Cort's goal secured a draw for Stoke

Leon Cort's second-half goal earned Championship leaders Stoke a point.

After a traffic accident caused the kick-off to be delayed by 30 minutes, Stoke started well and Mamady Sidibe headed against the Blackpool post.

But Ben Burgess dispatched a 20-yard drive which appeared to take a slight deflection off Cort on the way past Stoke goalkeeper Carlo Nash.

Stoke equalised when Paul Gallacher's corner was headed on by Chris Riggott and Cort applied the finish.

"I am amazed. He chose to travel down the busiest road in the country on the day of the game during a holiday period. It is astonishing.

"I had to drag my players in from the warm up, we were all sitting around for half an hour, and then I had to send them out again."

"I told the players I wouldn't accept our problems as an excuse for a poor performance - they rallied to the call.

"It was a very good point and we could have got all three."

Stoke: Nash, Griffin, Cort (Zakuani 55), Riggott, Pugh, Delap, Whelan, Diao (Wilkinson 8 (Bothroyd 65)), Gallagher, Cresswell, Sidibe.
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Parkin.

Goal: Cort 47.

Blackpool: Rachubka, Crainey, Gorkss, Evatt, Barker, Hoolahan, Flynn, Jorgensen, Taylor-Fletcher (Holt 86), Burgess, McPhee.
Subs Not Used: Coid, Morrell, Fox, Welsh.

Goal: Burgess 36.

Booked: Jorgensen 40.

Att: 20,019

Referee: Mike Pike (Cumbria)