Blackpool in the Premier League: Thrilling draw with Everton a real cure for the Blues

On this weekend a decade ago, Blackpool played out an all-action 2-2 draw with Everton at Bloomfield Road. Here’s how STEVE CANAVAN covered the game for The Gazette that day...

If the X Factor starts struggling, Simon Cowell should get on the blower to Ian Holloway and ask for tips: the Seasiders gaffer is the real king of the entertainment business.

The last 15 minutes of this game were as good as football gets. Everton had been the better side for the large part and yet Pool, battling ferociously, had managed to match them.

It was delicately poised at 2-2 when Holloway started to make substitutions.

Given what had happened against Fulham and Blackburn, when late goals robbed the Seasiders of important points, would the manager opt for a more defensive strategy and be satisfied with a draw? Do me a favour.

On came Matty Phillips, Elliot Grandin and Marlon Harewood, three out and out offensive players, and Pool simply went for it.

With Phillips, in particular, superb, it worked a treat, with Everton spending the last few minutes desperately hanging on and relieved in the end to settle for a point.

They were a tad lucky to get that because Harewood’s disallowed stoppage-time strike looked OK to me.

Unfortunately, ref Andre Marriner, not quite the good luck omen he proved at Wembley in last season’s Championship play-off final, chalked off the goal for a push in the build-up. It was harsh.

Mind you, Everton didn’t deserve to lose. I thought they were the best team by a country mile to visit the Fylde coast this year, far more impressive than Manchester City. They had 20 shots compared to Blackpool’s 11 for starters, seven corners to the Seasiders’ three.

Players like Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka are simply outstanding, not to mention Seamus Coleman, who deservedly got a standing ovation from the home fans, still mindful of his exploits on loan last season.

Coleman showed Pool what they’re missing with an electric display on the right of midfield, complete with a goal, though he was helped on that front by a rare Matt Gilks mistake. Credit to Coleman for not celebrating – he’s a belting lad.

Pool’s goals came from unlikely sources, both made in Wales. Eardley and David Vaughan, the Seasiders’ resident Welshmen, will remember their first Premier League goals.

Eardley’s, in particular, was a cracker and not a bad way to celebrate his 22nd birthday. Most of us make do with a cake and a gift voucher for Next.

This first meeting between the teams at Bloom eld Road in more than 40 years wasn’t a terrific contest throughout mind.

It started slowly and Everton’s 4-1-4-1 formation ( Yakubu a lone striker; John Heitinga in front of the back four keeping CharlieAdam quiet) made life awkward for Pool.

They found it hard to make any inroads behind the visitors’ back four throughout the rst half, and it was no surprise that their goal came from a setpiece rather than open play.

Adam was fouled by Arteta on the edge of the box nine minutes in. Ladbrokes tell me there were odds of 1,000/ 1 on Eardley persuading Adam to allow him to take the free-kick. Somehow, though, the right-back did just that ( maybe he promised him a bit of his birthday cake) and what a good decision it proved, Eardley curling a delicious shot from 25 yards around the wall and into the bottom corner.

Unfortunately, this annoyed Everton, who responded five minutes later, when Yakubu crossed from the left of the penalty area and Cahill, as he so often does, leapt highest to power the ball past Gilks. It was Cahill’s 50th Premier League goal and scored in trademark fashion, the Aussie drifting in unnoticed from deep.

Pool grafted hard and did well, no-one more so than Keith Southern – how wonderful to see him get a first Premier League start and against his old club too. But Everton, as is to be expected given they are an established top-flight team, played better football.

Their triangular short passing on the edge of the area, often with Arteta at the heart of it, was a joy to watch.

Holloway needed to reorganise at half-time and did so, moving Vaughan into more advanced role.

It must have been hugely satisfying for the manager, therefore, to see Vaughan ram the ball in right-footed just 125 seconds after the restart.

There was good work from Gary Taylor-Fletcher and DJ Campbell in the build-up.

Again, though, Pool threw away their good work by conceding almost straightaway. ColemanbeatStephen Crainey on the right and struck a low shot which Gilks uncharacteristically allowed to creep past him.

The pouring rain and skiddy surface didn’t help the Pool keeper but he should have kept it out. Gilks made up for it on 67 minutes, however, stopping Pienaar’s effort from six yards. Great save but wasteful from Pienaar.

The same applied to Louis Saha, racing clear moments after replacing Yakubu, but clipping his shot wide when scoring seemed easier.

Holloway’s brave, attacking subs then swung the game in the Seasiders’ favour, with the directness and pace of Phillips helping to put Everton on the backfoot for the first time.

Howard tipped over Adam’s piledriver before being beaten by Harewood at the death only for the ref to whistle. It was a thrilling finale to yet another wonderful afternoon. Then again, they all are at Blackpool these days.

Blackpool: Gilks, Eardley, Evatt, Cathcart, Crainey, Adam, Vaughan, Southern (Phillips), Taylor-Fletcher (Grandin), Campbell, Varney (Harewood)

Everton: Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Coleman, Arteta, Heitinga (Beckford), Pienaar (Bilyaletdinov), Cahill, Yakubu (Saha).