Blackpool's potential reminds Stephen Dobbie of glory days

Striker Dobbie played an unforgettable role in that success, joining the club at the start of February from Swansea City for the first of four loan stints at Bloomfield Road.

The Scot scored in his first two Blackpool games as the team went on to win six of their final nine league fixtures, losing only one, to pip Dobbie’s parent club to the final play-off spot by a point.

The forward scored five goals in 19 Pool appearances that season, his most memorable contribution coming in the play-off semi-final at Nottingham Forest.

Dobbie came off the bench for the final 20 minutes at the City Ground and transformed the game.

Blackpool trailed in that second leg until the frontman inspired three goals in seven minutes, scoring one himself and setting up two for DJ Campbell to complete his hat-trick.

Now looking forward to a fifth season back in his homeland with Queen of the South, which will take him beyond his 38th birthday, Dobbie is still based in Lytham and he recalls his Seasiders spells with great affection.

And still living so close to Bloomfield Road, he sees the potential for history to repeat itself.

Dobbie told The Gazette: “The fans being back now is great. That’s what the club needed and it needed that for quite a number of years, to be honest.

“It is a fantastic club and what Ian Holloway did and achieved during his time there just showed you the potential this club has.

“The fans want to be there every Saturday, so the fact there are new owners and the team have been doing okay means it’s looking a lot more positive.”

Dobbie featured in these pages this month after shaving his head to raise money for the NHS and he remains very much a Seasider.

“I had a great time at Blackpool – it’s a team close to my heart,” he added.

“Whenever I come in on a Saturday after my game, I always see how they’ve done.”