| 2009–10 season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Owen Oyston |
| Chairman | Karl Oyston |
| Manager | Ian Holloway |
| Stadium | Bloomfield Road |
| Championship | 6th |
| Play-offs | Winners (promoted) |
| FA Cup | Third round |
| League Cup | Third round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Charlie Adam (17) All: Charlie Adam (19) |
| Highest home attendance | 12,296 vsBristol City, Championship, 2 May 2010 |
| Lowest home attendance | 6,855 vsWatford, Championship, 23 January 2010 |
The2009–10 season wasBlackpool F.C.'s 102nd season (99th consecutive) in theFootball League. It was also their third consecutive season inThe Championship, the second tier ofEnglish football. The club won promotion, via theplay-offs, to thePremier League for the first time. Their victory overCardiff City in the final was the club's ninth victory in their last eleven games. It wasIan Holloway's first season as manager.
Charlie Adam, in his first season with Blackpool, finished as the club's top scorer, with nineteen goals in all competitions.
Ian Holloway returned to his former clubQPR for the opening game of the League season.Ben Burgess putthe Tangerines ahead late into the first half, and that's how the score remained untilPeter Ramage's 87th-minute leveller.[1]
Three days later, Blackpool began theirLeague Cup campaign atCrewe Alexandra.Adam Nowland, who had returned to the club on a non-contract basis the previous day, broke the deadlock on 52 minutes.Calvin Zola equalised forthe Railwaymen in the 74th minute, beforeDaniel Nardiello, eleven minutes from time, scored what proved to be the winner.[2]
On 15 August, Blackpool hostedCardiff City atBloomfield Road.Michael Chopra opened the scoring for the visitors, butSeasiders captainIan Evatt equalised in first-half injury time. The match finished 1–1.[3]
Derby County visited the seaside three days later, and they returned to theEast Midlands with a point after a goalless draw.[4]
On 22 August, Blackpool visitedthe Home Counties for a meeting withWatford. They came from behind twice to record their fourth-successive draw,Alex Baptiste andGary Taylor-Fletcher the scorers.[5]
In the second round of the League Cup, on 26 August, Blackpool hostedPremier League outfitWigan Athletic.Ishmel Demontagnac scored his first goal for the club, followed by strikes byBen Burgess (19 minutes),Charlie Adam (netting his first goal as a permanent Blackpool player), and Gary Taylor-Fletcher. TheLatics pulled one back in injury time to make the final score 4–1.[6]
Blackpool's first League victory occurred three days later, whenCoventry City visited Bloomfield Road. The hosts won 3–0, extending their unbeaten start to the season to seven games.[7]
The Tangerines suffered their first defeat of the campaign two weeks later, after aninternational break, atLeicester City.Matty Fryatt's double – one either side of Charlie Adam's strike just after the half-hour mark – gavethe Foxes all three points.[8]
Newcastle United travelled to Bloomfield Road on 17 September.The Magpies'Andy Carroll opened the scoring five minutes from the break, only forBrett Ormerod to level matters in first-half injury time.Jason Euell put Blackpool in front, with his first goal for the club, on 65 minutes, and it proved to be the final goal of the game.[9]
Three days later, Ian Holloway's men visited theCity Ground to faceNottingham Forest. Charlie Adam scored the only goal of the game, nineteen minutes in.[10]
League Cup action resumed on 22 September, with a visit to Premier League sideStoke City. Blackpool were two goals up courtesy of David Vaughan and Billy Clarke, butthe Potters fought back to level matters by the 79th minute.Tony Pulis' men took the lead for the first time on 80 minutes, before Ben Burgess equalised a minute later. Andy Griffin scored what proved to be the winner in injury time.[11]
Back in the League, on 26 Septemberthe Tangerines welcomedPeterborough United to town. Jason Euell opened the scoring after three minutes. Eight minutes later,Hamer Bouazza opened his account for the club with the second, sealing 'Pool's third consecutive League victory.[12]
Blackpool travelled toBristol City three days later, and they suffered their second defeat of the campaign with a 0–2 scoreline.[13]
Another, heavy defeat followed, atCrystal Palace on 3 October. 1–4 was the result atSelhurst Park.[14]
After a fortnight's break,the Tangerines beatPlymouth Argyle 2–0 at Bloomfield Road, with Marcel Seip and David Vaughan finding the net.[15]
Sheffield United visited the seaside on 20 October, and they returned to Yorkshire pointless after strikes from Marcel Seip, Jason Euell and Charlie Adam gave Blackpool a 3–0 victory. The result kept Blackpool in the play-off places and preserved their unbeaten home record.[16]
The next game saw Blackpool earn a point away toSwansea in a 0–0 draw,[17] a point that would ultimately determine the fate of both teams come the end of the season. Seven goals in the next two games saw Blackpool earn a 3–3 draw atDoncaster Rovers[18] and a 4–1 home victory overScunthorpe United.[19] There then followed a slump withthe Tangerines earning only one point from the next three games: a defeat away toReading,[20] a home draw with local rivalsPreston North End,[21] and then the first home defeat of the season, againstBarnsley.[22] A win (3–0 atMiddlesbrough),[23] a defeat at Ipswich,[24] and a win atDerby County[25] earned a further six points in the last three games of 2009.
