Brett Ormerod column: Blackpool's Wembley win capped an excellent season

It was a euphoric feeling at the final whistle on Sunday.
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I’d had a few beers by that point, so a lot of emotions came out.

Every credit to the players because they have been brilliant this season.

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After a slow start, they have built momentum and been one of the best teams in the league.

Blackpool's players celebrate their Wembley successBlackpool's players celebrate their Wembley success
Blackpool's players celebrate their Wembley success
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The squad list restrictions Blackpool must adhere to in the Championship next se...

They finished third eventually, so they had momentum on their side. The performances have been there all the way though.

They have grown as a squad throughout the season and got better and better as the campaign went on.

It was a fantastic result on Sunday to make a fantastic finish to what has been a fantastic season.

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The disastrous start to the game reminded me of 2001, when we conceded so early but didn’t panic and got the job done in the end.

To concede after just 48 seconds certainly wasn’t in the script.

It was a good ball in from Brennan Johnson though, a player who really started the game well.

Because the Lincoln forward missed it, that seemed to distract Chris Maxwell and put him off a little bit. Ollie Turton was flying in at the back and just couldn’t stop himself.

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It was unfortunate for him and it wasn’t the start Blackpool wanted – but they remained calm and stuck to their game plan.

They got back into the game, slowly but surely became the better team, and scored the goals.

It sounds strange but the good thing about Turton’s own goal is that it came so early in the game.

There was still a long way to go and a lot of time remaining to put it right.

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Blackpool kept to their game plan and took control of the match with two fantastic strikes from Kenny Dougall.

His first one on his left foot came after some good build-up after winning the ball high up the pitch.

Dougall caught it really well and smashed it through the legs of the defender, which always catches the goalkeeper off guard.

Because it was such a good strike, the keeper couldn’t keep it out and it was a similar affair with the second one.

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Again, it was a low strike with plenty of power and good accuracy. They were both fantastic goals.

After that, they saw out the remainder of the game fairly comfortably.

While it’s still only 2-1, Lincoln still have a chance, but there weren’t many clear-cut chances, if any.

Lincoln have had a really good season so you expect them to try and throw everything at Blackpool, which they did to their credit.

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Blackpool remained solid, as they have all season, and played out the remainder of the game very professionally.

Straight after the game, you’re looking at the Championship for next season and the first thing that jumps out at you is the return of the Preston derby. That’s going to be fantastic.

You’ve also got Blackburn in there as well, which is a bit of a derby, and there’s plenty of other big clubs in that division that have been in the Premier League not so long ago.

Blackpool are right back amongst it, so there’s so many good fixtures to look forward to.

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The Championship has always been a good league anyway, it’s a tough league but anyone can beat anyone.

I’m really looking forward to next season.

Neil Critchley had to sort out his retained list just a few days after the final, which is always tricky.

It’s always tough, but when your contract is coming to an end, you normally have an idea what is going to happen before it’s actually officially announced – so it’s not always a big surprise.

It’s part and parcel of football though, it happens at every club. It’s tough sometimes but football is a tough job, it’s a cut-throat business.

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It’s always moving forward and you’ve always got to prove yourself and prove your value, otherwise there will always be someone else available to come in and take your place.

Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you’ve done before, you’ve always got to keep pushing forward.

It’s not nice though. If I was a manager, I think it’s what I would find the toughest thing to do – leaving players out and telling them they’re not needed at the football club anymore.

That’s the tough, horrible part of being a manager but that’s part of the job description.

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