How Blackpool cut Forest down to size and branched out for Wembley: tenth anniversary of promotion to the Premier League

READ MORE: Ecstasy, drama and all-out attack as Seasiders soared past Forest

We’re dipping into the archives each day to bring you STEVE CANAVAN’S Gazette reports from a decade ago on Blackpool’s remarkable journey to the promised land.

Ten years ago, it was destination Wembley after a memorable night in Nottingham...

Sobered up yet?

As one senior member of the Blackpool team so eloquently put it: “What the hell is going on?”

This isn’t so much dreamland as ‘hit me over the head with a hammer, is this really happening?’

Blackpool – the same Blackpool in League Two nine years ago, the same Blackpool whose fans used to slaughter the owners for lacking ambition, the same Blackpool which looked destined to live in the shadow of Matthews and Mortensen for all eternity – are in the Championship play-off final.

They are 90 minutes away from slugging it out with the likes of mighty Manchester United and Chelsea, and other not-so-good teams like Liverpool.

It is hard to take in and yet it’s true.

The Seasiders will partake in the most important game in the club’s history (for, yes, it eclipses 1953, given what is at stake, especially financially) on Saturday week.

Blackpool will be like a ghost town, with more than 35,000 supporters dressed head to toe in tangerine and hotfooting it to Wembley.

And at least the players will feel at home there ... for the national stadium too has a rubbish pitch…

It’s slightly surreal to think that David Cameron became Prime Minister during the first half of this contest.

But, surely, as Dave met Queen Liz and announced his plans for change, Seasiders supporters couldn’t have envisaged it happening so quickly.

Perhaps DJ Campbell’s a Tory, for he responded in wonderful style, blasting a second-half hat-trick which was the backbone for victory.

Stephen Dobbie’s cameo from the bench was decisive too, scoring with his first touch, creating DJ’s second with his next, then setting up the fourth ... all in his first ten minutes on the field.

How ironic those two are on loan from the clubs Pool battled with for their play-off place.

Leicester and Swansea fans must be livid. But there were so many individuals who shone on the night, none more so than the truly inspirational Keith Southern, just like they have all season.

It has been a team effort, achieved by a bunch of lads who are as down to earth as you’ll get.

That’s important because it has been the secret of the success.

There are no prima donnas at this club. They are grafters who give their all.

Under no circumstance should we get too carried away because it could all still fall at at Wembley against either Cardiff or Leicester, who settle their tie tonight.

But should Pool triumph, how wonderful it will be to see them in the Premier League.

You see clips on Sky Sports News of blokes like Drogba, Fabregas and Torres emerging from team coaches like film stars, wearing those ridiculously oversized headphones and staring straight ahead, as if making eye contact with a fan or, God forbid, having a conversation would scar them for life.

The day someone like Stephen Crainey ever dons a pair of those things and stops being the belting lad he is I’ll eat my trilby.

Condolences to Forest, whose fans woke up this morning with the most horrid feeling a football fan can experience.

Losing in the semi-final of a play-off is a nightmare and this is the third time in three attempts their terrific club has suffered the indignity.

But they’ll be back. They have massive finances and massive potential.

For Blackpool, the club with the second smallest budget and crowds in the division, and for that reason backed by neutrals everywhere last night, they now have a golden chance to live out the dream of every football club outside of the elite few.

They are knocking on the door of the promised land, and boy did they make it to Wembley in style.

Forest hadn’t conceded at the City Ground in eight games and 12 hours prior to yesterday.

Pool banged four past them and played supremely well, particularly in the second dream-like half.

Ian Holloway had promised all out attack and stuck to his word.

How refreshing to see a manager play with such positivity and he, perhaps more than anyone else, deserves this success.

After coming a cropper in his previous job at Leicester, and being stuck in the footballing wilderness for a year, he has lit up Blackpool ever since swaggering into town last summer.

There aren’t words substantial enough to describe the job he’s done, it’s simply been truly magnificent.

He was so overcome after this that he said to reporters: “ It’s just a pity DJ didn’t get his hat-trick”.

We had to point out the lad actually had.

Win at Wembley and Holloway will most likely get the freedom of the borough, and deservedly so.

Mind you, none of this ecstasy looked likely at about 8pm, as Alex Baptiste made what could well be his first mistake of the season and Rob Earnshaw pounced to score.

The home fans went wild, and given that everyone in the Pool camp had spent the previous 24 hours talking about the importance of keeping it tight early on, the outlook seemed bleak.

Billy Davies was in his element, jumping around like a man with at least three wasps in his underpants.

“Home advantage is crucial in any sport,” he’d written in his programme notes.

“Ask England when they are playing at Wembley or Lord’s, ask Lee Westwood when he is teeing up at St Andrews, ask Carl Froch when he is fighting in Nottingham. We are fortunate to have the kind of support that can make a decisive difference tonight.”

Oops, alas not Bill.

Pool displayed their considerable character to recover impressively from the setback, Charlie Adam denied a stunning long-range goal by Lee Camp’s fingertips.

More than 60 per cent of possession belonged to Pool in the first period, and it was the same in the second but crucially the Seasiders added goals.

There was a let-off just after the restart, Earnshaw latching onto Dexter Blackstock’s pass and netting but being ruled offside by the narrowest of margins.

Big call by the linesman, and fair play to him for having the guts to upset 30,000 screaming natives.

And then a huge moment 56 minutes in.

Gary Taylor-Fletcher found Campbell in space on the right side of the area and the frontman finished delightfully, clipping the ball over Camp.

That was it, Pool were on their way to Wembley.

Ah, hang on a minute. Forest are no mugs, especially at home, and when the Seasiders failed to deal with a 66th-minute cross into the box, Earnshaw was on hand to blast home.

Back to biting the nails for the 2,000 fans of Pool persuasion huddled in the corner of the ground.

But not for long. On 71 minutes, Dobbie, 120 seconds after replacing Brett Ormerod, let fly from the edge of the box.

The ball clipped Chris Cohen’s heels and deflected past Camp.

And from then on the Seasiders were pretty much unstoppable.

Four minutes later, Campbell and Dobbie twice exchanged passes and the former curled the ball in with his left foot.

Ben Burgess came on for Taylor-Fletcher, and joined in the celebrations ten minutes from time when Campbell completed his treble, tapping in after Dobbie’s shot had been parried.

Campbell almost claimed a fourth – his stoppage-time solo effort struck the bar.

Forest snatched a consolation at the death, sub Dele Adebola muscling his way through and stabbing in the loose ball but it mattered not a jot.

An incredible 6-4 aggregate victory and Pool’s fourth win over Forest this season.

Charlie Adam avoided getting booked and will lead the team out at Wembley, and deservedly so.

“You’d better give me more than a seven out of ten for this game” shouted Adam as he walked by me at the end, fresh from leading the celebrations in front of the delirious travelling support.

After that 90 minutes, Charlie, I think I just might. Nights like these don’t happen often and should be enjoyed to the full.

And judging by the amount of beer being carried aboard the coach at the end, the Seasiders squad will be doing just that.

Quite right too. And then, after a couple of days of painting the town red, it’s back to business.

Wembley here we come. Has there ever been a better time to be a Blackpool supporter? Certainly not for 57 years.