January began with the club's only game in this season'sFA Cup, a home defeat toIpswich Town.[26] The League resumed with two draws: 1–1 atCardiff City[27] and 2–2 at home to QPR,[28] before a rescheduled visit fromSheffield Wednesday resulted in a second home defeat.[29] A 3–2 home win againstWatford[30] and a draw atCoventry City[31] was then followed by three straight defeats: againstWest Brom,[32]Leicester City[33] and Sheffield Wednesday.[34] Then a visit toDeepdale could not separate the local rivals, with Preston and Blackpool playing out a goalless draw.[35] Two 2–0 home victories (againstMiddlesbrough[36] andReading)[37] followed. Then only four points were taken from the next five games, which saw the team lose games atBarnsley,[38]West Brom[39] andSheffield United.[40] A home victory was procured overRoy Keane'sIpswich Town[41] after the Barnsley reversal, and a draw – also at home – againstCrystal Palace rounded out the sequence.[42]
A 5–1 victory over Swansea City on 23 March[43] was followed four days later by a 2–0 victory in what was a long road trip to Ian Holloway's former employers, Plymouth Argyle.[44]
Another victory ensued, this time 4–2 at Scunthorpe United.[45] A fourth-consecutive win was achieved at home to Doncaster Rovers.[46]
The run was ended on 10 April with a 4–1 defeat at eventual champions Newcastle United.[47]
Blackpool completed a League double over Nottingham Forest on 17 April, with a 3–1 victory at Bloomfield Road.[48]
Seven days later,the Seasiders made it six victories in seven games with a single-goal result at Peterborough United.[49]
On 2 May, in the last game of the regular season, Blackpool facedBristol City at home. Blackpool were on 69 points in the final play-off position, just one point ahead of Swansea City. Blackpool went behind in the sixteenth minute, but Brett Ormerod tied the game in the second half. The game ended 1–1. Swansea just needed to secure three points at home in their final game againstDoncaster Rovers to take the final play-off place, but they were held to a goalless draw by the visitors and Blackpool made the play-offs.[50]
In the first leg of the semi-finals, which took place on 8 May, Blackpool hosted Nottingham Forest at Bloomfield Road.The Seasiders won 2–1.[51] Three days later, they met at theCity Ground in the second leg.Forest took the lead after seven minutes, but Blackpool equalised eleven minutes into the second half. The hosts regained the lead on 66 minutes, but the visitors drew level again six minutes later. Blackpool went ahead for the first time four minutes later, and extended their lead on 79 minutes, withD. J. Campbell completing his first career hat-trick.Forest pulled one back in injury time, but Blackpool held on for a 4–3 win on the night and a 6–4 aggregate over the two legs and progressed to the final.[52] Forest managerBilly Davies, who belittled Blackpool after the first leg,[53] was sacked at the end of the following2010–11 season after again failing at the play-offs stage.[54]
TheFinal saw Blackpool face the victors of the other semi-final,Cardiff City, atWembley on 22 May.The Bluebirds took the lead on nine minutes throughMichael Chopra, but Charlie Adam levelled with a free-kick four minutes later. The Welsh side re-took the lead on 37 minutes, but once again their advantage lasted only four minutes,Gary Taylor-Fletcher heading in from a goal-line scramble. In first-half injury time, Brett Ormerod netted to givethe Seasiders the lead for the first time, and that is how the score remained. Blackpool had won promotion to thePremier League for the first time.[55]
