Memory Match 1995: Micky Mellon inspires Blackpool comeback as Seasiders blow away Plymouth Argyle

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Micky Mellon continued his fine form as Blackpool came from two goals behind to blow away Plymouth Argyle in this one-sided encounter.

Mellon took his goals tally to three in two matches with a double strike as Pool scored five goals in a half for the first time in almost 14 years.

The £50,000 midfielder capped his Man of the Match performance with two gems which earned a 4-2 lead after goals from Andy Watson and Tony Ellis had levelled at 2-2.

“We all gave each other a kick up the backside and the first goal gave us the lift we needed to go on and take the lead,” Mellon said.

“But scoring five was beyond our wildest dreams after the situation we found ourselves in.”

Manager Sam Allardyce praised his men for showing “tremendous character” in difficult conditions.

“The elements were very testing in the first half but the move forward for Andy Morrison after the break paid off,” the Pool boss said.

“Getting Mellon to play in the opposition half as much as possible was also very effective and the three goals he has scored in two games now should give him the confidence to go on and score more.”

Pool’s success was the first time they had scored five goals in a half since August 1981, when a Dave Bamber hat-trick helped them to a 7-1 success against Halifax after they had been 2-0 ahead at the interval.

Blackpool had already beaten Plymouth that season, and on their turf to boot.

So Plymouth’s visit to Bloomfield Road was less than intimidating, with a good result expected by the home fans.

But as any Seasiders’ fan knows, until that final whistle no result is certain.

Just four games before this match, Blackpool had been on the wrong end of a 7-1 scoreline against eventual League One champions Birmingham City.

Sam Allardyce, Blackpool manager before he found fame and fortune in the Premier League, discovered that things weren’t exactly going to plan.

His team failed to show up in the opening hour of the match and were booed off the pitch at half-time.

On the half hour mark, Plymouth went ahead thanks to a sweetly struck 25-yard shot by Mark Patterson.

The lead was doubled 30 minutes later when substitute Paul Dalton latched onto a Naylor pass and scored from just inside the penalty area.

Blackpool were in trouble.

At 2-0 down, and with their fans already making their way to the exits, Allardyce decided a tactical change was needed.

Andy Morrison moved out of the five-man defence and was told to push forward. The switch paid dividends.

Just two minutes after Plymouth’s second goal, Blackpool responded in the most emphatic fashion.

Their first corner of the second half kickstarted the turnaround. Micky Mellon swung the ball in from the left, and after a near post flick-on, Andy Watson made contact to guide the ball home.

Three minutes later the scores were level, Tony Ellis shooting into the bottom corner.

Fast forward another three minutes and Blackpool had achieved mission impossible as Mellon connected with a pass from Gary Rowett and, after beating two defenders, lobbed the ball into the net.

Not satisfied with a 3-2 victory, the Tangerines continued to press forward. Again it was Mellon who delivered the goods, scoring the goal of the game with another perfectly timed lob.

Watson completed the rout in injury time.

Even after a performance like this, Blackpool only managed to finish the season mid table. As a spectacle, the game was dead on its feet for the first hour, with Pool lacking any inspiration.

They failed to create a single real chance of note in that time and Plymouth took full advantage as they made the most of some defensive hesitance to go 2-0 ahead.

That deficit, coupled with the move upfield for Morrison, which had come a few minutes before, proved to be just what was needed to shake the Seasiders from their slumbers.

The translation of commitment into chances and goals proved the key to Blackpool’s spectacular win.

A switch to midfield from defence by record signing Morrison was a crucial factor in Pool’s surge back from 2-0 down to win 5-2.

But the 24-year-old former Argyle player paid tribute to the character shown by all of his teammates.

“I am absolutely delighted it all came good in such convincing fashion,” said Morrison, who supporter Plymouth as a boy, started his career with them and was playing against them for the first time.

“We thought the two goals they scored were against the run of play.

“The fans got on our backs and I could have seen their point if we had been showing a lack of commitment. But the commitment was there all along, if not the quality.

“Coming back like we did showed a lot of character and personally, I certainly felt more involved in the midfield position I took in the second half.”

Attendance: 3,599