Blackpool vs Bristol City match thread, Sunday 2nd 2010

Blackpool vs Bristol City, Football League Championship
Sunday 2nd 2010, kick-off 1:00pm

One game. If we win this game then "Little Blackpool" - everyones favourites to be relegated at the start of the season, will be just three games from the Premier League.

To ensure we reach the Play-Offs then Blackpool need to either win or match Swansea City's result.

For Ian Holloway it is a huge irony that the opposition is Bristol City. Born in Bristol, he played for and managed their rivals Bristol Rovers and he is not exactly popular with City fans.

The game was sold out for home fans on Tuesday morning and for the second game running will see the biggest crowd at Bloomfield Road for 32 years. Bristol City had less than 150 tickets left to sell of their allocation of 1,200 two days ago too.

For only the second time all season Sky Sports have actually decided to show a Blackpool match live and the game is live on Sky Sports 2 with coverage starting at 12:30pm. It is listed for online streaming on a number of website. Bet365 for those outside the UK in countries who can access it, their coverage is very good. And it is listed on myp2p.eu so there will be coverage online.

Come On You Pool!

 

Ahem

Two days, 21 hours and 58 minutes to kick-off.

 

Not about Sunday but a great article from Ian Holloway:

 

Blackpool Council are (for once) trying to help the club. Taken from the Blackpool Gazette -

 

Doing the half-time draw on Sunday is Fylde coast pop star Little Boots who had her first top ten UK hit in August 2009. Born in Thornton she is always promoting Blackpool and good to see a local doing so well.

 

All supporters will receive a bag containing a spiral hat (nope I've no idea what one is either.... ), tangerine paper and a 16-page season ticket highlighting prices for next season.

 

I have no idea what the tangerine paper is for they haven't said! I can only guess that it is to hold aloft when the teams come out. Perhaps that it was it is!!

The half time draw is the "Golden Gamble" draw where tickets are sold before the game and the winner gets usually anything between £800 and £1100. However, with the bigger attendances recently the 1st prize has been bigger. Against Forrrrest it was £1400 I think and will no doubt be more again on Sunday as the crowd might be over 12,000.

 

Last week at Peterborough United, Hoggy the drummer was joined by "CAFC Drummer" (his youtube name) who is a Crewe Alexandra fan but who seems to have adopted Blackpool too now. And he will be bringing his drum on Sunday. So Hoggy will be in his usual position at the back of the South stand, and the plan is for the second drum to be on the Kop.

 

Shamelessly stolen from another site:

2nd May 1953 was the greatest day in the history of Blackpool Football Club. After beating Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, Southampton, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, the mighty Blackpool faced Bolton Wanderers at Wembley in front of 100,000 eager fans who had travelled from Lancashire to witness what would be recognised as the greatest final in Wembley history.

Matthews, Mortenson, Mudie, Taylor, Shimwell. This was no ordinary team. This was a collection of footballers who would go down in history. Farm, Johnston, Garrett, Perry, Robinson, Fenton. Every one destined to live forever in the annals of football history.

A goal down through the powerful Nat Lofthouse in only the second minute, the tangerines were not to be shaken. The whole of England, apart from a small corner of south Lancashire, willed Stanley Matthews to finally win the FA cup. 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, the dream was fading as Bolton took a stranglehold on the game. A second goal for Morty but time was running out. Two minutes left and the weary seasiders pushed forward one more time. A free kick on the edge of the penalty area. Surely the last chance to salvage a draw. Morty took the kick and Wembley exploded in a sea of tangerine as his strike bulged the net. Weary athletes in white shirts trudged back to the centre and re-started the game, already into injury time. Blackpool won the ball, out to Matthews on the right wing. Tommy Banks, already tormented by the magical winger tried to stop him one more time but Matthews dropped his shoulder and the full back was beaten for pace on the outside. A pinpoint cross. Perry scores. Game over. Nat Lofthouse applauds the conquerors of his valliant team and history is written.

57 years from that very day, 57 years in which those highs would not be repeated, the tangerine shirts will take to the field on the very ground where Matthews dazzled, Mortenson mesmorised, Armfield attacked, Blackpool will emerge from the tunnel to play a game of immense proportions. Suddick, Green, Ball, Hughes. Echoes of past greats ringing in their ears.

Will these players be remembered in 57 years time? Their fate is in their own hands. The stage is set. 2nd May 1953, the greatest day in Blackpool's history. And 2nd May 2010?

 

I don't blame you at all for wishing us terrible luck... Same to you !! Oh and JET (Jay Emmanuel-Thomas) to score the winning goal for Doncaster please...

 

Bigger than Wembley is what Pool defender Ian Evatt thinks of the game tomorrow (gulp it is tomorrow).

 

Under 11 hours to kick-off.