The five players who were on loan to Blackpool at the end of the season – D. J. Campbell (from Leicester City),Andy Butler (Huddersfield Town),Barry Bannan (Aston Villa),Séamus Coleman (Everton) andStephen Dobbie (Swansea City) — remained at the club until the conclusion of the civic reception that was held for the team in Blackpool on 24 May. On 26 May,Stephen McPhee, who had been out injured since January 2009, announced his retirement from the game at the age of 28.[56] The same day, Blackpool announced that five players would not be offered new contracts when they expired. As such, they left the club on 1 July. The players in question wereAl Bangura,Hamer Bouazza,Joe Martin,Danny Mitchley andDaniel Nardiello.[57]
| 8 August 2009 | QPR | 1–1 | Blackpool | Loftus Road,London |
| 15:00 | Ramage 86' | (Report) | Burgess 37' | Attendance: 14,013 Referee:Andy D'Urso |
| 15 August 2009 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Cardiff City | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Evatt 45+1' | (Report) | Chopra 12' | Attendance: 7,698 Referee: G Hegley |
| 18 August 2009 | Blackpool | 0–0 | Derby County | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:45 | (Report) | Attendance: 8,056 Referee: Eddie Ilderton |
| 22 August 2009 | Watford | 2–2 | Blackpool | Vicarage Road,Watford |
| 15:00 | Smith 24' Cleverley 63' | (Report) | Baptiste 56' Taylor-Fletcher 72' | Attendance: 12,745 Referee: Darren Deadman |
| 29 August 2009 | Blackpool | 3–0 | Coventry | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Adam 13' (pen.) Burgess 59'Taylor-Fletcher 71' | (Report) | Attendance: 8,239 Referee: Nigel Miller |
| 12 September 2009 | Leicester City | 2–1 | Blackpool | Walkers Stadium,Leicester |
| 15:00BST | Fryatt 26',58' | (Report) | Adam 31' | Attendance: 22,827 Referee: J Singh |
| 16 September 2009 | Blackpool | 2–1 | Newcastle United | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:45BST | Ormerod 45+2' Euell 65' | (Report) | Carroll 40' | Attendance: 9,647 Referee: Jonathan Moss |
| 19 September 2009 | Nottingham Forest | 0–1 | Blackpool | City Ground,Nottingham |
| 15:00BST | (Report) | Adam 19' | Attendance: 23,487 Referee: Penn |
| 26 September 2009 | Blackpool | 2–0 | Peterborough United | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00BST | Euell 3' Bouazza 11' | (Report) | Attendance: 7,728 Referee: Bates |
| 29 September 2009 | Bristol City | 2–0 | Blackpool | Ashton Gate Stadium,Bristol |
| 19:30BST | Maynard 28' Haynes 57' | (Report) | Attendance: 13,673 Referee: East |
| 3 October 2009 | Crystal Palace | 4–1 | Blackpool | Selhurst Park,London |
| 15:00BST | Lee 4' Danns 32'Ambrose 62'N'Diaye 89' | (Report) | Baptiste 53' | Attendance: 15,749 Referee: Taylor |
| 17 October 2009 | Blackpool | 2–0 | Plymouth Argyle | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00BST | Seip 31' Vaughan 64' | (Report) | Attendance: 7,765 Referee: Webb |
| 20 October 2009 | Blackpool | 3–0 | Sheffield United | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:30BST | Seip 60' Euell 69'Adam 82' | (Report) | Attendance: 8,042 Referee: Mathieson |
| 24 October 2009 | Swansea City | 0–0 | Blackpool | Liberty Stadium,Swansea |
| 15:00BST | (Report) | Attendance: 14,724 Referee: Hall |
| 31 October 2009 | Doncaster Rovers | 3–3 | Blackpool | Keepmoat Stadium,Doncaster |
| 15:00BST | Woods 5' Sharp 46',90' | (Report) | Evatt 21' Emmanuel-Thomas 62'Burgess 77' | Attendance: 10,312 Referee: Oliver |
| 7 November 2009 | Blackpool | 4–1 | Scunthorpe United | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00BST | Evatt 59' Adam 64'Burgess 70'Baptiste 89' | (Report) | Hayes 51' | Attendance: 7,727 Referee: Webster |
| 21 November 2009 | Reading | 2–1 | Blackpool | Madejski Stadium,Reading |
| 15:00BST | Sidurgsson 52' Rasiak 82' | (Report) | Ormerod 58' | Attendance: 15,945 Referee: Scott |
| 30 November 2009 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Preston North End | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 20:00BST | Clarke 1' | (Report) | Wallace 38' | Attendance: 9,861 Referee: Friend |
