A look back at the last time Blackpool hosted rivals Preston North End at Bloomfield Road - 12 years ago

Ahead of the much-anticipated derby, The Gazette takes a look back at the last time the Seasiders hosted the Lilywhites.

Blackpool 1-1 Preston North End

November 30, 2009

An American comedian once noted that the worst time to suffer a heart attack is during a game of charades.

It was funny that before this contest both sets of fans thought it was the worst possible time to play each other.

The Preston view was justified: PNE haven’t been getting great results and this was a terrible moment to meet a Blackpool side on a roll at home.

The Pool reasoning was thus: apprehension that it would be PNE of all teams to ruin their proud unbeaten start to the season at Bloomfield Road.

In the end neither fear was realised as a frenetic and always entertaining contest ended honours even.

Was it the right result? Probably not. Pool were the better side overall and had 25 attempts on goal.

Told that at the end, Ian Holloway replied: " Yeah but how many of those did we score?"

In other words, forget the statistics, the only thing that matters is the result and it wasn’t quite good enough.

That’s what I like about Holloway. He is never satisfied and is always pushing for more.

With someone like that in charge there will be no chance of Pool ever getting complacent or carried away with a lofty league placing. Here they again produced another impressive performance, illustrating to the TV viewers just why they are doing so well.

In the first half they were particularly good and, had they taken their chances, would have been out of sight.

After the break it was much more even, with the Seasiders appearing to tire from the hour mark onward.

But overall they were the better side and should today, by rights, be celebrating three points and a fourth place spot in the table. That they’re not though, is no disaster.

The main thing is the performance. Time after time they are producing football of a quality not seen at this ground for decades.

It was there again last night in those first 45 minutes, players driving forward from midfield and the wide areas to create countless openings.

Yes Preston had a couple of dangerous moments but that will always happen with the type of adventurous football Holloway is asking his side to play.

In general it works gloriously well and at home the Seasiders really are a tough nut to crack. That’s nine games unbeaten now. Last time there was a start this good to a season at Bloomfield Road, the National Health Service had just been launched and bananas were rationed. It was in 1947 and is why Preston will consider 1-1 an excellent result and why Blackpool are disappointed. And how good is that?

Even though it sticks in the craw of many Pool fans, there’s no getting away from the fact that North End have been superior over the last decade.

Now the clubs are not only dead level again, but the Seasiders are showing signs of edging ahead.

Dangerous to make any rash statements of that kind just yet though, because as Preston proved in this contest they are still a well organised team with a good manager and bags of resilience.

They needed that last quality in abundance after getting off to a start that can be termed ‘a nightmare’. There were 23 seconds on the clock when Billy Clarke scored.

He was one of two changes from Pool’s previous outing at Reading (the other the inclusion of Hameur Bouazza for the first time since World Cup duty with Algeria).

Clarke found himself with possession and curled a lovely effort past Andy Lonergan from 20 yards. A moment’s stunned silence of the ‘ did that really happen?’ variety before the home support erupted.

Club historian Gerry Wolstenholme (sitting in the press box) reckons it is probably the fastest ever goal scored in a Lancashire derby - he’ll no doubt be checking his records today to make sure.

It set the tone as what followed wasn’t the drab, dreary derby that we so often get. Instead it was end-to-end and edge-of-the-seat.

PNE responded, Matt Gilks forced to beat away Ross Wallace’s effort and Neil Mellor carelessly thumping a loose ball over.

Then it was all Pool for half an hour. Clarke warmed Andy Lonergan’s hands with a shot on the turn, Bouazza had a goal ruled out then almost got on the end of a Charlie Adam cross, and Ben Burgess blasted over at the back post after Marcel Seip flicked on an Adam freekick.

Speaking of the Scot, he enjoyed himself early on. Skipper because Jason Euell was on the bench, Adam was in his pomp in front of the cameras and ran the first half.

However, he probably expended too much energy because he faded away after the break. Clarke, popping up all over and constantly wanting the ball, hit the woodwork twice within the space of four minutes.

He clipped the post from close range and then with A1 technique thumped a volley against the bar from the edge of the box. It would have been a cracker had it gone in.

In the midst of those efforts, Preston equalised against the run of play.

Keith Southern was adjudged to have brought down Chris Brown (Holloway was unhappy about the decision, claiming Marcel Seip had been fouled before that) and Ross Wallace - always a danger from set pieces - stepped up to curl a beauty into the top corner: 38 minutes gone and all square.

It was hotting up, and not just on the pitch. Holloway and North End goalkeeping coach Andy Rhodes exchanged pleasantries in the technical area about a foul.

The fourth official stepped in to calm things down. Spoil sport, it was just getting interesting.

Ian Evatt blasted a volley over on the stroke of half-time and then, after a PG Tips and a natter with the boss, Pool started the second half well.

Adam had two efforts - a shot and a header - but both beat the bar and Burgess tried his luck from 20 yards. Not enough power to beat Lonergan.

Bouazza fooled most of the ground into thinking he’d scored on 54 minutes but his right footer hit the goal support as opposed to the target.

Richard Chaplow sneaked clear of Pool’s back four but was denied by Gilks - an important stop.

And then what proved to be the final Pool chance until stoppage time four minutes later when Burgess squandered a great opportunity, shooting wide eight yards out with just Lonergan to beat.

One fancies that master finisher Ray Charnley in whose memory Jimmy Armfield and Glyn James laid a wreath during a minute’s applause prior to kick off would have gobbled it up.

But those critical of Burgess shouldn’t rush to judgments. The striker had a very good game, controlling balls forward and bringing others into the game.

Yes he missed a couple of chances every player does and he will know he should have scored. But he still contributed much.

‘We’re a better side when he plays’, Holloway rightly noted.

After this the tempo dropped for the first time all evening. Perhaps Pool were so despondent about the amount of chances missed they stopped playing a little.

Perhaps PNE finally got to grips with them. Or perhaps Holloway’s men got a little weary. Probably it was a combination of all three. But, whatever, the game settled into an even contest.

Other than a flurry of half opportunities in stoppage time - two Bouazza shots and an Evatt header - North End had the best chance to win it.

Substitute Paul Parry put the ball on a plate for Mellor on 73 minutes but the former Liverpool man finished poorly, lifting his shot too high.

Aston Villa loanee Barry Bannan came on at the death and looked lively. He should add something to the squad, though not height in that regard he’s of the Wes Hoolahan mould. And so at the end of 90 minutes..? Had Pool taken their chances they would have won. A crying shame for the fans that they didn’t, but nonetheless another impressive display and a step in the right direction.

And neither set of supporters need worry about arriving at work today. Honours even, bragging rights shared.

Blackpool: Gilks, Seip, Evatt, Baptiste, Crainey, Southern, Vaughan, Adam (Bannan), Bouzza, Clarke (Ormerod), Burgess (Euell)

Preston: Lonergan, Davidson, Collins, Jones, Nolan, Chaplow, Sedgwick, Tonge, Wallace (Parry), Brown (Parkin), Mellor (Elliott)

Attendance: 9,861

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