Blackpool in the Premier League 10 years on: Seasiders come so close to upsetting Manchester United

A decade ago, Manchester United visited Bloomfield Road and, as STEVE CANAVAN reported at the time, the proverbial game of two halves saw the Seasiders beaten 3-2...

Hands up. How many people thought they’d be this disappointed after scoring two goals against United?

That’s the problem with football. It has the power to turn elation into depression in the blink of an eye.

Forget the final score for a moment. At half-time, with Pool 2-0 to the good, there was an air of disbelief around the ground.

United’s 27-game unbeaten run seemed about to end at, of all places, Bloomfield Road.

Alas, we forgot that mighty Manchester United are mighty because they never give up, and always have the talent and skill to get back into games, even when all seems lost.

While it was a momentous occasion for those who support the club, it was also incredibly special for Ian Holloway.

Last night he strode over to shake the hand of Sir Alex Ferguson, a moment he has dreamed about since landing his first managerial job at Bristol Rovers in the mid-1990s.

Ferguson is the figure all managers aspire to be. When he took over at Old Trafford, Holloway was a 23-year-old lad about to leave Wimbledon to join Brentford.

In the quarter of a century since, Ferguson has become a legend and won just about all there is to be won.

Holloway can’t boast such a CV just yet, but he can say he has finally got to the stage where he is taking on the game’s elite.

That in itself is triumph enough for a bloke who has stuck to his principles and always done things his way.

This was a cracking night, Bloomfield Road looking wonderful with all four sides packed to the brim.

The atmosphere was terrific, and we can only hope we get at least a second season of all this magic, though with Pool on a run of four straight defeats now, they need to start getting back to winning ways when West Ham visit next week.

In this terrific match, first blood went to Blackpool, quite literally, with Patrice Evra running into the brick wall that is Charlie Adam and finding himself, a moment later, flat on his black with red stuff spilling from his mouth.

Nothing much happened for the first quarter of an hour. Then a moment that will go down in folklore.

Adam took a corner from the right and Craig Cathcart – 50/1 to get the first goal – headed powerfully past Edwin van der Sar with the United defence static.

It had to be Cathcart didn’t it? The lad who never got a game under Ferguson in four years as a pro at Old Trafford and who hadn’t scored, nor shown much sign of scoring, since signing for the Seasiders in the summer.

It almost got better. Adam whipped in a delicious cross which Nemanja Vidic headed straight at his own keeper. Fortunately for the United skipper, his team-mate spared his blushes.

Elliot Grandin wasted a good chance on 26 minutes, blasting well over after being teed up by Luke Varney’s low centre.

Pool were on top, though, no doubt about it, and Fergie knew it, changing the 4-5-1 formation he started with to a 4-4-2 – moving Wayne Rooney from the left alongside Dimitar Berbatov up front.

Adam nutmegged fellow Scot Darren Fletcher, which prompted another chorus of ‘there’s only one Charlie Adam’ – any worries that the captain’s transfer request might cause backlash from the fans proving well wide of the mark.

Adam was absolutely superb in a first half which took United 34 minutes to register a shot on goal, Kingson comfortably saving Darron Gibson’s long-range effort.

Kingson then stretched, albeit mildly, to claim Rafael’s header under his own bar.

Normal service was soon resumed as Blackpool pushed forward again and then, an astonishing moment – they only went and scored a second.

A minute before the break, David Vaughan was given bags of time and space to shoot from the edge of the area and van der Sar palmed the ball round the post. Pool corner.

Adam whipped it in, Nani inadvertently flicked the ball on and DJ Campbell skilfully steered a pinpoint back post header into the top corner.

Half-time and a stadium in part delirium, part shock.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the visitors started the second half strongly, but only after another Pool chance in the early seconds.

With Ryan Giggs replacing Gibson, Rooney made his first notable contribution of the evening, a goalbound shot which was blocked, while Nani’s effort was tipped round the post by Kingson.

At the other end Varney went down under Rafael’s challenge in the box. No penalty. Holloway fumed, but the right decision.

United were certainly playing better, though. Paul Scholes had a trademark blast turned away and Giggs missed a good chance at the back post.

Still the Seasiders – with Matt Phillips on for Varney – looked comfortable and proof of that came on 66 minutes.

Rooney was substituted and left to a serenade of wolf-whistles and jeers from the home fans – little did they know what was in store.

United fluffed a great opening on 70 minutes when Scholes’ through ball put Javier Hernandez clean through, but his shot was half-blocked by Kingson – and Cathcart completed the clearance.

The reprieve proved only temporary though.

Seconds later, Nani played in Fletcher, who put his cross into the six-yard box where Berbatov was lurking. The Bulgarian doesn’t miss those, volleying in his 18th of the campaign.

It got worse. On 75 minutes, Evra’s clever pass put Hernandez in again and this time he was deadly with his finish.

Marlon Harewood replaced Gary Taylor-Fletcher and was immediately involved in an incident which led to a long stoppage.

Rafael, jumping with Harewood for a high ball inside the area, suffered what looked like a serious head injury.

No blame attached to Harewood. Rafael was stretchered from the pitch after lengthy treatment including oxygen and was later checked over at hospital.

It didn’t disrupt United’s comeback, completed three minutes from time when Berbatov got his second.

He strolled through on the left side of defence in his usual carefree fashion before firing past Kingson.

There was a lifeline for Pool with 10 minutes of added time but it was United who came closest, Hernandez putting a header straight at Kingson.

A crying shame to lose, but Holloway and co should feel nothing but pride. Blackpool were superb.

Unfortunately, as usual, United were slightly better.

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