Calamitous Blackpool hand Huddersfield points

Blackpool were soundly beaten by an impressive Huddersfield Town.

Ian Holloway admitted afterwards that ‘we got what we deserved’ as defensive and goalkeeping mistakes gifted the Terriers three points and lifts them to second in the Championship.

It was a night when Pool themselves could have topped the table but they struggled to get to grips with the wet conditions – unable to fluidly pass through Town as might have been expected beforehand.

Holloway, though, said that comments about his side being the best in the division were ‘disrespectful’ to others, and on this evidence they are wrong, too.

Ian Evatt and Alex Baptiste – while dreadfully under-par as a pairing – were given little to no protection from the fullbacks. But Pool were guilty of playing a ridiculously high line and were caught on countless occasions in behind – Lee Novak being the main beneficiary.

He scored the opener after Evatt inexplicably lost his aerial dual with James Vaughan. And while Blackpool rallied through a well-made Gary Taylor-Fletcher goal they didn’t exert a period of sustained pressure all evening.

Just before the break Vaughan was allowed a free header to score and three minutes after half time Matt Gilks gawked at an Oliver Norwood cross as it curled beyond him.

‘We might as well have gone home,’ Holloway said as he, like everyone else inside Bloomfield Road, could see there wasn’t the fight or quality to get back into the fixture.