Blackpool beat Bolton Wanderers 4-0 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Lancashire FA Senior Cup.
The Seasiders' summer signing Zak Emmerson was due to play in the match - held at Bamber Bridge FC - but pulled up holding his hamstring in the warm-up and was replaced by Josh Nyame. It was a pretty even contest in the opening stages, before Brad Holmes ran clear in behind and rolled the ball across for Owen Moffat - who couldn’t miss - to get his first goal in Tangerine since his summer arrival from Celtic.
Blackpool continued to assert control after their opener and got their reward through Alex Lankshear, who finished off a near-post corner routine, squeezing the ball over the line. Bolton worked the ball well in spells, particularly through midfielder Matthew Tweedley, but struggled to break down a stubborn defence further in the first half. Tweedley opened up the first real chance for Wanderers as he drove through the midfield and fired just wide of the target.
Grant Ward soon made it 3-0 though with a great strike from the edge of the box, with space opening up once again for the Seasiders in the forward line. Lankshear had the ball in the net again before half time but he was flagged for offside as the Bolton inquest in their area resumed, and the Blackpool onslaught continued.
It soon became four as Lankshear found space again down the left hand side and slotted across the face for Holmes to tap home. Blackpool went in 4-0 up at the break and it could well have been more if they wanted it to be. Given the nature of the first half, the tempo dropped in the opening stages of the second with Bolton given license for spells of possession, albeit they didn’t do much with it - blocked shots from outside the area the best they could muster. Bolton continued to open up opportunities in the latter stages of the second half but they amount to little in terms of testing Archie Cunningham in the Seasiders goal.
Blackpool XI: Cunningham, Moore, Squires, Trusty, Lankshear, Ward, Mariette, Moffat, Francis, Holmes, Nyame
Blackpool Subs: Spinelli, Hughes, Byron, Bowen, (Emmerson: Injured - Hamstring)
Bolton XI: Hutchinson, Conway, Khumbeni, Toure, Yoro, Stanley, Carty, Trialist, Tweedley, Isgrove, Senior
Bolton Subs: Litherland, Tutte, Pettifer, Lockett, Grivosti
