AFC Blackpool 4-2 Cheadle Town

We were excellent for the opening ten minutes and all.

As early as the first Chris Sherrington had forced an excellent stop from the AFCB keeper after he sent in a thumping effort before contributing to our opener just two minutes later.

Haring down his favoured left wing he planted a teasing ball across the face of goal where his brother Mike stormed in to side-foot home his sixth of the season.

All smiles as the players celebrate the opening goal

Chris then eyed up a spectacular volley as the ball dropped for him but that was blocked.

And then that was it. We just faded away into making poor decisions and giving the ball away.

One glimmer was a superb Rick Whyatt header from a throw-in that was brilliantly tipped over the bar as the half came to a close.

But by then AFCB had got themselves back into the game and also got themselves level just after the half-hour mark.

Danny Whiting had already made an excellent save tipping a header onto the bar but from the resulting corner Ben Duffield bundled home from close range.

Four minutes into the restart AFCB nosed themselves into the lead. A corner from the left was cleared as far as the edge of the area where Zac Hargreaves was waiting to pick his spot and drill low past Danny Whiting.

On 53 minutes we had an excellent opportunity to draw level as Liam Delaney latched onto a long ball and poked it past the onrushing keeper; unfortunately as Mike Sherrington chased the loose ball the angle died on him and he couldn't quite hook it home.

On 65 minutes the hosts extended their lead. A throw-in from the left was nodded on and Conah Bishop stole in quicker than everyone else to slide home from close range.

With 20 minutes to go AFCB were down to ten men following a straight red and within five minutes we had made our numerical advantage count and reduced the deficit; Chris Sherrington instrumental down the left again as his fizzed cross was met by a Rick Whyatt thumping header at the far post for his 26th of the season.

Alas, within four minutes of that we were back chasing a two-goal disadvantage. From another AFCB throw-in, Billy McKenna's shot from close-range spun off one of our defenders and flew into the far corner with Danny Whiting completely wrong-footed.

Fast-forward another five minutes and perhaps the biggest indication that it wasn't going to be our day as Rick Whyatt flicked home from close range to get us back into the match.

Or so it seemed, as a long consultation betwixt referee and linesman ended up with the goal being chalked off, despite said linesman not flagging for any indiscretion in the first place.

Post-mortem....

That's it for our travels this season as all of our remaining matches are at Park Road. Plus, given the North/South split in the First Division next season, that's it for our journeys to AFC Blackpool and all.

We'll miss Billy Singleton's hospitality and stories but our goalkeepers will not miss the rapier wit and barracking from AFC Blackpool's 'Tin Hut Brigade' behind the net.

Just three to go....starting tonight against Holker Old Boys.

TEAM: Whiting, Nield, Harrison, Delaney, Shaw, Dunn, Ratican (Collinson), Holt (Wood), M Sherrington (Jones), Whyatt, C Sherrington. SUBS: Jones, Wood, Collinson, Piggott (gk).

Many thanks to Simon Whitehead for the photographs.

Cheadle Town 2-2 AFC Blackpool

The worst of starts; (almost) the best of endings.

Seven minutes in and you'd be forgiven for thinking that we'd got this all terribly wrong. Two goals down and looking very rocky, giving away possession cheaply and in dangerous areas.

Blackpool's two goals came in quick succession on the 5th and 7th minutes. For the first one, possession was lost in midfield with their no8 - Ben Fishwick - roaming forward and unleashing a rising shot from 20 yards out that beat Danny Whiting.

Two minutes later an errant leg in the penalty box from Joe Nield gave Blackpool the chance to extend their lead from the spot, a chance that Duffield took.

And oddly enough that was pretty much it in terms of clear-cut chances from either side until much later on in the half. As already alluded to we weren't up to much, mis-placing passes and generally "not getting going".

Our first shot on target didn't come until the stroke of half-time but it was one that gave us a key foothold in the game for two reasons....

