Seasiders handed major boost as Everton agree to extend Seamus Coleman's loan deal - 10 years on from Blackpool's promotion to the Premier League

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, the Seasiders were given a major boost with a key figure extending his loan deal at Bloomfield Road...

Seamus Coleman has boosted the Seasiders’ chances of forcing their way into the top six by agreeing a new loan deal.

The Everton right-back will stay at Bloomfield Road until the end of the season and for the play-offs if Pool qualify.

And the 21-year-old says he’d love nothing more than for Everton to be playing Blackpool next year.

“I am delighted to get my loan extended for an extra few games and what makes it even better is that we’ve got something to play for,” Coleman said.

“Obviously if Everton wanted me back I would have gone, but I am happy to stay and try to make the top six.

“David Moyes spoke to me about extending the loan. He told me I was doing well and that he’d been watching.

“He has been giving me some advice and told me to look forward to the next few games.

“My aim – long-term – is to play in Everton’s first team but playing at Blackpool is giving me great experience.

“Hopefully, if I can do well here I might get into the Everton team.

“The best thing would be to have Blackpool in the Premier League next year as well. It would be brilliant to know that I’d played a small part in getting them there.

“But we’ll not look too far ahead. We’ve got a game on Saturday against Nottingham Forest and we’ll try to win that first.”

Coleman helped Pool embark on an unbeaten five-game run after joining from the Premier League but he tasted defeat for the first time last weekend at Newcastle.

He added: “It was a good occasion because you want to play on the biggest stages, but we just didn’t turn up on the day and we have to put it behind us as soon as possible.”

It was a tough experience for Coleman, who found himself up against a red-hot winger in Jonas Gutierrez.

“He is a brilliant player and I can only learn from playing against players like that. I’ll take it into the next game,” Coleman said.

“Everyone was down afterwards because we’d gone there thinking we’d get something from the game.

“The three games we’ve got left are massive. Blackpool have done awfully well this season and we are within touching distance of the play-offs.

“At the start of the season no-one was expecting the team to be where we are but we’re desperate not to let it fall away so close to the finish line.”

While the first-team were still flying high, the news wasn’t so good for the club’s reserve side.

Pool’s second string were hammered 8-2 by Oldham at Bloomfield Road yesterday, just a week after they shipped seven against Preston North End.

It wasn’t pleasant viewing for Ian Holloway.

The Seasiders boss was in the dugout early on, shouting instructions to a team which included trialists Alex Kite and Grant Spencer.

Former Bolton man Spencer was quiet throughout and Kite – released by Bristol Rovers – barely had chance to get going before limping off with an injury.

As it turned out, the centre-back was lucky to get back to the safety of the dressing room, given what was to follow.

Keeper Mark Halstead and striker Louis Almond were the only players on show with first-team experience.

Almond set up the first goal of the game for Joe McDonald and scored himself in the second half.

But otherwise it was all Oldham as striker Tom Eaves stole the show with five goals.