Ten-year anniversary of Blackpool's promotion to the Premier League: Seamus Coleman signs on loan from Everton while Ian Holloway quotes Oscar Wilde

Over the coming weeks, The Gazette's football writer Matt Scrafton will be dipping into the archives to bring you our reports from a decade ago on Blackpool’s remarkable journey to the promised land.

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On this day 10 years ago, this is the story we told on our back page: “Ian Holloway beat off competition from his former club QPR to sign Everton youngster Seamus Coleman on a one-month loan.”

The business turned out to be a masterstroke as Coleman went on to play a crucial role in the Seasiders’ promotion push.

The defender had been high on Holloway’s wanted list and helped fill the gap left by the injured Neal Eardley at right-back.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international joined the Premiership outfit from Sligo Rovers for £60,000.

He made his debut for the Toffees in their Europa League defeat against Benfica. Three days later he made his Premiership debut as a second-half substitute against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.

Coleman, who wore the number 31 shirt, went straight into the Seasiders’ squad for the game against Crystal Palace on March 20.

Ian Holloway told his players to get caught up in the emotion of the South Stand opening that day and enjoy every moment.

And in a lively press conference ahead of the crucial home clash with Crystal Palace, the manager also advised them to read Oscar Wilde.

Holloway said: “He (Wilde) wrote: ‘We’re all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars’ and that’s how I want my team to feel.

“Someone asked if the fans and I are getting carried away by talking about and aiming for the play-offs.

“Well, you have to set your sights as high as you possibly can. That’s life.

“I am a bloke who was born in a council house to a family who didn’t have two halfpennies to rub together.

“I wanted to be a footballer and a manager, and I became one because I aimed high.

“I want my team, my fans and my chairman to have the same view.

“We need to start to think that one day we’ll get to the Premier League. Whether that day is very close or miles away, who knows? But let’s go for it.

“There are 27 points to play for. We’ve got ourselves in a fantastic position, where we’re not really that concerned about the bottom end of the league.

“We’ve not been down there all season and people have had the feelgood factor.

“If we can get three points tomorrow, then another three on Tuesday against Swansea, it will throw it all open again and it will suddenly be really exciting again.”

While victory was the order of the day against Palace, there was the added sideshow of the opening of the £8.5m Jimmy Armfield stand.

Armfield and club president Valeri Belokon were due to cut a ribbon outside the stand at 1.55pm, five minutes before the turnstiles open.

The players were to form a guard of honour prior to kick-off and Armfield would be paraded on the pitch.

More than 8,600 home fans had so far bought tickets as the club aimed for a sellout.

Asked if it was important for his team not to get caught up in the emotion of the occasion, Holloway responded: “It’s the opposite – we’ve got to get caught up in all of it.

“It is going to be a terrific day, a terrific tribute to a great man in Jimmy, and I can’t wait.”

And Holloway believes the club deserves credit for getting the stand up.

“Getting the necessary finance that wasn’t borrowed to build the stand is quite phenomenal in this day and age.

“So well done to this football club. The stability they’ve got here is absolutely fantastic.”