Blackpool 4-1 Nottingham Forest: Steve Cooper’s decision to make 11 CHANGES backfires

Championship contenders Blackpool lived up to their illustrious FA Cup history when he humiliated a Nottingham Forest side branded ‘unacceptable’ by their manager Steve Cooper.

Sitting on the relegation zone, Michael Appleton’s Seasiders took full advantage of Forest’s 11 substitutions to emphatically record their first win in ten games.

They took the lead through Marvin Ekpiteta, surviving a Forest attack that saw Emmanuel Dennis hit the bar and then beating through Leeds loanee Ivan Poveda, CJ Hamilton and top scorer Jerry Yates in the last quarter before Ryan Yates’ worthless consolation for the visitors scored

Marvin Ekpiteta (right) is congratulated after foregrounding Blackpool on Bloomfield Road

Ian Poveda punches in the air after scoring Blackpool’s second goal against Nottingham Forest

All around Bloomfield Road there are reminders of the legendary Stanley Matthews final 70 years ago and Appleton’s 23rd class made the club proud.

“I’ve had good cup runs before and I think they can do wonders for the club,” said the proud manager afterwards.

“Getting a result and a performance like today can create momentum and will do the players a lot of good.

“We knew we were going to need Max (goalkeeper Chris Maxwell) to make saves and be clinical in front of goal but we ticked all the boxes.”

Cooper was deflated, although that game was sandwiched between an important win at Southampton that lifted Forest out of the Premier League’s last three and Wednesday’s EFL Cup quarter-finals against Wolves.

“It was unacceptable. We must make sure that never happens again, he fumed. “This team was more than strong enough to do well. We gave up the game too early because we were still the dominant team when we made it 2-0.

“We shouldn’t forget that too soon. I will not. It’s a lesson that you can’t just turn things on and off – I hate that. I’m just as disappointed in the chances we have

Making only two changes from the previous league game, Blackpool unsurprisingly started more fluidly and led after 17 minutes.

Hamilton defeated Jack Colback and from his cross Shane Lavery fired in the path of Ekpiteta, who deflected.

It was the fighting defender’s second goal of the season, matching his two red cards.

Despite being effectively a Forest reserve team, they still showed plenty of individual quality.

Dennis hit the woodwork with a spectacular effort from the edge of the box and Brazilian newcomer Gustavo Scarpa, making his first start for the club, tested Maxwell before Sam Surridge hit the side netting.

Maxwell kept his team ahead at the break when he dived left to keep Neco Williams away and then the keeper made another crucial intervention early in the second half.

CJ Hamilton (left) celebrates with Poveda after scoring Blackpool’s third goal of the game

Scarpa set Dennis up but the £25m striker was rejected by Maxwell’s boot as he came through clean. From the follow up, Lewis O’Brien’s shot was on target until Ekpiteta made a heroic block.

After weathering the storm, Appleton sent Yates and it had an immediate effect.

A loose pass from Williams was blocked by substitute Poveda after 64 minutes. He needed a few touches to keep control and then steered his finish past Wayne Hennessey.

The contest was effectively decided after 71 minutes when another substitute, Kenny Dougall, fed Hamilton and he forcefully drilled into the bottom corner from 12 yards out.

Forest were in shock and Yates pulled off the final coup de gras when he headed in Poveda’s cross from a short corner to score his 10th goal of the season after 87 minutes. Most of the Forest fans were gone as their Yates, Ryan, clinched a consolation in stoppage time by heading Harry Toffolo’s cross.

Jerry Yates scored a convincing win for Blackpool with his fourth goal

It will have been a miserable trip back to the East Midlands for both the team and its 3,000 fans who made the journey, who clamored in support of their team until they left en masse 3-0.

Cooper didn’t hold back on his players. “I told them that the individual errors in the goals we conceded were unacceptable – and so were the missed chances.

“Apart from Dennis, we haven’t even hit the target yet. They were absolutely clear chances.

“The mistakes on goals were terrible. We didn’t fight enough to get back into the game.”

“I’m not even going to say we have to learn from it because that’s like saying today was okay and it’s not.”

Emmanuel Dennis hit the bar for Forest as they paid for their lavish finishing

Steve Cooper may regret making 11 changes when his team were eliminated from the FA Cup