Sunderland vs Blackpool match report

A Jack Baldwin inspired Sunderland side succumbed to another home point against a determined Blackpool side.

League one promotion hopefuls Sunderland entertained playoff chasers Blackpool on a gusty evening under the lights, in the North East. It was a game many of the locals would've tipped to be a 'must win' if Sunderland were to keep up with the top. From the start, it was evident the home team were nervous and felt a bit under pressure. Blackpool were forced into an early change before the game really got underway, just 7 minutes were on the clock when Liam Feeney replaced the injured Marc Bola. In the opening 20, however, the hosts did in fact dominate the play, with the ball firmly in the Blackpool half throughout that duration. Their possession didn't tell though, as plenty of chances were going astray, leaving plenty in the ground frustrated. The visitors never really looked under pressure, you could say, and were dealing with whatever Sunderland had to offer, a few Grant Leadbitter corners went unrewarded, but apart from that, Sunderland didn't really offer much. Their new £4 million man, Will Grigg was making his home league debut following his deadline day arrival from Wigan and he didn't really get himself into the game in the first half an hour. The game did spring into life when the clock hit half an hour, after a long midfield battle, Blackpool's centre defender Curtis Tilt saw his header cleared off the line. The alarm bells were ringing for the hosts, but only shortly after they saw themselves a goal down. A rocket from French striker Armand Gnanduillet flew past Scotland international Jon McLaughlin in the Sunderland goal. It could've yet been a different story though, as Grigg raced through on goal just seconds before but Tangerines stopper Mark Howard was equal to it, a really disappointing outcome, to say the least. Was it going to be one of those days for the Black Cats, who find themselves in a sticky patch, having only won 1 of their last 6 games. Incidentally, the 5 games they didn't win in that time, were all 1-1 draws. So you could bank on what the outcome would be for this one. Yet, Sunderland did still push before half time, Aiden McGeady saw his free kick crash off the outside of the Blackpool post, however, nothing would come of Sunderland's efforts in the first half, and were lucky to go into the break a goal down in truth, as Blackpool's other central defender, Ben Heneghan, missed an effort from 6 yards, a chance that really could've put the game to bed given Sunderlands attacking woes. 

Second Half

It was as you were for both sides entering the second half, no tactical substitutions were made, much to the anger of many of the home fans, who were hoping for an attacking change, given their struggles. Sunderland did begin to grow in the second and began to control, having the lion share of possession and really beginning to look threatening. Duncan Watmore was the main instigator of Sunderlands opportunities, showing a willingness to drive at the Blackpool back line with his blistering pace, the final product wasn't there, though, and many were beginning to believe their luck really was out. This forced Sunderland boss Jack Ross into a pair of changes, with Charlie Wyke and Lewis Morgan replacing Lynden Gooch and Aiden McGeady, the intent was there, to lay into the Blackpool defence and force errors on them. Just 10 minutes after entering the play, Wyke saw a scuffed effort saved by Howard in the Blackpool goal after clever play from Watmore. Chances were coming thick and fast, and only minutes later Will Grigg latched onto a clever through ball from Jack Baldwin, he rounded the keeper with ease however his finish let him down, finding the side netting in an open goal. The home fans surely by now had lost all hope of getting anything from this game after all those missed opportunities. However in the 75th minute, hope, as well as parity, was restored. Grant Leadbitter sent in an inch perfect ball into the box from a corner, which was gratefully put away by central defender Jack Baldwin.

Statistic
That's 38 straight league games that Sunderland have scored in, the best return in Englands top 4 divisions! 

However, the question remained the same, could Sunderland score that all important winning goal to keep up with the front 2? Well they did continue to press and were throwing everything at it, corner after corner, they were peppering the Blackpool defence, however they weren't fazed by it and continued to thwart the Sunderland attack. It ended 1-1 at the Stadium Of Light, another frustrating result for Sunderland, who find themselves 4th in the league, 4 points off Barnsley in 2nd place, with a game in hand. 

Upcoming match-ups 
Sunderland take on Accrington Stanley this Friday, in another must win game. If they do fail to win, then serious doubts about promotion will kick in, with Barnsley being the in form team, they could really start to open up a gap. Blackpool travel to Charlton this weekend, looking to build on a 6 match unbeaten run. A win at The Valley could really see them put pressure on the top six, and Charlton themselves who currently occupy the 5th position, sitting on 55 points 

Man Of The Match- George Honeyman
Responsible for the rare pieces of creativity in Sunderlands game. Needs to be in the side more if they are to be more consistent. 

