The Big Interview: Tony Rodwell's Blackpool adventure was an emotional rollercoaster

​Tony Rodwell still has nightmarish flashbacks to the moment when he could have been the Seasiders’ saviour.

The equation was simple for the Blackpool winger and his team-mates.

Victory in their final game of the 1990/91 season – away to Walsall – would ensure automatic promotion.

After 45 games of high drama, spanning nine months, the Tangerines were on the cusp of lifting themselves out of the bottom rung of English football at the first time of asking.

Relegation to the old Fourth Division the previous season had been a huge blow to the Bloomfield Road faithful.

But with inspirational new boss Billy Ayre at the helm – and with players such as Rodwell, Dave Bamber and David Eyres in the squad – the Seasiders recovered from a shocking start to roar up the league table.

Installed as manager at the end of November in 1990 – replacing the sacked Graham Carr – Ayre presided over an incredible transformation as the Seasiders went from 18th place in the table to the verge of promotion, including winning a remarkable 13 straight games at home.

All they needed to do was do the business against the mid-table Saddlers and a place in the old Third Division was theirs.

Walsall’s Bescot Stadium turned into a sea of tangerine as hordes of expectant Pool fans headed south.

Ahead of kick-off, the party atmosphere among the visiting supporters reached fever pitch when Blackpool’s eccentric owner Owen Oyston made an unexpected but grand entrance onto the pitch.

Unfortunately for Pool and their vast army of supporters, the hosts did not read the script as they turned party poopers, ruining their visitors’ automatic promotion hopes by sealing a 2-0 victory.

After Ian McParland had fired home from outside the area, taking advantage of a mistake from Gary Briggs, to give Walsall the lead midway through the first half, Rodwell looked certain to restore parity shortly after.

Carl Richards’ mazy run and cross from the left was just begging for the finishing touch when it found Rodwell inside the six-yard box.

Instead of watching the net bulge, the Pool winger saw his header cannon against the crossbar.

It was one of the easiest chances Rodwell had during his career and a real sliding doors moment during the match.

His failure to convert was exacerbated shortly after when McParland smashed Walsall’s second into the top corner three minutes before the interval.

It was a lead the Saddlers were able to protect in the second period as they condemned Pool to the play-offs.

For Rodwell, that near miss was a sign of what was to come in the coming weeks.

Although he scored in the semi-final first leg against Scunthorpe United to help Ayre’s men through to the play-off final at Wembley, he missed from the spot at the home of football with Dave Bamber, as the Seasiders were dramatically beaten via a penalty shoot-out against Torquay United.

Bizarrely in a real twist of fate, history repeated itself the following year when all Blackpool needed to do was defeat Lincoln City at Sincil Bank on the final day of the season to confirm promotion.

However, despite being roared on by a raucous away following once more, the Seasiders were denied automatic promotion again following another 2-0 defeat.

Happily, their fortunes in the subsequent play-offs would be different this time as they sealed promotion with victory over Scunthorpe United at Wembley.

The final though would not be without its nerve-jangling moments as Pool were taken to penalties once more after a 1-1 draw before eventually prevailing.

“I remember we only had to beat Walsall away to go up automatically in ’91,” said Rodwell.

“I hit the bar from about five yards – I have no idea how I missed it.

“Their lad scored two worldies and we ended up getting beaten 2-0 and that took us into the play-offs.

“That was the first year then the following year, we were playing Lincoln away – same scenario, we only had to win to go up in second place.

“Those days were bad days in my career. When you’ve got the chance to go up and you don’t do it, you feel like you bottled the opportunity really.

“Two games away from home, against teams who had nothing to play for, it was gutting.”

Known for his motivational abilities, Ayre needed all of his inspirational powers as the squad experienced a multitude of emotions over that two-year period.

From 13-game winning runs to automatic promotion fall guys to penalty shoot-out play-off final heartbreak, Ayre had certainly earned his plaudits when he eventually guided Pool to success in 1992.

“Billy knew how to get the best out of people,” Rodwell said. “He was great at motivating people.

“He knew when to shout, when to give you that stare. I think he was what the club needed after Graham Carr. I remember during training with Graham, it was all about the defence running out and trying to catch people offside.

“It might have worked at other clubs but not for a team which had just been relegated. Billy would just praise you all the time and would emphasise the good parts in your game.

“I think with the club having just been relegated, there was a negativity around the place. We had started the season off badly, trying to play offside all the time and Billy came in and tried to play more positively with two wingers, two centre-forwards.

“It was exciting for the fans to see us put balls in the box and score goals.”

While Rodwell and Eyres were primarily the goal assistants, it was Bamber who was the goalscorer supreme.

He notched 73 goals in 139 appearances during his second spell with Pool, although his name – more than Rodwell’s – is synonymous on the Fylde coast with missing from the spot in the play-off final.

“We didn’t even practice penalties because we were that sure of beating Torquay,” Rodwell recalls.

“So when it came to the penalties, it was, ‘Oh, who’s going to take one?’

“They took the first one and missed. I volunteered to take our first but it was a rubbish penalty and then everybody else scored.

“It went to sudden death and obviously Dave missed and he copped more flak than what I did.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but Dave was ill the night before the final.

“He didn’t really want to play but we persuaded him to because he was a big part of our team.

“It was a terrible feeling to lose and I always remember the following year when we got to the play-off final again.

“Myself and Dave took our boots off when it went to the penalty shootout, we definitely weren’t taking one this time.”

Next week: Read the second part of the Tony Rodwell story in the Gazette