Sportspy Extra – Sunday May 2nd 2010

Last July now seems a long time ago.  During the month Blackpool FC played a friendly away at Burscough FC.  If you have either the time or the inclination it's well worth another look at this article as it was one of the first times the team had played under new manager Ian Holloway.  If you look at the team that played that day during the first half at Burscough you'll see that Adam and Campbell aside almost all of them would play a major role in the Seasider's successful campaign. 

It's worth remembering that Holloway inherited much of the squad so a lot of credit is due to the likes of Simon Grayson, Tony Parkes and Steve Thompson.  Holloway made the best of what he had been given, he gave them belief, put in place radical formations and told them to go and play football offensively everywhere we played and it made for a memorable season, the best for many, many years.

As the season kicked off every bookmaker and pundit cowardly predicted that we would be relegated.  Every so called 'big' team like Middlesborough, Forest, Wigan, Newcastle etc thought that they had the right to beat us and looked silly after the event.  I was hoping for a mid table finish last August but as the season progressed I thought we had a great chance of finishing in the top ten but a strong finish gave us an excellent chance of a play off spot.

With the new South stand recently opened today's game was a sell out.  Bettering or equalling the result of Swansea FC who were at home to Doncaster FC would give us that final play off spot.  After appearing to win the toss skipper Adam surprisingly elected to kick towards our noisy support in the South during the first half.  Blackpool FC were largely inconsistent throughout the opening 45 minutes with poor distibution and a failure to retain possession.  The visitors took the lead after Maynard turned and fired it over Gilks who was out of position on the penalty spot. 0-1 and that's how it stayed until half time.

Blackpool FC started the second half much brighter and with the home support still fully behind them they started to impose themselves.  Soon after the restart Dobbie came on for DJ Campbell.  After a couple of close calls Blackpool FC finally equalised.  A free-kick from the left was expertly swung in from Adam and the legend that is Brett Ormerod threw himself at the ball and headed it past the keeper.  1-1

Blackpool FC largely bossed the rest of the second half but the crowd knew that a Swansea winner would see us out of the play off's unless we scored a winner.  Despite going close on a number of occasions Blackpool FC just couldn't find a second but in the end it didn't matter as Swansea FC could only draw 0-0 at home to Doncaster FC.  After taking a point away and hammering them at home they can have no complaints.

So, on to the play off's and it's a double header against Nottingham Forest FC.  We may have beaten them twice but they showed in the last fifteen minutes of the recent game after they had brought on Earnshaw and Blackstock that they're a very good team.  We need to be at our best at the back if we're to reach Wembley but we've nothing to lose and everything to gain.  The pressure is on Forest.  Come on Blackpool, you can do it.

Congratulations to Ian Holloway and his team. 

Charlie Adam receives the Championship player of the month award

Dressed up for the occasion – nice earrings

Poor effort from the mascot

The North stand makes things colourful for Sky TV

The Tangerine Army roars on the team

Alan Thompson acknowledges his mate in the corporate boxes.  Lots of our local Saturday footballers able to see the game today

Adam looks to have won the toss

Bristol City FC get us underway

Ian Evatt (6) almost provides the dream start but he headed just over

Gilks collects the cross (spot the ball)

Agonisingly wide

All ages today at the match

The Sky TV 'Championship' cameras struggling to comprehend that one of the teams wasn't playing in black and white stripes

Charlie Adam (Kept himself away from the referee today with no card)

Bristol City FC take the lead.  They strip off by Superman

'Pauncho Villa'

The ref gave us nowt in the first half

Blackpool Ladies FC take the applause at the half time interval

Evatt fouls

Brett goes close

Poulton SFC's Carl Eastwood

Yellow card….free kick for Blackpool FC in a dangerous area.  Adam's passing had been misplaced all game.  Time to do the business.

The perfect delivery for super Brett Ormerod a he dives to head it past the keeper before sliding through the dirt 1-1.  The bloke in the black jacket's not even watching. 

Time to celebrate

'Glad all over'

Putting the pressure on.  The North Stand are on their feet with heads in hands.

Coleman is held up as Bristol bring on a sub

A poor cross, a wasted opportunity as we had men waiting in the middle

The ref grabs a Bristol player in the fracas

Brett gets involved

All for nothing as the subsequent free kick finds row 'Z'

Getting nervous

Another yellow card for Bristol

……………….and another.  For a team with supposedly little to play for they were certainly giving it all they had

Big Ben's on

Dobbie tries to winkle it it out of the keeper's grasp without success

Still having to defend as Bristol force a corner

Short skirt (Far right)

Screaming for the whistle after the 'false' news from Swansea begins to filter through

Burgess heads well wide.  More frustration from the crowd.

The whistle goes – he's first on to the pitch

But he's not on his own for long

The player's are mobbed

'Wait for me!'

Bloomfield Bear (Bottom right)

'Spot the Bear'

Waiting for the players but not before they retreated off the pitch.  Is that Shaun Meehan in the centre and another Meehan top left?  Hooligans.

Posing for Sky TV

'Holloway's Tangerine Army'

Blackpool FC 1 – 1 Bristol City FC

Sportspy 2009/10

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