Firstly, it resulted in AFC Blackpool going down to ten men as their defender superbly blocked a Luke Cotton effort on the line with his hand and secondly, as you can probably guess, the resulting penalty was coolly stroked home; Liam Delaney doing the honours in what is turning out to be a rare month for him.

The entire second half didn't deviate from one set pattern: Cheadle trying to lay siege to the AFC Blackpool goal with the latter attempting to nick an extra goal on the break.

Callum Collinson called the keeper into action early doors as his awkward swinging cross from the right had to be tipped over the bar and then Rick Whyatt was in on goal from close range on 55 minutes and looked set to poke home but was denied by an excellent block by the keeper.

The AFC Blackpool rearguard finally caved in on 76 minutes with Rick bagging his 19th of the season, latching onto Callum Collinson's perfectly-squared ball to guide it home from close range.

A minute later Callum's teasing cross from the right looked set to be converted by the onrushing Whyatt or Sherrington but somehow neither of them made the final, telling touch.

With two minutes to go a free-kick from the left was met at the far post by Jake Ambrose who perhaps didn't quite get enough purchase on his header, allowing the keeper to make a vital save and push it onto the post.

That turned out to be the last chance of the match but not the last piece of the story as there was still time for AFC Blackpool to have another man sent off for a dangerous challenge on Tom Russell.

So, match that started off with us "taking the draw if you were offering it" and ending with us being disappointed with said draw. Just goes to show a lot can happen in 90 minutes.

Next up is a tricky-looking trip to promotion-chasing Litherland REMYCA this Saturday as the gruelling run-in starts. Hold on to your hats.

TEAM: Whiting, Nield, Dunn, Delaney (Russell), Shaw, Harrison, Collinson, Wood, Cotton (Ambrose), Whyatt, C Sherrington (Farrow). SUBS: Russell, Ambrose, Farrow, Piggott (gk)

AFC Blackpool 1-1 Cheadle Town

For once I don't have a smart-alec link or hook with which I can segue into the particulars of the match. This was a 1-1 draw between two football teams. Nothing more. Nothing less.

As largely uninspiring as the game itself and the result was, this does mean that we are now just one defeat in six league matches as we approach some tricky-looking fixtures ahead.

The first half of this match was spiced up by a few heart-in-mouth moments.

On the 5th minute Liam Tongue sliced a clearance with the resulting loose ball thumped towards goal; thankfully Steve Piggott was equal to it with an excellent stop.

Two minutes later a Luke Hincks throw-in from the right caused all manner of tangerine-shirted mayhem in the box but we couldn't force it home.

On the 18th minute Steve had to deal with a free-kick that had bounced awkwardly in front of him and then had to beat away a long-range effort just before half-time. And that was pretty much that for the opening 45 minutes.

In the opening 15 minutes of the second half we tried to throw the kitchen sink at AFC Blackpool with the ploy coming off as early as three minutes into the restart: Davison Banda got down the right wing and drilled in a skidding cross that the Blackpool keeper could only fumble into the path of Matt German who prodded home into an unguarded net.

Nathan Tosum then tested the keeper from close range moments later with Webb then driving in on the right, cutting inside and then testing the keeper's gloves himself.

Matt German was a matter of inches away from connecting with a Luke Hincks diagonal ball before Liam Tongue rattled the side-netting after getting himself into a good position.

The next goalmouth action wasn't until the 77th minute...and at the wrong end as far as we were concerned.

A thrown-in from the right was nodded on inside the box to an unmarked Aaron Fleming who had time to pick his spot and bury the ball low to Piggott's left.

In the final minute we almost snatched all three points as a through ball was chased by Mike Sherrington, popping loose for him to look set to stroke home into an empty net but he was denied right at the last.

And so onto top-of-the-table Whitchurch Alport next Saturday....

TEAM: Piggott, Banda, Pearson, German, Tongue, Shaw, Hincks, Todd, Tosum, Webb, Magida. SUBS: Russell, M Sherrington, Whyatt, Rigby (gk).