Blackpool boss Gary Bowyer bemoans inspired display from Mark Oxley

Posted Sunday, March 18, 2018 by PA

Gary Bowyer admitted he was glad to see the back of Southend goalkeeper Mark Oxley after he frustrated Blackpool once more.

Oxley produced a sensational double save just after the restart from Sean Longstaff and Kyle Vassell in the Seasiders’ 1-1 draw with the Shrimpers.

Clark Robertson’s first-half stoppage-time effort cancelled out Marc-Antoine Fortune’s opener before Oxley’s heroics.

And while Bowyer was pleased with his side’s response after going behind, he was disappointed not to secure the win at Bloomfield Road to ease his side’s relegation fears.

“It was a battling point in ridiculous conditions for both teams,” said Bowyer. “We started the game ever so well, we hit the bar and that seemed to deflate us that we hadn’t scored.

“Then we give a scrappy goal away, it was good free-kick but we should be doing better on the rebound.

“Then the conditions kicked in and it was scrappy. Fortunately, one dropped for us and we scored just at the right time.

“I’m sick of the sight of their goalie to be honest. He saved a last-minute penalty last time and how he’s pulled off that double save I don’t know.

“We maybe just lacked a little bit of quality at times.

“At the start of the week we’d have taken four points from our two home games but we did want to get the win today.

“I don’t think we are safe at all, I don’t see four teams with ‘R’ against them at the bottom.”

A point away from home in such circumstances pleased Southend boss Chris Powell, whose side are 13th and remain one point and place above Blackpool.

“After the first minute where they hit the bar we slowly but surely got ourselves in the game, got ahead and if we’d got the second goal that would have really got us going,” he said.

“It was a really patchy game and as it panned out with the way Blackpool put us under pressure with direct balls from corners or open play, we handled it pretty well in the main.

“Wherever you play in League One, it’s really, really tough. You have to play the conditions and we did that today.

“We played with real intent in that first half and some of our combination play was very good. We are a side that I think can create and we haven’t been converting.”