Flop Of The Match- Aiden McGeady
Never really played with great desperation all night. Didn't look sharp enough,questions looming, should Morgan start ahead of him?

Moment Of The Match- Grigg through on goal
One of the games best chances saw Will Grigg race through on goal at 0-0. If he scored, it may have been a different story, Sunderland may have got the win. However, it was the catalyst to an impressive Blackpool counter attack, which was finished off merely 30 seconds after the miss.

Match stats
Possession: 58%-42%
Shots: 18-11
Shots on target: 7-5
Corners: 8-3
Fouls: 10-11

Referee- Carl Boyeson

Attendance- 27,580

Match report- Dortmund vs TSG Hoffenheim

A goal and an assist from England hotshot Jadon Sancho proved not to be enough as TSG Hoffenheim clawed back from 3 goals down to rescue a point at Signal Iduna Park.

Bundesliga pace-setters Borussia Dortmund played host to Europa league chasers TSG Hoffenheim on a misty day in North Rhine-Westphalia. A game many would have tipped to be a walk in the park for those in Yellow and Black, that prediction looked bang on the money once Dortmund seemingly took the lead after 12 minutes, however a fluke deflection off Jadon Sancho was ruled offside. However, the league leaders weren't to be denied just after the half hour mark, once Sancho played a smart give-and-go with veteran defender Lukasz Piszcek, he raced in behind to smash beyond the helpless Oliver Baumann in the Hoffenheim goal, who was rooted to the spot. They didn't finish there though, as yet again Dortmund proved to everyone that they're top for a reason, this time Sancho playing the providing role. A hard and low effort was saved from the German stopper, however it bounced straight into the path of former World Cup winner, and german international, Mario Gotze, who made no mistake from all of 5 yards. 2-0 and cruising, the hosts looking in fine form. They didn't have it all their own way however, as shortly before their second Hoffenheim's Brazilian sensation Joelinton missed the target with a header. You could say, though, that Dortmund were good value for their two goal lead at the interval and, on another day, really could've lead by more.

Second Half
The second half took a while to get going in truth, however Hoffenheim did attempt to swing the game back in their favour with 2 substitutions. Dennis Geiger and Ishak Belfodil replacing Kerem Demirbay and Andrej Kramaric respectively. Hoffenheim proved to be the brighter spark in the early stages, with both of their fullbacks, Pavel Kaderabek and Nico Schulz being denied by Dortmunds Swiss stopper, Roman Burki. They kept driving forward however, and were desperately searching for a way back into game, with Joelinton leading their attacks and having a few attempts denied. However, Dortmund, as rampant as ever, weren't looking to rest on their laurels and found themselves  with various threats of their own. 66 minutes in, and the game effectively put to bed, with smart work from the young England international Sancho to find Gotze, who he previously assisted. From then on in Gotze found Portuguese full back Raphael Guerreiro, who calmly dispatched from 6 yards, in front of a packed out Yellow Wall stand in the WestFalenStadion. The game looked out of reach for the days visitors, and Dortmund were playing games with their visitors and again threatened to score, as Sancho made a mockery of defender Stefan Posch, before striking off the face of the post, desperately close for the young forward. This was as good as it got for The Black and Yellows, complacency kicking in you could say, as they let their foot off the gas. This suddenly brought a great deal of pressure to their defence after vast amounts of space in the middle were being exploited by the visitors. With 15 minutes remaining, Hoffenheim really had nothing to lose and found themselves desperately throwing players forward in order to find a route back into the match. Their goal did eventually come after some smart work down the right hand side saw Kaderabek with a crossing opportunity, his smart ball to the back post was finished off by substitute Belfodil. Burki was unlucky to have not kept his effort out as it slowly crept over the line, however despite the stoppers best efforts, the goal stood. Then, shortly after the visitors goal, Guerreiro once again found himself in a goalscoring opportunity around the 18 yard area, however a powerful effort was unsuccessful, Baumann gratefully clutched the ball into his midriff. A disappointing effort from the Portuguese international, who really could've put the game to bed once and for all. The visitors belief continued to grow, and found themselves with opportunities of their own, with on-loan prodigy Reiss Nelson and Florian Grillitsch both having shots blocked by the Dortmund defenders. Shortly after though, the latter delivered a perfectly timed ball into the box, which was met by the head of Kaderabek, just shortly after teeing up Belfodil for his strike. The game was hanging in the balance, and with just over 7 minutes remaining on the clock, fear was present in the Dortmund camp, foul after foul by their defence, and seemingly penned into their own half. Hoffenheim's hard work and resistance eventually told in the 87th minute, after another perfect ball came into the Dortmund area, this time from Dennis Geiger and with the hosts once again failing to clear their lines, the substitute Belfodil powered in a wonderful header to restore parity in the game. Belfodil capping off a wonderful performance, having only been on the field for 40 minutes, you wonder if the outcome would've been slightly different if he was on the field from the get go. It remained 3-3 in West Germany, with Der BvB not knowing what just hit them. Undoubtedly 2 huge points dropped, you never know how vital those could be come the end of the season. However, they remain 5 points clear at the top and will still be favourites to lift the coveted trophy come May.


