Steve Bruce was full of praise for two of his forward players as Blackpool cruised to a 3-1 win over Stevenage.
Rob Apter took the plaudits with a hat-trick in 12 second-half minutes but he was assisted each time by Ashley Fletcher.
“Fletch has looked sharp all week and I’m delighted he took it onto the pitch,” said the Blackpool boss.
“Especially second half; there was better quality from Fletch when he got there, he was calm and found the pass.
“That’s the quality he’s got and why he’s played at the level he has.
“And I’m pleased for the kid. [Apter] has had his first real breakthrough season with us and played a lot of games for somebody so young
“But since I walked through the door, I’ve picked him so it is nice when I see a young kid, and a Blackpool fan, score a hat-trick.
“That was great.”
The difference in performance from first to second half was like night and day, according to Bruce.
“First half, we were waiting for something to happen,” he said. “We didn’t really have enough intensity about us, didn’t look after the ball well enough and gave it away.
“It had an end-of-the-season feel to it, it felt like a testimonial game or a friendly game, and we had to change our mentality.
“It really seemed to work second half.
“We added a little bit more urgency, if that’s the right word, and that bit more intensity. I thought we were a bit passive in the first half.
“But second half, once we’ve got the goal, they abandoned their shape and we were blistering on the counter again. How often have we seen us like that away from home?
“Second half I was really pleased.”
Stevenage did have a late response, Carl Piergianni pulling one back after 77 minutes before a Dan Kemp goal was ruled out for offside.
That was too little, too late for Stevenage boss Alex Revell.
He said: “It’s not the result that we wanted, obviously.
“We were a team in control in the first half. We did move the ball well and get it into that final third but then there was no clinicality, no desire and a real lack of aggression to chase crosses in and do all the things we’ve been trying really hard to correct.
“We spoke at half-time about giving the ball away as good teams will punish you and for the first and third goal, we’ve given the ball away too cheaply.
“That 15-minute spell was unacceptable. The first goal was always going to be crucial and we didn’t do enough with our dominant performance in the first half.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Arsenal hold meeting with Viktor Gyokeres' agent Liverpool Now "They only brag about their UCLs" lol Joshua couldn't keep up the pressure Senegoal? ThisPlease stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, NoContextChe1, originaltrollfootball, PL__OOC)...
The former Borussia Dortmund winger is back at Manchester United after Chelsea rejected the chance to make his move permanent.Chelsea have turned down the chance to sign Jadon SanchoManager Ruben Amorim has no plans to integrate Sancho back into his first team - meaning the 25-year-old is searching for a fresh start.And SunSport understands Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle are all monitoring d...
Marseille have reached an agreement in principle to sign England midfielder Angel Gomes, the Ligue 1 club announced Wednesday.Gomes had previously revealed that he would leave Lille when his contract expires this summer.The 24 year-old impressed when earning his first England caps under interim head coach Lee Carsley last year but has yet to feature under current boss Thomas Tuchel.Angel Gomes' pe...
The Premier League champs intend to spend big on another attacker even after they complete a British-transfer record £127million deal for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz.Bradley Barcola has emerged as a shock target for LiverpoolLiverpool still have hope of signing Alexander IsakFlorian Wirtz is set to move to Anfield in a record £127m dealAnd they are prepared to battle Bayern Munich f...
Marseille land GomesMarseille have completed the signing of England international Angel Gomes on a free transfer.The midfielder is leaving Lille at the end of his contract but has turned down reported Premier League interest to remain in Ligue 1.Newcastle and Chelsea battle for TraffordNewcastle fear Chelsea could hijack their move for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, report The Telegraph.The En...
Joao Felix and Sterling left out of Chelsea CWC squadChelsea have included several new signings in their Club World Cup squad, leaving out Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix.New signings Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo, and Liam Delap were included in Enzo Maresca’s squad for the United States.Among those left out are Sterling and Felix, both of whom spent time away from Stamford Bridge...
Quentin Merlin and Portugal's defender Rodrigo Pinheiro vie for the ballGroup C heavy-hitters Portugal and France played out a tense 0-0 draw on matchday one of the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championships, as Rui Jorge’s side avoided a third successive defeat with an assured display in Trencin.In a first meeting between the two heavyweight nations since 2011, it was Portugal who edged a cagey o...
Arsenal star Saka admits fears over hamstring injury recoveryArsenal star Bukayo Saka admits he doubted his fitness after suffering a hamstring injury earlier this season.The 23-year-old came off the bench in England’s 3-1 loss to Senegal and has now opened up about the self-doubts he faced in regaining form, having been a key figure for both club and country.0"It’s about not thinking ...
Premier League clubs increased their spending in the January window to £370 million -- up on the £100m paid out last year -- though Manchester City are chiefly responsible after splashing out £180m of that on their own. We were nowhere near the 2023 record of £815m, but will the summer see a rise in expensive moves?This year, for the first time, the transfer window has been spl...
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup kicks off a year today when joint-hosts Mexico get the tournament underway in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on June 11, 2026.It will be the biggest World Cup, with the format expanding from 32 nations at Qatar 2022 to 48 teams in USA, Mexico and Canada. The result is 104 games across 16 cities in three nations before the new world champion is crowned at New Jersey's Me...
- 1 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel
- 2 Bayer Leverkusen interested in shock move for Jack Grealish
- 3 Bryan Mbeumo 'picks between Man Utd and Tottenham' as transfer agreement struck
- 4 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 5 Harvey Elliott opens door to Liverpool exit
- 6 Tottenham players fuming! Spurs facing player revolt as stars left furious by decision to brutally sack Ange Postecoglou after Europa League win
- 7 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal
- 8 'We are responsible for the results' - England boss Thomas Tuchel gives verdict on Tottenham's decision to sack Ange Postecoglou despite Europa League glory
- 9 Brazil vs Paraguay Prediction 11 June 2025
- 10 Chelsea offered Mohammed Kudus! Blues enter talks with West Ham over deal to sign winger as Hammers ask about swap deal