The Latics slipped up in another pre-season game when they went down 4-2 at home to Blackpool. The game got off to a blistering start with the Latics taking the lead before the first minute was up. Some good work by Deane Smalley down the right wing resulted in Dean Furman centring a great ball which left Pawel Abbott (pictured) with the simple task of heading home. Blackpool were level in the fourth minute but it was a goal that should not have been allowed. A right wing raid ended with a through ball to Taylor-Fletcher who ran to the dead-ball line and pulled back the ball, which was clearly wholly over the line, to allow Ben Burgess to tap the ball home for an undeserved equaliser.Only a minute later the visitors were ahead after Keith Southern headed home but minutes later the Latics were level again. With just 17 minutes on the clock the score was 2-2 after an Andy Holdsworth corner was cleared out to Furman. Furman hammered the ball goalwards and it took a deflection off Smalley which hit Paul Rachubka in the face and then bounded nicely for Abbott to head the ball home.
From then on it was end to end stuff with ex-Latic Will Haining having a good command of the Blackpool defence. Chances fell to both sides and Abbott had a glorious opportunity to claim his hat-trick but he blasted the ball high and wide when he really should have done better.
The second half hardly lived up to the first half and it degenerated into a scrappy affair with neither side doing anything outstanding. Darren Byfield came on to partner Abbott up front but they couldn't get any breakthrough the stubborn Blackpool defence. Blackpool took control in the last quarter of the game and got two goals through Brett Ormerod to seal the win.
Dave Penney still needs to get some defensive cover for the forthcoming season. With just two recognised centre-backs and a struggling goalkeeper the future sadly does not look promising as a good team needs to build on a solid defence, something the Latics currently do not have. The real test starts next week when Stockport bring their troubled squad to Boundary Park for the season opener, let's hope we can find the right recipe.