Ian Holloway tells The Gazette about his memories of Blackpool's play-off win against Nottingham Forest in 2010 and those Billy Davies comments

Ahead of the play-offs, Davies fielded a totally-changed line-up for a league match at Bloomfield Road in what appeared to be mind games, with Forest already assured of a spot in the top six at the time.

According to Pool forward Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Davies claimed in the tunnel after the game he had purposely fielded a weakened side to make sure they faced the Seasiders in the play-offs.

Speaking to The Gazette, Holloway admits those inflammatory remarks handed his Pool side all the motivation they needed to make the Wembley final.

“What I do remember from the time was Billy Davies’ interviews,” Holloway recalled.

“They made my job so easy because he angered my players by saying they were going to beat us because they were invincible at their own ground.

“I had to make our lads calm down if anything because he wound them right up."

The Seasiders took a slender one-goal lead into the second leg at the City Ground thanks to goals from Keith Southern and Charlie Adam.

Pool had to come from behind to claim the advantage after Chris Cohen had given Forest an early lead with an impressive long-range strike.

“They scored a brilliant goal, an absolute belting volley - which shook us a little bit, I have to admit," Holloway said.

“But we scrambled one in through Keith Southern, a scruffy sort of goal really, but it managed to go in and that’s all that matters.

“But half time was important because we changed it around and it worked and we got a penalty from a move we had been working on and Charlie stuck it in.

“At full time, I remember the lads talking amongst themselves. Ian Evatt was saying how they had to stay calm because we still had to go to their ground.”

Holloway, who would eventually lead Pool to the Premier League with a 3-2 win over Cardiff City in the play-off final, added: “It was vital to take a lead into the second leg.

“It was very important we had a winning mentality and at the end of the season we had that, because the way we finished the campaign was remarkable.

“We were on a roll and the signing of Seamus Coleman, who replaced Neal Eardley who got injured, was vital for us.

“I think we lost one and drew one, but aside from that we won every other game that Seamus played in.

“We were in a good run of form heading into the play-offs but we still had it all to do.

“After the first leg, all I said to the players is that it’s still half-time. Yes we’ve got our noses in front but we’ve still got to go there.

“The good thing was that we had already beaten them at the City Ground, in fact I think we were one of the only teams that managed it during the season.

“Billy was going on about how invincible they were at home but my lads kept saying to me ‘has he forgot that we’ve already beat them?’

“I just told them it didn’t matter about that game, it’s about now.

“I told them if they score or not, it doesn’t matter, what we’ve got to do is score one more than them by the end of the two games. Of course that’s exactly what we did.

“Those play-off games, I’ll never forget them.”