| 5 December 2009 | Blackpool | 1–2 | Barnsley | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00BST | Adam 72' (pen.) | (Report) | Hassell 85' Gray 88' (pen.) | Attendance: 8,108 Referee: Mason |
| 8 December 2009 | Middlesbrough | 0–3 | Blackpool | Riverside Stadium,Middlesbrough |
| 20:00BST | (Report) | Taylor-Fletcher 21',26' Adam 83' | Attendance: 18,089 Referee: Shoebridge |
| 12 December 2009 | Ipswich Town | 3–1 | Blackpool | Portman Road,Ipswich |
| 15:00BST | Stead 1' Colback 45'McAuley 71' | (Report) | Evatt 67' | Attendance: 19,831 Referee: Crossley |
| 26 December 2009 | Derby County | 0–2 | Blackpool | Pride Park Stadium,Derby |
| 15:00 | (Report) | Buxton 38' (o.g.) Ormerod 79' |
| 9 January 2010 | Cardiff City | 1–1 | Blackpool | Cardiff City Stadium,Cardiff |
| 15:00 | Hudson 9' | (Report) | Adam 46' | Attendance: 19,147 Referee: Ward |
| 16 January 2010 | Blackpool | 2–2 | QPR | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Adam 9' Taylor-Fletcher 77' | (Report) | Taarabt 55' (pen.) Connolly 84' | Attendance: 7,600 Referee: Kettle |
| 19 January 2010 (rescheduled from 28 December 2009) | Blackpool | 1–2 | Sheffield Wednesday | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:30 | Adam 90+6' | (Report) | Soares 71' Clarke 84' | Attendance: 8,007 Referee: Hall |
| 23 January 2010 | Blackpool | 3–2 | Watford | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Adam 17' Southern 89'Ormerod 90+1' | (Report) | Lansbury 27' Cleverley 79' | Attendance: 6,855 Referee: Boyeson |
| 30 January 2010 | Coventry City | 1–1 | Blackpool | Ricoh Arena,Coventry |
| 15:00 | Baptiste 83' (o.g.) | (Report) | Bannan 69' | Attendance: 16,019 Referee: Whitestone |
| 3 February 2010 (rescheduled from 19 December 2009)[58] | Blackpool | 2–3 | West Bromwich Albion | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:45 | Southern 25' Dobbie 80' | (Report) | Bednar 29',40' Dorrans 83' (pen.) | Attendance: 8,510 Referee: Foster |
| 6 February 2010 | Blackpool | 1–2 | Leicester City | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Dobbie 89' | (Report) | N'Guessan 15' Dyer 78' | Attendance: 8,484 Referee: Haines |
| 9 February 2010 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2–0 | Blackpool | Hillsborough Stadium,Sheffield |
| 19:30 | O'Connor 3' Potter 50' | (Report) | Attendance: 19,058 Referee: Eltrigham |
| 13 February 2010 | Preston North End | 0–0 | Blackpool | Deepdale,Preston |
| 13:00 | (Report) | Attendance: 19,840 Referee: Jones |
| 16 February 2010 | Blackpool | 2–0 | Middlesbrough | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:30 | Ormerod 30' Campbell 90+4' | (Report) | Attendance: 7,936 Referee: Haywood |
| 20 February 2010 | Blackpool | 2–0 | Reading | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Campbell 41' Adam 74' | (Report) | Attendance: 7,147 Referee: Pawson |
| 27 February 2010 | Barnsley | 1–0 | Blackpool | Oakwell,Barnsley |
| 15:00 | Hume 75' | (Report) | Attendance: 12,347 Referee: Singh |
| 6 March 2010 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Ipswich Town | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Euell 54' | (Report) | Attendance: 8,635 Referee: Shoebridge |
| 13 March 2010 | West Bromwich Albion | 3–2 | Blackpool | The Hawthorns,West Bromwich |
| 15:00 | Miller 13' Koren 53'Dorrans 78' (pen.) | (Report) | Adam 6' Ormerod 72' | Attendance: 21,592 Referee: Moss |
| 16 March 2010 | Sheffield United | 3–0 | Blackpool | Bramall Lane,Sheffield |
| 19:45 | Cresswell 1',66' Montgomery 43' | (Report) | Attendance: 22,555 Referee: Langford |
| 20 March 2010 | Blackpool | 2–2 | Crystal Palace | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Adam 47' Burgess 89' | (Report) | Carle 3' Ambrose 34' | Attendance: 9,702 Referee: Gibbs |
