BLACKPOOL knocked three goals past a woeful Cambridge at the Abbey Stadium to record their third win in four on their travels.

Richard Walker got the Seasiders started just after the half hour mark and then added a second 10 minutes after the restart. John O'Kane completed the rout with a superb strike in the 72nd minute, but Pool could easily have added more.

Steve McMahon has complained about the Bloomfield Road pitch all season, and with this sort of away form he may have proved himself right.

Blackpool were excellent a week ago in their 4-1 win at Wycombe and Tuesday's 3-0 victory was just as good, if not better.

The Seasiders started slowly but got better as the game went

on, and in the final stages it was almost like a training session for the men in Tangerine. Both sides had chances in the opening minutes and Cambridge even had the ball in the net only for a linesman's flag to disallow the effort.

Pool were next to find the net and this time the goal stood. Richard Walker tapped home after a catastrophic error from Cambridge keeper Lionel Perez.

Steve McMahon brought on Martin Bullock for John Murphy at half time and it turned out to be a shrewd decision by the Blackpool boss. Bullock had an excellent half and even had a hand in Walker's second goal on 55 minutes when he started a move which ended in another Walker tap in after Scott Taylor's effort had rebound off the crossbar. Pool should have had a penalty on 70 minutes when the ball was blatantly cleared by the hand of a Cambridge defender. The officials weren't impressed but John O'Kane made amends a couple of minutes later with the best of Blackpool's three goals.

O'Kane grabbed his third goal of the season in emphatic style, finding the top right corner and giving Perez no chance.

The three points did not improve Pool's league position because Swindon's win meant the Seasiders remained in 16th position. But Blackpool will face Cambridge again in the LDV Vans Trophy Final in March and on this evidence Steve McMahon's men could be bringing the trophy home.

Cambridge United 0 Blackpool 3

Scorers: Walker (35, 55), O'Kane (72)

Tuesday, Feb 26.

Attendance: 2,986