Man Of The Match- Jadon Sancho
A terrific showing from the England international, who must be one of the first names on the team sheet. His willingness to take on players and his total fearless attitude is a breath of fresh air. At 18 years of age the world is truly his oyster, and with such confidence and skill to go with his attitude, he could truly develop into one of the worlds best. England manager Gareth Southgate will surely be quivering in anticipation at what Sancho could become, not only for 5 years time, but for the immediate future. He could become a national hero.

Flop of the match- Maximilian Philipp
The 25 year old struggled to make an impact after being Marco Reus's replacement. His struggles meant he was subbed off in the 70th minute, and made way for Paco Alcacer

Moment of the match- Sancho off the post
As well as he played, his effort off the post has to go down as the moment of the match, simply because if he scores the game is put to bed. At 3-0, the game looks beyond Hoffenheim, it looks dead and buried. However, you see this as a moment that could have breathed new life into the visitors, therefore proving a huge factor in the comeback.

Match stats
Possession: 59%-41%
Shots: 16-14
Shots on target: 7-6
Corners: 7-8
Fouls: 7-14

Referee- Marco Fritz (Germany)

Attendance- 81,365

Film Proposal + script

Film synopsis:

For my short film, I will create a failed heist. This will include the robbers attempting to find a way into the heist, however investigators will be on the same wave length as them. They will track them and take them down.

Logline:

The film will begin before the scene of a robbery, and will include cuts of the robbers scoping out a bank to try and plan their attack. The start of the film will include investigations as to what happened in the robbery, this will be shot in a dark room with very low lighting. There will be 3 investigators round a computer, who will watch the cctv video of the robbers in the bank, from this they will catch the robber by doing a series of tasks.

Structure 

Act 1: For the first 3 minutes of the film, all characters will be introduced to the screen, as in all investigators will be introduced, as well as those who attempt to pull off the robbery.
Act 2: The conflict: The conflict will be the investigators watching the video of the robbery and how it all happens.
Act 3: The investigators will set out as a team to begin the hunt for the robbers and take them down once they've found the culprits.

Characters:

The characters in my film will have some logic behind them. i.e the investigators will outnumber the robbers and the investigators will be bigger than the robbers. My first investigator will be Josh. This is because he a big man, a rugby player and would without a doubt take a robber to the ground, therefore he is a perfect choice. My next investigator will be Luke. This is because Luke is again a tall and dominant character, who could take on a robber. Finally, my last investigator will be Rob. This is because he has quite a dominant figure, and his tall stance will dominate those who are robbers. For my robbers, i need to make them the opposite of the investigators with height. So, my first robber will be Joe. This is because he is rather small in comparison to those who are investigating, therefore it makes sense. And my final robber will be Jack. Again, this is because in comparison to the investigators, he doesn't quite match up to them in terms of size.

Investigators

Richardson (Josh)
Johnson (Luke)
Henderson (Rob)

Robbers

Oliver (Jack)
Reeves (Joe)

Film Treatment

Mr Oliver and Dr. Reeves are setting out to do their biggest mission yet, they're ready to take down a bank. However, the three investigators, Professor Johnson, Richardson and Henderson are on the same wave length as the robbers and have been tracking them for an age. The professors have been gathering information, finding everything there is to find. Once they find the CCTV footage of them scoping out the bank, they begin to track every move they make, and attempt to take them down at the next possible opportunity. After a document leaks online of their schedule to strike the bank, the investigators grab a hold of it, and meet them there.

Target Audience
 My target audience is from ages 15-35. This is because after research, this is the age band that likes action and edge of the seat movies. This goes hand in hand with Marvel movies, and it fits in with the demographic. The selling point of the movie is the entertaining aspect as to whether the robbers will be caught and if the investigators can indeed catch them in the act.