Seasiders struck by second goal syndrome

10:53am Thursday 2nd October 2008

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Cardiff City visit Bloomfield Road for a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday, before the Seasiders take a two week break due to World Cup qualifiers.

Cardiff always provide a stern test and took six points off Blackpool last season but Simon Grayson will be looking for three points to push on up the table.

Second season syndrome is so far not proving to be the problem many people predicted for the Seasiders.

With just one defeat in the last six games, they are holding their own again in the Championship and sit in fourteenth place in the division.

It could be even better, were it not for another syndrome that seems to be affecting the side; second goal syndrome.

The Seasiders have yet to score more than once in any game this season, having played nine league games and once in the Carling Cup.

On Saturday they took the lead against Coventry City when Ben Burgess fired home from outside the area, on the advice of his wife, apparently - she had told him to shoot more.

The lead was nearly doubled when Burgess later saw his header strike the bar.

But three points then turned into one when Freddy Eastwood scored a fine individual goal.

Whoever he is playing for, and however long it’s been since his last goal, you can rely on Eastwood to pop up and grab a goal against the Seasiders.

On Tuesday Blackpool led for most of the game thanks to a wonder strike from Gary Taylor-Fletcher after 18 minutes. He bent his shot into the top corner with the outside of his boot from outside the box. Again, though, the lead could not be extended and they were pegged back when Dexter Blackstock headed in after a free kick had come back off the bar.

On the balance of play, these two results were about right.

But in both games, three points could probably have been grabbed if only a second goal could have been found from somewhere.

Simon Grayson will hope Daniel Nardiello, who keeps picking up niggling injuries, and Stephen McPhee, who is back in training at last, will be pushing for starting places soon to add to his attacking options. The fact that Burgess and Kabba are his only fit strikers is a problem at the moment.

But confidence is growing on the back of excellent away form, and the Cardiff match provides the opportunity to work on the areas that need improvement - the results at Bloomfield Road, and finding that elusive second goal.