Ian Evatt applauds ‘exciting’ Josh Bowler as Blackpool seal nervy FA Cup win
Bowler scored in extra time to ensure the Seasiders avoided an upset against non-league opponents.
Blackpool manager Ian Evatt praised match-winner Josh Bowler for his impact off the bench as his side squeezed past non-league Hornchurch with a 2-1 victory in extra time.
Bowler set up Jordan Brown’s equaliser and then scored a 118th-minute winner after Henry Hearn’s first-half opener had threatened to cause a shock for the National League side.
Evatt had deliberately left the tricky Bowler out of his starting line-up as he sought to match the physicality of Hornchurch.
Evatt said: “It’s an FA Cup tie. We knew it was going to be intense and scrappy, and we needed the game to settle before we used Josh, because we need to get him the ball in the right areas.
“In the second half when we introduced him, we were a lot calmer, we found him in a lot of good spaces. And he just did what Josh does.
“We were unsure before the game what impact he could make because we were unsure of the surface and the stadium.
“Josh is a dribbler and to be a dribbler, you need the right surface. But Josh is a top player and when he’s in that mood, he’s hard to stop. He’s an exciting player and he had some great moments before he scored the winner.
“I’m pleased with the character we showed because the last thing we wanted was to be plastered all over the news and papers because we were on the wrong end of a shock.”
Hornchurch manager Daryl McMahon was left frustrated that his side fell just short of forcing a penalty shootout.
They were reduced to 10 men when Henry Sandat was sent off for pulling back Bowler just minutes before Blackpool’s winner.
McMahon said: “I think we competed really, really well and I am really proud of the players and the staff and the club today.
“I thought we put on a sterling performance. We knew that Blackpool would come back into the game but we competed well throughout.
“There were spells in the game when we were really good and you couldn’t tell the difference in levels between the sides.
“A lot of our players have League One and League Two experience, while our younger players can use it in hopefully long careers ahead of them.”