Jim Bentley: Morecambe boss hails Blackpool turnaround

Having lost at Grimsby Town on the opening day, the Shrimps found themselves a goal down to Blackpool with half-time approaching at the Globe Arena.

However, Jack Dunn’s penalty in added time restored parity after the Seasiders had dominated the opening period.

In contrast, a much more even second half was settled by Shrimps’ skipper Michael Rose’s first goal for the club with 14 minutes remaining.

“There were bits and pieces we were pleased with,” Bentley said of his side’s first-half display.

“Once we got the goal we looked nervous again.

“There were parts of the game where we looked OK but it can happen; what we did have second half is we defended better.

“We won more tackles, won more first and second balls and scored a fantastic breakaway goal.

“It was a great goal to win the game against very strong opposition.”

More than 1,500 Blackpool fans made the trip on Saturday as their team looked for a third victory in a week.

They provided noisy backing to Gary Bowyer’s players throughout the 90 minutes as they hope for an immediate return to League One.

The home supporters responded in kind, leaving Bentley paying tribute to both sets of fans afterwards.

“I thought their fans were brilliant with the way they got behind the team,” he said.

“Hopefully they’ll progress and we wish them well. There was a nice atmosphere between the fans.

“Luckily for us we got the second goal; it’s great to get off the mark and get our first league win – everything is positive.”