Sentence:  Already guarding a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Blackpool <WSD>inched</WSD> further ahead when Stephen Dobbie scored from an acute angle on the stroke of half-time. The game appeared to be completely beyond Birmingham's reach three minutes into the second period when Matt Phillips reacted quickly to bundle the ball past Colin Doyle and off a post. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To advance very slowly, or by a small amount (in a particular direction).