Stoke 1-1 Blackpool
Published on 
March 22, 2008 - by admin - 
March 22, 2008 - by admin - Leon Cort’s second-half goal earned Championship leaders Stoke a point. After a traffic accident caused the kick-off to be delayed by 30 minutes, Stoke started well and Mamady Sidibe headed against the Blackpool post.
But Ben Burgess dispatched a 20-yard drive which appeared to take a slight deflection off Cort on the way past Stoke goalkeeper Carlo Nash.
Stoke equalised when Paul Gallacher’s corner was headed on by Chris Riggott and Cort applied the finish.
“It’s a serious lack of professionalism by the referee.”I am amazed. He chose to travel down the busiest road in the country on the day of the game during a holiday period. It is astonishing.”I had to drag my players in from the warm up, we were all sitting around for half an hour, and then I had to send them out again.”
“I can understand Stoke’s frustration but we started off from Blackpool at 10am for a 75 minute journey and it took over four hours.”I told the players I wouldn’t accept our problems as an excuse for a poor performance - they rallied to the call.”It was a very good point and we could have got all three.”
Stoke: Nash, Griffin, Cort (Zakuani 55), Riggott, Pugh, Delap, Whelan, Diao (Wilkinson 8 (Bothroyd 65)), Gallagher, Cresswell, Sidibe.
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Parkin.Goal: Cort 47.
Blackpool: Rachubka, Crainey, Gorkss, Evatt, Barker, Hoolahan, Flynn, Jorgensen, Taylor-Fletcher (Holt 86), Burgess, McPhee.
Subs Not Used: Coid, Morrell, Fox, Welsh.
Goal: Burgess 36.
Booked: Jorgensen 40.
Att: 20,019
Referee: Mike Pike (Cumbria)
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