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Blackpool extend unbeaten run

Image: Evatt: On target

Blackpool twice came from behind to extend their unbeaten run to seven games in a battling draw with Crystal Palace.

Palace twice lose the lead at Bloomfield Road

Blackpool twice came from behind to extend their unbeaten run to seven games in a battling draw with Crystal Palace at Bloomfield Road. Paul Ifill seized on a defensive blunder to give the visitors the lead before Ben Burgess levelled for the home side at the start of the second half. Craig Beattie immediately restored the Eagles' advantage before Ian Evatt equalised again for Blackpool when he slotted home in the 65th minute. Blackpool boss Simon Grayson kept faith with the side that beat Derby on Tuesday. However, Neil Warnock made two changes to his Palace side from the midweek defeat against Birmingham with Patrick McCarthy and John Oster replacing Jose Fonte and Victor Moses. It was the hosts who dominated the opening period with Keith Southern and Gary Taylor-Fletcher seeing their best efforts thwarted by the crossbar and post respectively.

Pounced

Palace did not test Rachubka until 20 minutes when Nick Carle's long-range shot went wide of the post. David Vaughan began brightly on the flank for the home side and his cross found Taylor-Fletcher who glanced his header inches over Julian Speroni's bar. Palace's battled hard to get back into contention and they duly went ahead after 27 minutes when Ifill pounced on a loose ball to slot home from close-range. Blackpool did have chance to equalise just before half-time when Shaun Barker latched onto the end of a Vaughan corner only for it to be superbly tipped over the bar by Speroni. Burgess brought the sides level with his fifth goal of the campaign just three minutes after the break when he got on the end of a desperate clearance from Derry to volley home from the edge of the area. But barely two minutes later Palace were leading again after Carle found Beattie on the edge of the penalty area and he placed an angled shot into the bottom right-hand corner. Evatt's first goal since January 2007 secured a share of the points for Grayson's men after 65 minutes when he headed home from a long-range free-kick from Rachubka.

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