In goal for Blackpool was Billy O’Rourke who had come through the ranks at Burnley, making fourteen appearances over six years. After a loan spell with Blackpool, he briefly spent time with Chester before returning to the Tangerines on a permanent basis, being voted Player of the Season as they won promotion from the Fourth Division.
Right back was former Grimsby Town youngster David Moore who had been part of the Mariners’ rise from the Fourth to Second Divisions. After a spell with Carlisle, he had joined Blackpool and again won promotion from Division Four. Alongside him was Nicky Law who had come through the Arsenal youth set-up before joining Barnsley for whom had played over a hundred games before joining Blackpool in August. Centre half was the robust Steve Hetzke who had started his career with his local club Reading and due to his appearance and style of play had earned the nickname of ‘Igor’ amongst some Imps supporters during the mid-1970s rivalry for promotion with the Berkshire club. After around 300 games for Reading, he had joined Blackpool in the summer of 1982. Partnering the 30-year-old Hetzke was the up-and-coming 21-year-old Colin Greenall who, five years previously had been Blackpool’s youngest ever player. Voted into the PFA’s Fourth Division team of the year the previous season he would later spend just over a season with the Imps during his present manager Sam Ellis’s time in charge at Sincil Bank.
City were probably fortunate that Eamon O’Keefe the Division’s current top scorer with 14 goals from 14 games was missing through injury. This meant former Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield Town man Kevin Stonehouse coming into midfield. Alongside him was the previous season’s top scorer John Deary. Now 23, he was a former apprentice who would go on to play around 300 games for the club.
Blackpool could boast some youthful attacking talent, with 19-year-old Mike Davies on the right wing now becoming a regular first teamer after coming through the youth ranks. On the other wing was former Chesterfield player David Windridge now in his third season with the club, while 21-year-old former apprentice Paul Stewart had been making steady progress since making his first team debut in 1982. Originally seen as a midfielder, Sam Ellis had moved Stewart up front and after 200 games for Blackpool he would go on to have a notable career with top-flight clubs such as Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool along with winning three England caps. 19-year-old Alex Dyer had been a youth player with Watford before joining Blackpool and was now in his third season with the club. He was another player who Sam Ellis would bring to Lincoln, although making only a solitary appearance for the Imps at the start of the 1995/96 season.
Blackpool substitute was the diminutive Ian Britton who had come through the ranks at Chelsea, making around 300 appearances for them in the 1970s, and after returning to play in his native Scotland he had joined Blackpool in November 1983. Moving to Burnley at the end of the current season he was to have an effect on City’s future when he headed the second goal in Burnley’s 2-1 win in the last game of the 1986/87 season which meant they avoided relegation to the GM Vauxhall Conference at City’s expense.
Writing in the match programme, manager John Pickering put City’s recent run of poor results down to bad finishing and lapses in concentration at the back, but believed the foundations of a sound team were there. Chairman John Reames referred to the news that had broken during the previous week that around £1.5m would be needed to ensure the future safety of the Sincil Bank ground. In fact, a structural survey had recently caused the local authorities to close the ground and only further talks had allowed matches to continue to be staged there. As it was, the South Park stand had been closed for this match and it was expected at the time that it would never be used again.
The attendance of 2,371, although well down on the 4,000 that had seen defeat to promotion-chasing Reading two weeks previously was higher than for the previous three games. These had all been under two thousand at a time of generally low gates throughout football.
City in the first half displayed what had become a familiar pattern, with deliberate build-up play being let down by a poor final pass although John McGinley was guilty of what his manager described as an “inexcusable” miss in front of goal. Blackpool in contrast were uncompromising in defence, operating an effective offside trap and were much more direct going forward. City’s makeshift defence was caused constant problems by promising young striker Paul Stewart who could have had a hat-trick but for some spectacular goalkeeping from City’s Dean Greygoose. But with the scores level at half time Greygoose was at fault six minutes after the break when he flapped at a long free kick which allowed Blackpool defender Steve Hetzke to head into an empty net.
Ten minutes from time Stewart set up Kevin Stonehouse for Blackpool’s second goal and midfielder John Deary gave the scoreline a realistic look with a 30-yard effort past Greygoose. My player ratings for the game show I was distinctly unimpressed, with no player better than average, and poor performances from McCarrick at left back, Toman, Redfean and Measham in midfield and Latchford up front, plus substitute striker Warren Ward. The defeat saw City fall three places to 20th, three points outside the relegation zone while Blackpool remained at the head of the chasing pack still 14 points behind Reading at the top.
The game turned out to be Dean Greygoose’s last for the Imps as he was returned to Cambridge with John Pickering turning to Oxford United’s Alan Judge as a replacement loan player. After playing in City’s midweek home draw with Bristol City, Judge in turn played his last City game in the following Saturday’s 7-0 defeat at Derby County which also saw last games for Mark McCarrick, Bobby McNeil and Ian Measham. Blackpool were back at Sincil Bank in the FA Cup two weeks after the league meeting and there was some improvement by City to the extent that the margin of defeat was reduced to just 1-0. The return to the side of goalkeeper Stuart Naylor and defenders West and Richards helped with this, but following the 7-0 defeat at Derby another eleven goals were conceded in the next three matches, with a 4-0 home defeat to bottom-of-the table Cardiff City seeing the end of Pickering as manager. New boss George Kerr, in his second spell in charge at Sincil Bank was unable to manage more than a brief escape from the bottom four in the remainder of the season and the Imps ended it by being relegated in 21st place.
Blackpool’s victory was the last in what turned out to be their best run of the season and after the turn of the year they slipped out of promotion contention. Ironically, their worst run of the season of five defeats in six games came to an end with victory over City in the return match at Bloomfield Road at the end of February. Inconsistent results then saw them finish the season in 12th place.
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