ONE moment of inspiration from Martin Aldridge was the high point of this dreary and forgettable match at Bloomfield Road on Saturday (Feb 20) as lowly Lincoln stole the spoils from a static Seasiders.

Martin Aldridge's 19th minute overhead volley was superbly executed and came as close as the Seasiders could to scoring before Stuart Bimson cleared the ball.

The Imps were 20th in the league before the match started and the majority of the 4,215 fans attending must have been confident to see Blackpool's recent good run continuing.

How wrong they were. Not only did the Seasiders lose, but arch rivals Preston added to Tangerine fans' woes by showing everyone how to thump the Imps 5-0 on Tuesday night (Feb 23).

From their performance at Bloomfield Road, it's easy to see why Preston took Lincoln apart.

The big question is why, when in good form, could Blackpool not muster a single goal?

Fair enough, Nigel Worthington had problems with injuries and suspensions but with players of the quality of Bardsley, Hughes, Bushell, Hills and Butler on the pitch, Blackpool should do better.

Blackpool seemed to lack direction and, despite having the upper hand for the majority of the first half, rarely looked like scoring.

In the opening seconds Adam Nowland worked wonders on the right wing to place a superb cross in the middle of Lincoln's area.

Not one orange shirt was close to it, leaving Bimson to head over his own goal.

On four minutes John Hills tapped his free kick for David Bardsley to smash his 30-yard shot just wide.

Steve Bushell's 60th minute one-on-one chance was the best Blackpool had in the second half.

Lincoln, meanwhile, had the measure of Blackpool and mustered up some attacks of their own.

It was galling to see ex-Seasider Lee Philpott running his old midfield ragged on occasion. Then came the killer blow on 84 minutes.

Steve Banks was left standing when Paul Miller charged through the defence to meet Bimson's corner and head his side ahead.

The match was a squandered three points.

Lincoln should have been a walkover for Blackpool to help them climb the table - but on performances like this, a relegation struggle is looking more and more likely.

This Saturday (Feb 27) Blackpool travel to Luton Town.

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