Memory Match: Peterborough United 1-2 Blackpool, 1979

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Tony Kellow had good cause to celebrate the late goals which gave Blackpool a precious win at Peterborough which guarantees safety from relegation.

The first, 12 minutes from time, was his 50th league goal. The second, with five minutes left, brought his average of goals in league action to one in 2.3 – one of the top four in the country.

His goals gave Blackpool their first away win in six visits – the last coming at Chesterfield on March 14, when he also scored. It was only Blackpool’s second win in the last 10 games.

Kellow took his tally to five in six games and to 21 for the season - an average of a goal every other game, proving even a club record £125,000 can be a bargain.

It was odds-on that Kellow would score any goal Blackpool might create. He has been the only scorer in the last four games and was always the most dangerous despite poor service.

Kellow’s finishing was so deadly that surely a better supply would have given him his first Blackpool hat-trick.

As it was, he snaffled the only two chances that fell to him, despite getting in several open goal positions to be denied by the poor passing of his colleagues.

The league table dictated Blackpool’s play to a large extent. Avoiding defeat and thus keeping the seven-point gap on fourth-from-bottom Peterborough was paramount, and Blackpool took few chances. They almost came unstuck.

They had blunted Posh’s attacking edge from the start, allowing themselves only the luxury of uncommitted attacking attacking through familiar channels.

Blackpool created the better chances but almost every chance was wasted by a bad final ball or hesitant finishing.

Paul Gardner, again operating in midfield, had the best chance five minutes from half time.

Stan McEwan had earlier gone close and Derek Spence and Garry Jones might have scored.

Blackpool often stretched Posh down both flanks through good running by Kellow, Spence and Jones, but indifferent crosses cost openings.

If Blackpool’s play lacked adventure, Peterborough’s midfield fire through the effective linking of Billy McEwan and Bobby Doyle, a player of immense capability, failed to dilute Blackpool’s defensive resolve.

Jim Weston kept Doyle quiet for the first half but Doyle got on top in the second to give Blackpool their only frantic spell.

Iain Hesford, playing with a confidence good to see, made a good block from Sargent and pulled off a superb fingertip save from Doyle’s free kick blast.

The youngster’s desire to do well cruelly backfired when he came out for a dangerously angled cross, beat two men for the ball, and looked to have cut out the threat with great agility and reading of the situation.

But he dropped the ball on landing, and, typical of a young lad’s luck when he needs all the breaks he can get, Gynn was on the exact spot to drive the loose ball home.

But Hesford did not let it upset him and minutes later was leaping backwards to pull down a looping deflected shot which would have left Blackpool 2-0 down and all but buried.

Manager Bob Stokoe boldly and rightly put Dave Hockaday on for Jones after 65 minutes.

After Spence missed a chance, Hockaday’s head across goal from Weston’s cross picked out Kellow, and Waugh could only help his swift left volley into the net.

Seven minutes later in the 85th, after Gardner had been put through, again delaying his shot, Kellow sealed it.

McKewan’s shot flew at Kellow who took it down, wrong footing Doyle, before lashing home a lethal shot.

Nearly half of Kellow’s goals this season have come away.

Little went right for Spence, who spent most of the afternoon cursing his luck.

Billy Ronson gave a much-improved display, doing less running with the ball, giving it earlier and so tightening his distribution. He also did much good defensive work.

Blackpool always looked in control in a match that hardly shifted out of bottom gear, but their disjointed play and bad passing hampered their progress.

When they needed to shift up a gear, they did so effectively, thanks to Hockaday’s running, Ronson’s probing and Kellow’s shooting powers.

Max Thompson was booked after protesting about being pulled up for a foul, and Weston followed suit with a stupid offence.

But Joe Cooke, who laid out Peter Suddaby early on, and roamed around like a Brixton Bovver boy kicking everything he could find in the absence of the ball, somehow escaped caution.

Attendance: 4,004