Birmingham City vs Blackpool. Sky Bet Championship.
St. Andrew's StadiumAttendance16,636.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Birmingham and Blackpool at St Andrew's as Ian Poveda scored the only goal to seal a win that keeps the Tangerines' survival dream alive.
Saturday 22 April 2023 18:53, UK
Blackpool gave their Sky Bet Championship survival hopes a shot in the arm with their first away win since October with a 1-0 success at Birmingham.
Substitute Ian Poveda, on loan from Leeds, tapped home the only goal in the 74th minute after a dreadful mix-up between defender Kevin Long and goalkeeper Neil Etheridge.
Blackpool are now three points adrift of 21st-placed Huddersfield, who have a game in hand, with two matches remaining.
Birmingham dominated much of the first half, then had four shots cleared off the line in the space of a few seconds before the hour, but they were unable to break the deadlock.
A routine shot from Tahith Chong took a deflection but it was spilled by goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw, who gathered at the second attempt.
Birmingham could have been punished for their wastefulness in Blackpool's first serious attack.
Josh Bowler cut inside Auston Trusty driving in from the right before lashing a rising left-footed shot over the bar.
Blues returned to the attack but Long nodded wide after seeming surprised that Hannibal Mejbri's corner, which deflected off a Blackpool head, reached him.
But the hosts left their first-half best until last. Jobe Bellingham rose at the far post but glanced wide from Maxime Colin's cross.
Blackpool looked a different proposition after half-time as they took the game to Birmingham.
A lovely backheel by Sonny Carey gave space to Morgan Rogers to cross, but there was no one on the end of it as the ball rolled agonisingly across the face of goal.
Out of the blue, Birmingham went desperately close in the 57th minute, with four shots on target, all blocked.
Hannibal saw a low effort denied by Grimshaw diving to his right, Lukas Jutkiewicz's follow-up was blocked, Chong's effort was saved by Grimshaw then Hannibal's shot was spectacularly hacked off the line by Jordan Thorniley.
Bellingham curled a shot comfortably over the bar before Chong's free-kick flew straight into the arms of Grimshaw.
But all that changed in the 74th minute when Blackpool took the lead.
It arose from a terrible mix-up between Long and Etheridge, who was forced to slide in on Rogers to retrieve the defender's forward pass.
The loose ball fell to Rogers, who squared to the unmarked Poveda to tap into the empty net.
Blues head coach John Eustace made a triple substitution in the 78th minute.
Troy Deeney - back from injury - Jordan Graham and Emmanuel Longelo replaced Long, Chong and Jordan James.
But it made little impact as the home side faded.
Blackpool forward CJ Hamilton forced Etheridge to make a diving save and gather at the second attempt after outpacing Marc Roberts to a long ball.
Blues tried to force an equaliser but Trusty's shot was deflected wide and, from substitute Juninho Bacuna's corner, Roberts nodded wide.
Birmingham's John Eustace:
"The performance was flat, although we were in control of the game. The manner we conceded the goal - we handed it them - was the most disappointing thing. It really knocked us back. The lads dropped their heads after the goal, which was disappointing.
"We spoke before the game about the levels of concentration and how important they were going to be. The concentration levels weren't good enough for the goal and then, after that, you could see a lot of heads drop which is disappointing."
Blackpool's Stephen Dobbie:
"We're still alive and in that dressing room we're starting to believe we can do it. I told the players we'd got nothing to lose and that we needed to go for it, so could we get the goal to get us the win to keep fighting until Friday night before the other teams play?
"QPR won but we're still there and have something to play for. If you've have said that six games ago, I'd have taken it. The boys will keep fighting. We hadn't won away from home since late October so that was the pleasing part. I think it showed what it meant to the fans."
