Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday pulled closer to the Championship relegation zone
Last Updated: April 19, 2013 12:21pm
Chris Kirkland: Had very little to do
Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday were pulled one point closer to the Championship relegation zone as they played out a drab 0-0 draw at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday.
Jermaine Johnson forced Matt Gilks into an early save when he latched onto the end of a Steve Howard cross with a volley inside the opening minute, but the Blackpool goalkeeper was equal to it.
Gilks needed to be alert once again just a few minutes later, as Johnson capitalised on some lax defending to surge into the penalty area, only to see his shot tipped around a post.
The hosts continued to invite pressure with their questionable defending - Giles Coke the next to drill a fizzing effort from 25 yards, but Gilks once again came to the rescue.
As their goalkeeper performed heroics at one end of the pitch, Blackpool struggled to settle at the other, with chances few and far between for the Seasiders in the opening stages.
Tom Ince tried to force the issue after 19 minutes when he sent a left-footed effort wide of the right post from 20 yards.
Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was called into action for the first time shortly after, as he dived to stop a Ludovic Sylvestre effort from distance.
Despite being under-utilised in the opening 20 minutes, Kirkland showed no ill-effects as he came to the fore again to tip a close-range effort from Ince around a post.
A furious Johnson felt he was stamped on by Stephen Crainey 10 minutes before the break, but it was the Wednesday man who went into the book for his overzealous protests.
The hosts went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock shortly after half-time as Kirk Broadfoot headed against the crossbar from an Ince corner.
Kirkland had to wait until the 86th minute to be called upon to make a save in a second half largely void of goalscoring opportunities, with Gilks' first action coming in stoppage time as he parried a late Chris Maguire shot.
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npower Championship
Table
npower Championship
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff City | 46 | 87 |
| 2 | Hull City | 46 | 79 |
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 77 |
| 4 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 46 | 75 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 72 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 68 |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 68 |
| 8 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 67 |
| 9 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 65 |
| 10 | Derby County | 46 | 61 |
| 11 | Burnley | 46 | 61 |
| 12 | Birmingham City | 46 | 61 |
| 13 | Leeds United | 46 | 61 |
| 14 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 60 |
| 15 | Blackpool | 46 | 59 |
| 16 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 59 |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 58 |
| 18 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 58 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 58 |
| 20 | Millwall | 46 | 56 |
| 21 | Barnsley | 46 | 55 |
| 22 | Peterborough United | 46 | 54 |
| 23 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 51 |
| 24 | Bristol City | 46 | 41 |
