool 1-0 Wigan Athletic - as it happened

Relive our text coverage of the early kickoff in the Championship between Blackpool and Wigan, courtesy of Sports Mole.
2

Blackpool and Wigan met in a lunchtime Lancashire derby to kick off Saturday's Football League action.

It was the Seasiders who came through thanks to Thomas Ince's first-half penalty after Scott Carson had brought down Dan Gosling.

Read how it all unfolded at Bloomfield Road in our minute-by-minute updates below.


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Morning all! Football from the top two tiers in England is back following the international break and it all begins on the Lancashire coast.

BLACKPOOL XI: Gilks; Broadfoot, Cathcart, MacKenzie, Robinson, Basham, Bishop, Gosling, Dobbie, Ince, Fuller

WIGAN XI: Carson, Boyce, Barnett, Rogne, Perch, Watson, McArthur, Gomez, McManaman, Powell, McClean

SUBS! And the two benches this afternoon:

Blackpool: Halstead, Orr, Angel, Barkhuizen, Tyson, Davies, Chopra
Wigan: Nicholls, Shotton, Beausejour, Espinoza, McCann, Holt, Fortune

So, let's take a closer look at those two lineups. The hosts make one change as Dan Gosling makes his first start in place of Isaiah Osbourne. Wigan, meanwhile, start without a recognised striker as Grant Holt and Marc-Antoine Fortune sit on the bench. Manchester United loanee Nick Powell is likely to be the furthest forward for the visitors.

Will the loss of Ince on the touchline be felt by Blackpool today? The reason for his absence relates to an angry few minutes at Bournemouth last month. Read more here.

You'd expect Blackpool to be able to cope without their gaffer. With modern technology these days, Ince will be able to call up his assistants and have anything changed. He will have done everything he can in training to make sure that his loss isn't felt.

REFEREE WATCH: The man in charge today is Mark Haywood, whose only game in the Championship this year was a fiery affair between Forest and Bolton that saw five yellows and a red.

Click here to see the Championship table heading into this weekend's games. Wigan are six points behind their opponents today but do have two games in-hand because of their European commitments. Blackpool flew out of the traps but have been falling down the table steadily without a win in their last five games, including four draws in a row.

PREDICTION! Just 10 minutes until the off at Bloomfield Road so it's time for my thoughts on the match ahead. I fancy Wigan to win today and am going for a 0-1 away win.


Let me just quickly point you in the direction of our other early commentary today as Newcastle host Liverpool in the top flight. I suggest that you open this link in a new tab and join Jack Prescott for live text updates from St James' Park.

Blackpool assistant Alex Rae tells Sky Sports News that Ince will be communicating regularly today. Fellow Scot Owen Coyle says that his side are "under no illusions" about how difficult it will be to get a result today.

The two sides are out on the pitch now. Pre-match handshakes have just been completed and we're almost ready to go!

Ince Senior may not be here in person but his face is everywhere as fans have brought cardboard masks to wear.

KICKOFF! Wigan, playing in their home colours of blue and white, get us underway on the seaside.

It's only about 30 miles for Wigan fans to make the trip to Blackpool and they've come here in good number today. Here's a picture of them from Twitter:


There's been little to speak of in the early stages but Wigan have just had a half-chance of sorts. Boyce, or the Lancashire Cafu, sends over a cross that is deflected high into the air. In the middle McArthur holds off MacKenzie but can't head it goalwards from eight yards.

Barnett sloppily gives the ball straight to Ince. You'd expect the highly-rated forward to drive with the ball but he holds it up before the chance of a counter was gone. Neither keeper has had a save to make yet.

WHAT A MISS! Dear oh dear Nick Powell. Watson sends over a free kick that Rogne heads back across goal for Powell. He's completely unmarked and only about five yards out but somehow nods wide of the goal. Shocker!

First real opening for Blackpool as Basham's deep cross picks out Ince at the back post. The youngster is unmarked but it's a tough opening as he looks to volley first time from a tight angle and blazes it well over.

Early on in the game it's Wigan who are just edging the possession with 52% of the ball. Even start.

McManaman with a fierce drive from 20-odd yards that thwacks into the brave MacKenzie.

PENALTY TO BLACKPOOL!

Explanation coming shortly, Ince to take...

GOAL! BLACKPOOL 1-0 WIGAN (INCE, PEN.)

The Tangerines take the lead from 12 yards as Ince rifles the ball high into the net. The penalty came after Gosling had surged into the area and was tripped up by Carson. The Wigan keeper was lucky not to get sent off in my opinion as he looked like the last man. Not even a booking!

CHANCE! Wigan almost respond as Powell cleverly flicks at goal when facing the wrong way. Gilks could only stand still and watch as the ball whistled past the far post.

JUST OVER! Wigan work the ball from right to left nicely before McClean shifts one way then the other to open a yard of space. The angle is tight so he goes for power and fizzes it just over the crossbar. Good response to going behind from the visitors.

Watson's vicious cross is cleared up and away by MacKenzie to Perch about 30 yards out. The former Newcastle man takes a touch and the ball bounces up invitingly for a volley that he hooks wide.

CHANCE! Blackpool break quickly as Dobbie sweeps the ball out to Ince on the right. The England Under-21 international works the ball to his right foot before shooting at Carson, who beats it out. The ball falls to Bishop whose shot from 15 yards is well blocked by Rogne's last-ditch tackle.

Excellent play from McArthur as he shows off his skills to the tricky Ince, surprisingly beating the youngster for pace down the left before earning a corner.

YELLOW! The first booking of the match goes to McClean as he lunges in on Ince, who just gets to the ball first ahead of the former Sunderland man. Clear booking.

Blackpool try to work a clever set piece from the resulting free kick but get it all wrong as Dobbie woefully underhits his pass.

