Lincoln City snatched an unlikely point from their trip to Bloomfield Road, after being dominated by the home side for 75 minutes.
The Imps showed remarkable grit and determination as a stoppage-time equaliser from substitute Tom Hamer earned them a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Blackpool, despite being reduced to ten men for the final 20 minutes. Blackpool had appeared set to secure their fifth consecutive league win under Steve Bruce after Kyle Joseph’s second-half strike, but the Imps refused to be beaten, battling back to claim a valuable point.
The first half saw Lincoln under pressure early on as Blackpool pressed for an opening goal. A free kick in the 14th minute from Lee Evans almost caught the Imps’ defence off guard when the ball was pulled back to Albie Morgan, who found space on the edge of the box. His powerful shot looked destined for the net, but Lincoln goalkeeper George Wickens produced an excellent save to deny him. Wickens was called into action again just moments later, this time dealing comfortably with a header from Blackpool’s Kyle Joseph.
Lincoln had their own chance to take the lead when Paudie O’Connor found himself with a golden opportunity following a well-worked corner routine. Unfortunately, the defender couldn’t direct his close-range effort on target, letting Blackpool off the hook.
As the first half progressed, Blackpool continued to threaten. Joseph, who looked lively throughout, came close again, testing Wickens with an inventive shot that the Lincoln keeper did well to stop. Blackpool suffered a setback in the 35th minute when they were forced to withdraw Hayden Coulson due to injury, following an earlier collision. This disruption seemed to affect their rhythm slightly, but they still had opportunities to go ahead before the break.
Just before the interval, Lincoln had to rely on some last-ditch defending, as Tendayi Darikwa managed to clear a dangerous effort from Jordan Gabriel, once again after Wickens had intervened to keep the Imps in the game.
Lincoln’s resilience continued into the second half, although the visitors had to make a substitution at the break, with Conor McGrandles being withdrawn. Having already been booked, McGrandles was at risk of a second yellow card following a tough challenge in the closing moments of the first half, so Michael Skubala management took no chances in replacing him.
However, Lincoln’s discipline did not hold out entirely. Adam Jackson, who had been solid in defence, was sent off after receiving his second yellow card for a mindless and needless challenge, leaving the Imps with ten men and just over 20 minutes to navigate. It seemed as though Blackpool would capitalise immediately on the numerical advantage when substitute Ashley Fletcher had a clear header in the box, but the striker’s effort went over the bar.
Fletcher quickly redeemed himself, though, providing the assist for Kyle Joseph’s goal. The Blackpool forward found space in the Lincoln area and coolly slotted the ball past Wickens to break the deadlock. At that moment, it looked as if the Seasiders were destined to claim all three points.
Despite being a man down, Lincoln refused to give in. They continued to press for an equaliser, and nearly found it when substitute Erik Ring forced a fine save from Blackpool’s Harry Tyrer. Tyrer, on loan from Everton, had been solid throughout the match, but in stoppage time, he was finally beaten. Tom Hamer, who had also come off the bench, latched onto a loose ball in the box and fired it home, sending the travelling Lincoln supporters into raptures.
It was a well-deserved point for Lincoln, who showed remarkable spirit and determination in the face of adversity. Despite the setback of Jackson’s red card and falling behind late in the game, the Imps never gave up and were rewarded for their efforts with Hamer’s dramatic equaliser.
While Blackpool will feel disappointed not to have secured their fifth straight win, Lincoln City will take heart from their resilient performance and the valuable point earned on a tough evening at Bloomfield Road. It also stretched their unbeaten away run to 14 matches, a club record they broke at the weekend away at Cambridge United.
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