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It’s pretty clear that Morecambe will do well to be putting goals past a Blackpool lineup who should be able to boss this game in attack, midfield and defence. We predict a commanding 3-0 margin for Blackpool by the conclusion of the match.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
It'll be interesting to see what team he puts out.
Win 1 - 0.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Morecambe Pre Match on 01:56 - Sep 3 with 137 views
It was a quiet day at Bloomfield Road as the transfer deadline passed without Blackpool making any further additions to their squad.
Simon Grayson had got his business wrapped up early and there was no need for the mad dash that normally accompanies the window slamming shut.
Pool have brought in 13 new players this summer, while even more have gone out in what has been another few months of huge change.
Two of Terry McPhillips’ summer signings, Jamie Devitt and Ben Tollitt, have been loaned out without making an appearance for Blackpool, who were also trying to arrange a move for striker Adi Yussuf.
While Pool are still able to bring in free agents, their immediate focus turns to tonight’s EFL Trophy group stage opener against Morecambe. Grayson is expected to make wholesale changes for the clash, which kicks off at the earlier time of 7.30pm at Bloomfield Road.
First-team coach Ian Dawes took charge of the press duties yesterday and conceded this was a chance to rest some first-team regulars.
Dawes said: “I think there will be one or two changes as expected, as it gives some of the other players an opportunity to show the manager what they’re capable of.
“I think the players who have been playing regularly will need a midweek rest and the ones who haven’t been playing will get a chance.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to give players a run-out but it’s also a break from the league.
“It’s a competition you can do really well in. We’ve talked about how you can win a few games and then all of a sudden you’ve got the opportunity to play at Wembley.
“If you speak to most teams at this stage of the season, you start thick and fast and there’s a lot of Saturday-Tuesday games early on where you have to use your squad.
“This game gives those players a rest and the others a chance to play. But you often find players do take their opportunity in these types of games and get a start for the league. “There will be a bit of rotation in the group stages but the further you go, the stronger the team you’ll see.”
While supporters should expect to see a much-changed Pool line-up, Dawes insists it is still a game the Seasiders will be taking seriously.
“We’re unbeaten and we want to keep that going, it doesn’t matter what competition we’re in,” he said.
“We want to keep that momentum of being unbeaten and hopefully we can get another win. With these games, when both sides are likely to make changes, all you can do to plan for the game is look at the style of play of the team.
“I don’t think you can read too much into the personnel that is going to be playing because you can never predict it in this competition.
“You always get an indication of how Morecambe are going to play under Jim (Bentley), they’re going to be hard working and they’re going to take it seriously.”
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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Morecambe Pre Match on 12:40 - Sep 3 with 121 views
Midfielder Looks To Step Up Injury Return Against Morecambe
Matty Virtue hopes to get his own season firmly up and running by featuring in Blackpool’s Leasing.com Trophy fixture against Morecambe tonight.
The midfielder made a brief, cameo appearance at home to Portsmouth on Saturday, having put his pre-season injury troubles to one side.
Now the 22-year-old is determined to make his first start of the season and shake off the frustration of missing the campaign’s big kick-off.
“It was a frustrating time to get injured, to be honest, in pre-season. You sort of want to build your foundations for the season, but obviously I couldn’t do that,” Virtue admitted.
“I was scheduled to play in this game, but I came back a little bit earlier, which is always a bonus. The manager threw me on for the last five or so minutes on Saturday, so I was very pleased.
“This game has now come at a good time. Hopefully I can get some minutes in it and catch up on that fitness.”
Virtue scored three goals in 13 appearances following a January switch from Liverpool last season and knows that he faces a fight on his hands to win back a regular place in the side.
“If you look around the squad, it’s a very strong squad. I think there’s numerous players for each place. The standard of training is good and it’s going to be intense and like that for the rest of the season. Everybody wants to play,” he said.
As for tonight’s game, the mentality will be no different to that shown in the league, where Blackpool have gone six matches unbeaten.
“We want to build a winning mentality about this place. Every game we want to win and that’ll be the case for this game,” he added.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Jim Bentley calls on Morecambe players to tighten up at the back after Swindon Town defeat
Shrimps’ boss Jim Bentley said his side need to get back to basics defensively after they conceded three goals for the second league game in a row.
Speaking after the 3-1 defeat to Swindon he said: “They had three entries into our box in the first 30 minutes and they scored three goals which was disappointing.
“Their first goal had a huge slice of luck with a rebound that fell perfectly for Eoin Doyle, who is a quality striker at this level, and that gave them the momentum.
“They are a good side and the crowd got right behind them and it was always going to be difficult after that.
“But we did really well to get back in the game with a fantastic strike from Lewis Alessandra after good work from John O’Sullivan and then we had a chance to take the lead when their keeper was forced into a good save.
“But then they got ahead again and the momentum swung again and they got a third and we couldn’t get the second goal we needed to put then back under pressure.
“Some of our football was great at times with some good build-up play and we had a few half-chances with Ritchie Sutton heading over from a corner when I thought he was going to score and Steven Old almost getting onto the end of a great cross.
“We kept going; it was a hard-working, honest performance and we tried to play football so there were some positives but the negatives were that we conceded three again and we need to look to do all we can to put that right by whatever means we can.”
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Blackpool's Leasing.com Trophy campaign gets underway at Bloomfield Road tonight, with the Seasiders hosting Morecambe.
The fixture is the first of three in Group G and offers manager Simon Grayson the opportunity to rotate his squad and give some players valuable minutes on the pitch.
League Two Morecambe arrive at Bloomfield Road without a victory in their last three games.
Team News:
Rocky Bushiri and Jordan Thompson both miss out on the game due to international commitments, while Nathan Delfouneso remains sidelined with a hamstring problem. Matty Virtue is expected to step up his return from injury following a brief appearance against Portsmouth on the weekend.
The Referee:
Marc Edwards will referee the game between the two teams, having been promoted to the list of EFL officials this season. He has taken charge of three League Two fixtures so far.
The Rules:
During the group stage, teams are awarded three points for a win and one for a draw. If a match ends in a draw, then a penalty shoot-out also takes place for a bonus point.
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
‘Where there is harmony, may we bring discord. Where there is truth, may we bring error. Where there is faith, may we bring doubt. And where there is hope, may we bring despair’
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