ONE minute of time added on here.

Good chance for Wigan as they win a free kick 25 yards out, just left of centre...

HALF-TIME: BLACKPOOL 1-0 WIGAN

Watson's try hit the wall and Blackpool cleared in what was the last action of the opening 45. Blackpool lead thanks to Ince's penalty after Carson carelessly brought down Gosling.

It's been a bit of a nothing half to be honest, with both sides quite defensively minded. People will argue that Carson made little contact with Gosling but if referee Haywood gives a pen he has to also send the Wigan keeper off in my opinion. Clearly the last man and if Gosling hadn't gone down he surely would have scored.

Ince's penalty was in fact the only shot on goal all game. Wigan have had 10 shots but they've all been either blocked or off target. Not clinical enough from Coyle's boys. Powell's header early on was far-and-away the best chance of the half. How did he miss?!

Surely if things don't start going Wigan's way then Coyle will think about bringing on a proper striker in Holt and/or Fortune. Powell has been OK up there but he's not a real presence. In MacKenzie, Blackpool have one of the best defenders in the league this season and he's dealing with most that's thrown his way.

KICKOFF! We're back underway at Bloomfield Road. No half-time changes from either manager.

Immediately Blackpool come forward and have a chance as Fuller squeezes through a pair of blue-and-white shirts before having his shot blocked.

JUST WIDE! McClean does brilliantly out on the left to beat a couple of men before laying it inside for Watson. The midfielder could strike it first time but instead looks right for McManaman whose cross-cum-shot curls just past the far post.

In the Premier League it's now 1-1 between Newcastle and Liverpool as Steven Gerrard tucks home a penalty, his 100th Premier League goal. Newcastle are down to 10 men as well.

Bishop breaks into the area and drills dangerously across the area but there's no orange shirt there to turn it home.

WIGAN SUBS: As expected, Coyle brings on Holt and Fortune, with Powell and Gomez coming off. Certainly a lot more presence up top from the visitors now.

Past the hour mark we go and so far there's been no indication that Wigan are going to cause Blackpool serious problems. This really has been a game with little incident so far.

Even though he's left-footed, McClean is happy cutting inside from the wing and using his right peg. The Irishman lets fly with his weaker foot from 25 yards but doesn't trouble Gilks as the ball whizzes well over the bar.

Boyce floats a cross to the back post that McClean gets a good run at but can't keep his header down. The Latics are still yet to have a shot on target (!).

WIGAN SUB: Coyle makes his third and final change as Jean Beausejour takes the place of McManaman. That should mean that McClean switches wings and comes over to the right.

Wigan are understandably pushing further forward and that will allow Blackpool some chances on the break. Gosling wins the ball and sets Fuller away. The veteran striker doesn't have the pace to break clear and bear down on goal so has to try to chip Carson early but overdoes it.

OFF THE BAR AND OFF THE LINE! So close to a Latics leveller! Watson's corner was headed against he upright by Rogne before the ball dropped to Boyce who managed to divert it goalwards but not past the man on the line. That was the visitors' first shot on target.

BLACKPOOL SUB: A first change of the match for Blackpool as Angel Martinez comes on for Dobbie.

OFF THE BAR! And again Wigan are inches away! This time it's Holt who flicks a header that rattles the same part of the bar as Rogne did moments ago. The ball falls to McClean who swings wildly at the ball, flashing it over.

Just 10 minutes left for Wigan to equalise. To be fair, they've gone up a gear or two and come ever so close to finding the net.

BLACKPOOL SUB: Fuller has worked hard all afternoon and he's clearly knackered as he trudges off for Steven Davies.

Good chance for Wigan as Holt is tripped up by Gosling about 22 yards out. Dead centre. Watson messed a similar one up in the first half, will he take it again?

McClean takes it in similar fashion to Cristiano Ronaldo and does absolutely nothing with it by smashing it only halfway up the wall.

GOOD SAVE! Boyce lumps a ball into the area that fortunately drops for Fortune who lashes it low with his left foot. Either side of Gilks and it's a goal but it was straight at him.

GOOD SAVE! Blackpool streak down the other end and Ince almost doubles the lead with a low shot that Carson just diverts wide.

CHANCE! It's all happening at Bloomfield Road! This time it's Davies who works Carson, the ball squirms under his body and just short of the line where Barnett slides in to clear.

CHANCE! There was little goalmouth action in the opening 85 minutes of this match but it's gone crazy in the last couple. Barnett gets confused at the back and allows Ince a free run at goal. The talented youngster just has to beat Carson but hits it straight at the Wigan keeper who diverts it wide.

SAVE! WHAT IS GOING ON?! It's chances galore at the Wigan end as Ince's corner is headed at goal by MacKenzie. Carson makes a pair of incredible saves on the line before the flag goes up on the far side for offside.

FOUR minutes added on at the end here. Can Wigan weather this storm and assert some authority?

JAMES MCCLEAN SENT OFF FOR WIGAN!

The Wigan man had already been booked but it's a straight red for retaliation. Replays show that MacKenzie stamped on the Irishman. The officials don't see that though and just send off McClean for his reaction, which wasn't even that bad to be honest. I think Coyle will be appealing that.

FULL TIME: BLACKPOOL 1-0 WIGAN

Somehow it's just the single goal that settles this match after surely the craziest 10 minutes without a goal this season!

Click here to see how the table looks now ahead of this afternoon's games. Blackpool up to fourth and just three points behind league leaders Burnley and QPR.

Anyway, that's all we've got time for here on SM. Join us for live updates of Watford vs. Derby in the Championship at 2.30pm, while we'll have live updates on every Premier League match. You wouldn't want to be anywhere else!

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Wigan's Nick Powell heads in the opening goal against Maribor during their Europa League group match on October 3, 2013
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