Blackpool 1 Leeds United 1: Changes made a difference - Redfearn
Yorkshire Evening Post 21/3/15
NEIL REDFEARN admitted to mixed feelings after Leeds United’s 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road, with a second-half strike from Mirco Antenucci earning the visitors a point.
Rock-bottom Pool, without a victory since January 31 and seeking to avoid a ninth successive defeat, were the better side in the first half and they were rewarded by an opener just before the interval from Gary Madine.
Redfearn threw Antenucci and Steve Morison into the fray for Alex Mowatt and Billy Sharp early in the second half and the changes helped pep up United, with Antenucci lobbing home an equaliser on 62 minutes - after coming on eight minutes earlier.
On a thoroughly wretched surface, Leeds could not find a winner with a late header from Guiseppe Bellusci ruled out for a foul, with referee Scott Duncan having already halted play moments earlier.
The match was boycotted by hundreds of Blackpool fans in protest against the ownership of Karl Oyston.
On the game, Redfearn said: “The substitutes made a difference and we got a little bit more of a focal point in Morro.
“But I felt a bit sorry for Billy (Sharp). That lone striker is a bit of a graveyard shift if you don’t get the quality into them.
“We looked better with Morro up there and Mirco started getting free and causing problems. The finish was a quality finish.”
On the game overall, Redfearn added: “We’re probably doing Blackpool a disservice. I thought they played the conditions better than us.
“They obviously trained on it and you can see that but they managed the conditions better.
“We talked about it, about how we needed to play and where we needed to put the ball in the right areas, and how we needed to get the midfield facing the right way but we just didn’t do it.
“The number of times we played little five yards passes across the back and nearly got caught or gave away goals was a problem, but luckily enough we got in only 1-0 down so we could do something about it.
“We gave them the benefit of the doubt for five minutes but it needed a change, so we changed it.”
NEIL REDFEARN admitted to mixed feelings after Leeds United’s 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road, with a second-half strike from Mirco Antenucci earning the visitors a point.
Rock-bottom Pool, without a victory since January 31 and seeking to avoid a ninth successive defeat, were the better side in the first half and they were rewarded by an opener just before the interval from Gary Madine.
Redfearn threw Antenucci and Steve Morison into the fray for Alex Mowatt and Billy Sharp early in the second half and the changes helped pep up United, with Antenucci lobbing home an equaliser on 62 minutes - after coming on eight minutes earlier.
On a thoroughly wretched surface, Leeds could not find a winner with a late header from Guiseppe Bellusci ruled out for a foul, with referee Scott Duncan having already halted play moments earlier.
The match was boycotted by hundreds of Blackpool fans in protest against the ownership of Karl Oyston.
On the game, Redfearn said: “The substitutes made a difference and we got a little bit more of a focal point in Morro.
“But I felt a bit sorry for Billy (Sharp). That lone striker is a bit of a graveyard shift if you don’t get the quality into them.
“We looked better with Morro up there and Mirco started getting free and causing problems. The finish was a quality finish.”
On the game overall, Redfearn added: “We’re probably doing Blackpool a disservice. I thought they played the conditions better than us.
“They obviously trained on it and you can see that but they managed the conditions better.
“We talked about it, about how we needed to play and where we needed to put the ball in the right areas, and how we needed to get the midfield facing the right way but we just didn’t do it.
“The number of times we played little five yards passes across the back and nearly got caught or gave away goals was a problem, but luckily enough we got in only 1-0 down so we could do something about it.
“We gave them the benefit of the doubt for five minutes but it needed a change, so we changed it.”