Blackpool have been a regular opponent for the Imps, but at the turn of the century, that was not the case. In January 2001, when they visited the Bank, it was only their seventh visit since 1934.
Our post-war record against the Tangerines was terrible. Going into this tie, we’d experienced ten defeats, seven of which came without us scoring. Between 1978 and 1991, we lost nine games in a row against them, and we’d only won one game in that time with a goal in open play, Paul Miller giving us a 1-0 win in 1999.
When they came out of the hat in the LDV Vans Trophy second round, it felt like we may as well pack in. We beat Morecambe 3-2 in the first round, and Grant Brown broke Tony Emery’s appearance record. However, we were struggling at the bottom of the table, while Blackpool, under Liverpool legend Steve McMahon, were challenging at the top of the table.
Still, the LDV Vans Trophy tie played in front of just 962 supporters proved to be the unlikely spark for one of City’s most memorable cup runs of that era. At the time, it felt like a routine midweek fixture. Looking back, it was a run to the area final, and one that had fans dreaming of Wembley.
Out of action
It is easy to forget the context. City had not played since Boxing Day, when a 1-1 draw with Scunthorpe was followed by a string of postponements against Halifax, Hartlepool and Brighton and Hove Albion. There was rust in the legs and uncertainty in the rhythm. Only 48 Blackpool fans made the trip, and the atmosphere reflected a side simply needing minutes.
Yet inside three minutes, the tone shifted.
Jason Barnett’s long throw was flicked on by Lee Thorpe, and under pressure, Jon O’Connor diverted the ball into his own net. It was scrappy, chaotic and entirely welcome. For a team short on recent action, an early lead was the perfect antidote.
Blackpool responded with quality. Phil Clarkson’s drive from 20 yards forced Chris Day into a sharp save, and Paul Simpson’s delivery repeatedly tested City’s shape. Brett Ormerod and John Murphy both went close, while Clarkson again drew an excellent stop from Day before the interval. On another night, the visitors might have gone in ahead.
City, though, had their moments. Martin Garratt, making his debut, provided a low cross that Tony Battersby flicked on, only for John Finnigan to fire over at the far post. Even then, you sensed there was more to come.
When Simpson’s free-kick was parried after the break, and Ormerod tucked away the rebound, the tie felt delicately balanced. 1-1, and with City having scored just three in the last six matches, a win felt like it was slipping from our grasp.
For five minutes, the game hung, and then Battersby produced a rare reminder of his quality, driving a right-foot effort into the top corner from just inside the box.
From that point on, City controlled proceedings. Garratt’s defensive block denied Ormerod what could have been a turning point, and in the 72nd minute, Paul Smith surged down the right to set up Thorpe, who found the net against his former club to seal a 3-1 victory.
Afterwards, Phil Stant offered a measured assessment:
“We needed a game. In the first half, we looked a bit ring-rusty, but we had the chances to be 3-0 up at half-time. We dominated the second half and took our chances well.”
The run that followed elevated the evening’s importance. Hartlepool United, positioned towards the top end of the table, were edged out 1-0. Chesterfield, also flying high, were swept aside 4-1. Suddenly, the LDV Vans Trophy was not a distraction but an opportunity.
The northern area final against Port Vale ultimately proved a step too far. A 2-0 defeat at home left too much to do, and a 0-0 draw away confirmed elimination. Yet even in defeat, there was a sense that the journey had mattered.
As for Blackpool, they went on to finish seventh, just a solitary point ahead of Rochdale. They slipped in on the final day of the season, winning 3-1 against Darlington while Dale could only draw with Plymouth. That set up a pair of play-off matches against Hartlepool, which both went their way, before they beat Leyton Orient at Wembley in the final.
It would be our final win against Blackpool until January 2020, when Tyreece John-Jules scored the only goal of the game under Michael Appleton. That said, the 2020 game was the first meeting between the two sides at the Bank since.
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