| 23 March 2010 | Blackpool | 5–1 | Swansea City | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:45 | Ormerod 13',68' Evatt 45+1'Burgess 50'Taylor-Fletcher 82' | (Report) | van der Gun 84' | Attendance: 9,149 Referee: Miller |
| 27 March 2010 | Plymouth Argyle | 0–2 | Blackpool | Home Park,Plymouth |
| 15:00 | (Report) | Adam 78' Dobbie 82' | Attendance: 10,614 Referee: Linington |
| 2 April 2010 | Scunthorpe United | 2–4 | Blackpool | Glanford Park,Scunthorpe |
| 15:00 | McCann 48' (pen.) Hooper 86' | (Report) | Wright 22' (o.g.) Coleman 77'Campbell 82',85' | Attendance: 7,508 Referee: Woolmer |
| 5 April 2010 | Blackpool | 2–0 | Doncaster Rovers | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Campbell 27' Dobbie 67' | (Report) | Attendance: 9,701 Referee: Webb |
| 10 April 2010 | Newcastle United | 4–1 | Blackpool | St James' Park,Newcastle |
| 15:00 | Gutierrez 12' Carroll 36'Nolan 62'Routledge 77' | (Report) | Ormerod 85' | Attendance: 47,010 Referee: Russell |
| 17 April 2010 | Blackpool | 3–1 | Nottingham Forest | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Adam 32' (pen.) Campbell 54',84' | (Report) | Garner 65' | Attendance: 11,164 Referee: Taylor |
| 24 April 2010 | Peterborough United | 0–1 | Blackpool | London Road,Peterborough |
| 15:00 | (Report) | Campbell 11' | Attendance: 7,812 Referee: Webb |
| 2 May 2010 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Bristol City | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 13:00 | Ormerod 54' | (Report) | Maynard 16' | Attendance: 12,296 Referee: Mathieson |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Cardiff City | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 73 | 54 | +19 | 76 | Qualification forChampionship play-offs |
| 5 | Leicester City | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 61 | 45 | +16 | 76 | |
| 6 | Blackpool(O, P) | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 74 | 58 | +16 | 70 | |
| 7 | Swansea City | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 40 | 37 | +3 | 69 | |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 62 | 55 | +7 | 65 |
| 8 May 2010Semi-final, first leg | Blackpool | 2–1 | Nottingham Forest | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 12:45 | Southern 26' Adam 57' (pen.) | (Report) | Cohen 13' | Attendance: 11,805 Referee: Dowd |
| 11 May 2010Semi-final, second leg | Nottingham Forest | 3–4 (4 – 6 on aggregate) | Blackpool | City Ground,Nottingham |
| 19:45 | Earnshaw 7',66' Adebola 90+2' | (Report) | Campbell 56',76',79' Dobbie 72' | Attendance: 28,358 Referee: Clattenburg |
| 22 May 2010Final | Blackpool | 3–2 | Cardiff City | Wembley Stadium,London |
| 15:00 | Adam 13' Taylor-Fletcher 41'Ormerod 45+1' | (Report) | Chopra 9' Ledley 37' | Attendance: 82,244 Referee: Marriner |
| 11 August 2009First Round | Crewe Alexandra | 1–2 | Blackpool | Alexandra Stadium,Crewe |
| 15:00 | Zola 73' | (Report) | Nowland 52' Nardiello 79' | Attendance: 2,991 Referee: Phil Gibbs |
| 26 August 2009Second Round | Blackpool | 4–1 | Wigan Athletic | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 19:45 | Demontagnac 3' Burgess 19'Adam 33'Taylor-Fletcher 67' | (Report) | Amaya 90+4' | Attendance: 8,089 Referee:Michael Oliver |
| 22 September 2009Third Round | Stoke City | 4–3 | Blackpool | Britannia Stadium,Stoke-on-Trent |
| 19:30 | Higginbotham 75' Etherington 78'Fuller 80'Griffin 90' | (Report) | Vaughan 40' Clarke 47'Burgess 81' | Attendance: 13,957 Referee: Probert |
| 2 January 2010Third Round | Blackpool | 1–2 | Ipswich Town | Bloomfield Road,Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Ormerod 51' | (Report) | Colback 3' Garvan 77' | Attendance: 7,332 Referee: Ilderton |
Players used: 29
Players used: 15
Players used: 13
Players used: 24
Total League goals scored: 72 (plus twoown-goals)
Total play-offs goals scored: 9
Total FA Cup goals scored: 1
Total League Cup goals scored: 9
SourceArchived 13 September 2005 at theWayback Machine