A 91st minute strike from Jimmy Ryan secured a valuable three points for Blackpool and a 1-0 victory against Charlton Athletic.



The skipper found the net after Danny Philliskirk and Dan Agyei had shots blocked, leaving space for the midfielder to arrow a rebound into the bottom corner.

The win was marred by an injury to Nathan Delfouneso though, who was stretchered off following a clash of heads in the first-half.

Manager Gary Bowyer opted to name an unchanged side for the fixture, with Jay Spearing and Viv Solomon-Otabor shaking off minor injuries from the weekend.

The initial flow of the game was disrupted by a host of injuries, though the most serious occurred when Nathan Delfouneso and Lewis Page clashed heads near the centre-circle in the 17th minute. After a lengthy stoppage while he was assessed by paramedics, Delfouneso left the field on a stretcher and was replaced by Danny Philliskirk.

Blackpool started to build up a bit of rhythm once play got back underway and saw Philliskirk have a fine dipping strike parried over the bar by Ben Amos.

Now controlling possession in the Charlton half, The Seasiders were finding opportunities inside the area hard to come by. The next chance fell to Kyle Vassell following a surging run down the right, however he dragged his effort wide of the far post.

The injury stoppages, including the eight minutes that led to Delfouneso being stretchered off, meant that 12 additional minutes were playing in the first-half.

It was the visitors who had the chances in that period of time. Michal Zyro headed straight at Joe Lumley, while Jake Forster-Caskey sent a rasping drive just over the bar.

Zyro, having gone close with an earlier header, was then left unmarked eight-yards out but this time nodded over the bar.

Half-Time: Blackpool 0 Charlton Athletic 0

The Seasiders started the second-half on the front foot and carved out a good opportunity for Kyle Vassell, though the forward struck wide from the edge of the box.

Ollie Turton almost scored a carbon copy of his goal against Doncaster Rovers earlier in the season when he cut inside and unleashed a strike from 25-yards, however Ben Amos got a vital touch on the ball to tip it over.

With chances at a premium, manager Gary Bowyer introduced on-loan Burnley striker Dan Agyei for Kyle Vassell in the 75th minute. The forward’s first bit of action resulted in Patrick Bauer being booked for a body check on him.

Curtis Tilt came close to breaking the deadlock when his downward header caused problems for the Charlton defence, only for a defender on the line to clear the ball away from danger.

As time ticked on, The Seasiders finally took the lead. After watching a Danny Philliskirk effort headed away from the line and a Dan Agyei shot blocked, Jimmy Ryan steamed in to find the bottom corner from 20-yards.

Full-Time: Blackpool 1 Charlton Athletic 0