Shropshire Star

Shrewsbury 0 Blackpool 2 - Report

Shrewsbury Town's league position gets more perilous by the game as they lost for the second time this week in League One this time against Blackpool.

Published

Neil Critchley's men came away with the points at the Croud Meadow as a goal in each half gave them a comfortable win in Shropshire - which means Town have not won at home since New Year's Day.

It was a quiet first half with very few clear-cut chances. The visitors dominated possession of the ball but did not do an awful lot with it.

Jack Hinchy of Shrewsbury Town (AMA)

Dan Udoh went closest for Salop, as it was worked out wide to Tom Bloxham, his cross went over Marvin Ekpiteta to find Dan Udoh around six yards out, but he headed wide.

Blackpool have struggled on their travels this season and had won just four games before this one.

Karamoko Dembele terrorised Shrewsbury at Bloomfield Road earlier this season as the Tangerines won 4-0, and he was the man to give them the lead in Shropshire scoring just before half-time.

It was Blackpool's first meaningful opportunity, which was defended very poorly by Paul Hurst's team.

Chey Dunkley of Shrewsbury Town and Shayne Lavery of Blackpool (AMA)

A long kick from Dan Grimshaw was headed up rather than clear by Morgan Feeney, and Hayden Coulson was more alert than Tunmise Sobowale.

He got to the byline before pulling it back to Dembele, who fired into the corner beyond Harry Burgoyne.

Jordan Shipley went close after the break when his first-time effort went wide of Dan Grimshaw's right post.

Tom Bloxham of Shrewsbury Town and Oliver Norburn of Blackpool (AMA)

Blackpool, who had lost to Leyton Orient in midweek, were determined to hang onto their lead, and they managed the game, which was devoid of quality from both sides, very well.

Hurst changed system, moving from a 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1, introducing fresh legs with Aiden O'Brien, Tom Bayliss and Taylor Perry.

But Salop could not create a consistent spell of pressure.

They still had hopes of snatching an equaliser going into the final 10 minutes when Jason Sraha made a wonderful block to stop Coulson making it 2-0 to the visitors.

Blackpool still have a slim chance of making the play-offs, and they sealed their victory when Coulson headed home from close range with five minutes of normal time remaining.

Shrews: Burgoyne, Feeney, Dunkley, Sraha, Benning, Sobowale (Bayliss 66), Shipley (O'Brien 66), Hinchy (Perry 66), Winchester (Bennett 85), Bloxham, Udoh (Bowman 85).

Subs: Bowman, Idowu, Anderson, O'Brien, Perry, Bayliss.

Blackpool: Grimshaw, Husband, Pennington, Norburn, Dembele (Virtue 88), Coulson, Beesley (Rhodes 67), Lavery (Joseph 54), Ekpiteta, Hamilton (Gabriel 67).

Subs: O'Donnell, Gabriel, Joseph, Carey, Rhodes, Virtue, Casey.