Blackpool's Championship memories: Wembley heartbreak against West Ham United

This week, it’s May 2012 when their hopes of a Premier League return were dashed by a play-off final defeat to West Ham United, as seen by STEVE CANAVAN…

What can you say after that?

Galling. Completely and utterly galling. The feeling three minutes from time when Ricardo Vaz Te rifled the scruffiest of winners into the roof of the net was like being whacked in the stomach. Then poked in the eye.

Let’s get one thing clear. Blackpool, who were never quite at their best but created at least four clear cut opportunities to score, did not deserve to lose in such a sickening manner.

I think I’d have preferred a 5-0 tonking to getting beaten at the death. At least then there wouldn’t have been such a feeling of injustice and hurt.

It is sickening to watch replays of the winner. A deflected cross from the left, Carlton Cole – who appeared to foul the superb Alex Baptiste in the build-up – bundling his way towards goal, Matt Gilks getting a hand on it, and the ball kindly breaking to Vaz Te, who – in fairness to him – kept his cool and lifted the ball into the roof of the net.

This is a feeling Blackpool fans have not experienced for 21 years. Not since 1991 have the Seasiders lost a play-off final, when they were beaten on penalties by Torquay.

Since then, they have beaten Scunthorpe, Leyton Orient, Yeovil and Cardiff. Alas they couldn’t make it five out of five, and instead of taking on Chelsea, Arsenal and the Manchester clubs next year, they’ll be up against Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday.

On the plus side – though it doesn’t really feel like a consolation at this moment in time – there will be a couple of terrific derbies to look forward to, against Blackburn and Burnley.

The most important thing is that Ian Holloway is the manager by the time those games come around. If Holloway leaves, the club might struggle to stay on track.

Without their inspirational manager, who has worked absolute wonders in the last three years, players might leave and Pool would certainly wobble.

They need to keep Bristol’s Special One, simple as that. Holloway would have been a Premier League manager again today had his team taken their chances.

That was the difference between the sides. You can say, in some ways, that West Ham deserved it.

They finished 11 points ahead of Pool in the regular season and beat Holloway’s men three times over the course of the piece, twice convincingly.

Had Matt Phillips put away either of his two first-half chances, or had Stephen Dobbie not miskicked in front of goal, or had the ball just dropped a little lower for Baptiste as he rampaged his way towards goal, the Seasiders and not the Hammers would have emerged victorious.

Perhaps the defining moment happened not on Saturday at Wembley, but on Thursday morning at Bloomfield Road.

That was when Gary Taylor-Fletcher landed awkwardly after jumping to head a ball. It was in the last few minutes of the final training session before the team boarded the bus for London.

His ankle was so swollen and sore that he was unable to start. It meant he was ruled out of the big game, a devastating blow not only for Taylor-Fletcher himself but for the team.

It stopped Holloway from naming the same side which had beaten Birmingham over two legs.

Kevin Phillips is a brilliant man to be able to bring in, but he has been more effective from the bench of late.

Taylor-Fletcher suits that central striker’s role just a little better and as well as Kevin Phillips played – for the 38-year-old did have a good game – GTF was certainly missed.

The contest itself was a slightly odd affair. Unlike at St Andrews in the semi-final, where they settled superbly, the Seasiders didn’t look quite themselves in the first period.

They didn’t pass the ball as they normally do, though much of this was down to West Ham’s set-up.

Say what you want about Sam Allardyce, but he can organise a team. They are so tough to play against.

That said, Pool still had much the better of the chances in those opening 45 minutes.

Dobbie’s angled blast was tipped onto the post somewhat fortuitously by Robert Green, while Matt Phillips had two great opportunities.

Put through on goal by Dobbie on 14 minutes, Phillips lacked conviction and shot weakly at Green.

A couple of minutes later, an even better opportunity – the 21-year-old bursting into the box, cutting inside a defender, but shooting wide from 10 yards when a goal seemed certain.

Those squandered opportunities seemed to knock Pool as West Ham took a stranglehold on proceedings for the remainder of the half and scored through Cole, 35 minutes in.

Tom Ince was tackled in the right wing position and Matt Taylor broke forward.

It looked like Angel Martinez had won back possession with a sliding tackle but, slightly unluckily, the ball bounced back into Taylor’s path and he delivered a superb, curling centre beyond Ian Evatt and into Cole.

Despite Evatt’s best efforts to get a block in, Cole, a quality frontman, finished well – blasting the ball past Gilks from point blank range.

Deflation among 30,000 Blackpool fans, though their mood might have worsened had Vaz Te not shot wide shortly afterwards.

It was the Seasiders struggling at this point – half-time couldn’t come quick enough but whatever the manager said at the interval made a difference as within 120 seconds of the restart, Matt Phillips threaded a beauty of a ball into Ince and the winger finished right-footed on the volley.

The goal transformed Holloway’s men and they dominated for the next half-hour

Crucially, though, they couldn’t score while on top – Dobbie with his miskick from Neal Eardley’s pull-back, Baptiste and Matt Phillips having shots cleared off the line.

It cost the Seasiders dear as, after looking like they were hanging on for dear life for most of the half, the Hammers hit back in the final few minutes.

Kevin Nolan’s stunning volley was tipped onto the bar by Gilks – a top class save – but then, with extra time fast approaching, Vaz Te popped up with a strike to destroy the day, nay, the summer, for Tangerines everywhere.

Two days on, it is still hard not to feel bitter. But there is, as usual with this Blackpool side, an overwhelming sense of pride.

From the most difficult of circumstances 12 months ago, Ian Holloway and his players have once again given us a season to remember.

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