Dramatic last day sees Blackpool earn a play-off place: Ten years on from the Seasiders' Premier League promotion

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be dipping into the archives to bring you STEVE CANAVAN’S Gazette reports from a decade ago on Blackpool’s remarkable journey to the promised land.

Ten years ago this weekend, the Seasiders booked their place in the play-offs after a draw against Bristol City on the final day of the season..

Woody Allen once remarked: “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work … I want to achieve it through not dying”.

Even for Ian Holloway the second bit might be a struggle, but he’s well on his way to achieving the first part.

His quite remarkable transformation of Blackpool FC has been completed, the Seasiders’ fairytale getting the ending everybody wanted – Pool have made it to the play-offs.

It wasn’t quite as straightforward as they had hoped – Pool could only draw against a well-organised and lively Bristol City.

But, thankfully, Swansea continued their habit of being unable to hit a cow’s rump with a banjo and the Seasiders held onto a top-six spot.

“Please stay off the pitch at the full-time whistle,” repeated the Bloomfield Road PA man towards the end. “Do not run on to the playing area.”

Cue the whistle and hundreds of supporters racing on to the pitch from all quarters to join in the celebrations.

A nightmare for the groundsman but understandable – what a moment this is for the club.

They don’t come along often and should be savoured.

Pool are three games from the Premier League, a statement that still sounds faintly ridiculous to all those longsuffering Blackpool fans out there.

But perhaps we should stop saying it’s ridiculous, for that is insulting to the manager and the players.

They fully deserve to have finished the season in sixth position, a reward for some wonderful attacking football which has bamboozled some of the best and wealthiest teams in the division.

To understand how far the club has come just rewind 10 years.

It is a decade ago this weekend that the Seasiders were relegated to the bottom division when Oldham, as I’m sure the majority won’t care to be reminded, equalised at Boundary Park with 27 seconds remaining to shove the Tangerines through the trapdoor.

The 2,000 Blackpool fans who went home in tears that day, proclaiming the club was finished and the end of the world was nigh, would have looked at you dumbfounded had you told them what was in store 10 years on.

And while we’re banging on about anniversaries, yesterday marked 57 years to the day since Matthews, Morty and co lifted the FA Cup at Wembley.

While a 1-1 draw against Bristol City might not come anywhere close to matching that, it was a huge moment because it moved the club a small step closer towards those bygone glory days.

The pessimists and killjoys will tell you nothing has been achieved yet.

And they’re right. But don’t worry about that today.

Just enjoy the astonishing and rather lovely thought that Blackpool are in the play-offs and on the brink of a return to the top flight for the first time in 40 years.

They might not get there. Getting past Nottingham Forest will be hard enough, let alone succeeding at Wembley.

But while there’s a chance, enjoy every single moment.

This game wasn’t a classic but it wasn’t half exciting.

Bristol City are a team in form and it was easy to see why. They were solid and looked dangerous on the attack, with the pacy Nicky Maynard a constant threat.

It was little surprise therefore when Maynard smacked in his 21st goal of the campaign, a cracking, dipping volley past Matt Gilks.

That 17th-minute strike wasn’t in the script and it momentarily stunned the sellout crowd, though it took the brilliant Blackpool fans only a matter of seconds to begin another chant of “Ian Holloway’s Tangerine army”.

Pool should have been ahead by that stage.

Cheered on by the 12,000-plus crowd – thanks to the council for waiving the rules on that, let’s hope they do it again on Saturday – Charlie Adam had a golden opportunity to score in the fourth minute but he slammed his shot wide from inside the area when it seemed certain he would score.

Maybe he was distracted by the thousands of pieces of tangerine card littering the pitch.

Pool had given out goodie bags to every supporter, which contained the cards.

They proved perfect material for making paper aeroplanes and thus the first few minutes of the contest were characterised by supporters from all sides flinging their designs on to the playing area.

David Vaughan almost scored direct from a corner on 24 minutes but his inswinger was clawed against the post and to safety by Dean Gerken.

That was as close as the Seasiders got in the first period.

The goal they conceded knocked them and they forgot to play their usual football, the magnitude of the occasion getting to them.

Suddenly panicking about being a goal down and fearful of their play-off dream slipping away, they went direct and didn’t pass with their usual precision.

Holloway gave them a lecture at half-time and told them to settle down and get back to basics.

It worked. The second period was much improved, and despite an injury which forced DJ Campbell off – and a referee in Scott Mathieson who seemed determined to end his season by making some slightly baffling decisions – Pool restored parity on 53 minutes.

Brett Ormerod won a free-kick on the left wing and Louis Carey was harshly booked for the offence.

Adam whipped in a cross and Ormerod, like’s he done throughout his career, put his head in bravely where few others would dare and sent the ball flying into the net.

There couldn’t have been a more fitting goalscorer.

What a season he has had – 13 goals and some magnificent performances.

He’s been arguably better this year than during his first spell at the club many moons ago.

Valery Belokon, who flew in from Latvia specially for the match, leapt into the air to celebrate the goal.

He’s another who deserves great credit, the club has been on an upward trajectory ever since he put his money in.

Ormerod should have put the Seasiders in front on the hour, finding himself all alone inside the penalty area but failing to beat Gerken.

Stephen Dobbie, on for Campbell, had plenty of shots – his best a thunderbolt from fully 30 yards which Gerken did well to fend off.

Ben Burgess and Barry Bannan were sent on as Holloway, fearful of Swansea nicking a goal, pushed four up front to go for the win.

It didn’t happen. The closest Pool got was when Burgess headed Bannan’s stoppagetime cross onto the roof of the net.

But in the end, the goalless draw in South Wales meant the result at Bloomfield Road didn’t matter.

Pool have made the play-offs and judging by the queues at the ticket office – still huge two hours after the end of the game – the supporters can’t wait for the next chapter of this incredible season.

Three games from dreamland.