Brett Ormerod column: Blackpool can take heart from QPR performance

I was a bit concerned at first as the rain was lashing down and we were stood pitchside, but thankfully we had some umbrellas and it eased up soon enough!

I loved it though. It’s not the first time I’ve done it as I covered one or two games while I was still playing, but that was quite a while ago.

It’s always nice to be asked and I really enjoyed it, it was a great experience.

It helped that it was a cracking game. I thought Blackpool were absolutely excellent and were unlucky not to win.

Obviously the disallowed goal was the controversial bit.

Looking back on it and taking into account the position of the linesman, he couldn’t see because of the post and the defender on the line.

I honestly think the linesman just guessed and thought Gary Madine had smashed it in before the ball had gone over the line.

He couldn’t have been 100 per cent sure, and if you’re not 100 per cent sure, then I don’t think you can give it.

It was very harsh on Blackpool though because they were outstanding, and if that early goal goes in, it’s a completely different game.

It just compounded their misery that QPR went up the other end and scored a brilliant goal through Chris Willock.

People will say Willock is a good player so you should show him on his right, but I thought it was a bit tough on Jordan Gabriel because he only took half a yard and the shot he hit was unstoppable.

Again, credit to Blackpool because their response was absolutely first class. They never gave up.

In the second half, it was Gabriel who earned the penalty. Was it a sending off? Because Gabriel’s touch was a little heavy, perhaps the referee took that into account. He could easily have shown a red though.

Blackpool played well enough to win over the 90 minutes but QPR are a good team and they will be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

I heard Neil Critchley’s interview after the game and he was clearly quite angry, but it’s difficult for managers.

There’s so much emotion going on and that’s the thing with football. He must have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions over the course of the game and, 10 minutes later, he’s got a camera in his face and a microphone stuck under his nose.

You are going to get the odd rant from different managers but Blackpool were pretty hard done by with the decisions, so I’ve got plenty of sympathy.

Critchley will obviously have calmed down by now and he’ll be able to reflect on another excellent display.

His side are performing really well at the minute and are positioned well in the league table.

Even though they lost, I thought they played well against Stoke.

Stoke are a good side. It wasn’t the Stoke of old, but it was just one lapse in concentration that cost them.

Apart from that, it was an excellent game in midweek and one I really enjoyed.

One point from six, you’re disappointed because the way they played, they deserved more – but this is the Championship.

They played Sheffield United the weekend before and got three points – and Sheffield United had them pinned back for long periods, so it’s just the nature of this league.

Even though it’s disappointing points-wise, there are a lot of positives Critchley can take from both performances, especially against QPR with the response they showed.

A word for the atmosphere too, because it was brilliant.

I was doing Sky with David Prutton, who I played with for a few years down at Southampton so I know him well, and Jamie Mackie. Both of them commented on the excellent support from the home fans.

Even the away manager made reference to it as well, so that just shows you. They were in great voice and they’re a credit to the club to be honest with you.

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