Three ups, three downs as Blackpool put in positive Swansea shift but fan discontent remains
Blackpool lost out late on to Swansea City in spite of a positive performance at Bloomfield Road.
The Seasiders gave the visitors a bit too much respect in the first half but played with intent and an increased tempo in the second half, producing a number of opportunities but the final quality lacked to stick the ball away. An early second half Jerry Yates penalty was missed but that did little to affect the mentality of a Blackpool side going toe-to-toe with the opposition.
In arguably Blackpool's best spell of the game as they pushed for a winner, the Swans were able to break away through Michael Obafemi before the forward eventually squared the ball to Olivier Ntcham who couldn't miss to snatch the three points late on.
Despite frustrations over the manner of the defeat, Michael Appleton remained upbeat post-match after seeing various positive signs about his sides' performance - particularly in the second half. Here are our ups and downs from the late defeat at Bloomfield Road.
Blackpool really stepped it up on the attacking front in the second half and will be scratching their head as to why they couldn't put away a number of good opportunities, whether a missed penalty or poor decision in the final third. But in the early stages of Appleton's tenure, the important thing is that those chances continue to come and over all three league games so far, the Seasiders have consistently created high-value chances.
History tells you that if Blackpool continue to create chances at this rate consistently (1.62xG vs Swansea), then the goals are bound to come eventually. The Seasiders do still need a couple of additions in forward areas to really drive home that quality when it matters but all Appleton can do is set up his side