Blackpool return to League One at first time of asking
Blackpool returned to League One at the first time of asking but few of their fans were there to see it.
While Brad Potts and Mark Cullen combined superbly to ensure Gary Bowyer’s first season in charge of the Lancashire side was a successful one, less than 6,000 supporters opted to make the journey to Wembley as their protests against chairman Karl Oyston continued.
The sad state of affairs came just five years after Blackpool took more than 30,000 followers to the national stadium for their Championship play-off final with West Ham United.
This time around, Wembley had an eerie feel to it with a quarter of the stadium left entirely empty in a season where a vast number of supporters opted against watching their team.
Given this subtext, Bowyer has done a quite remarkable job. Potts gave Blackpool the lead inside three minutes and although David Wheeler levelled before the break, it was Cullen who made it four goals in the play-offs to secure victory for Bowyer and his side.
This was their fifth victory in the end of season lottery, more than any other side in England.
With the atmosphere at Wembley somewhat bizarre, Potts scored his 13th of the season with just two minutes and nine seconds on the clock as he sidefooted home from 18 yards after Cullen had flicked on a Jack Payne long ball.
Exeter, who were bottom of the league in November with shouts for manager Paul Tisdale to leave, had shown character to turn their season around and demonstrated this in abundance at Wembley to recover from the early setback.
Ollie Watkins was denied by a superb Sam Slocombe save from David Wheeler’s header down while Lloyd James shot wide from the edge of the area as the Devon side earned much of the ball and proved to be a big threat for the Blackpool back line.
Bowyer’s side were hindered by injury to captain Tom Aldred, a pivotal figure this season, prompting a change to a 4-4-2 system.
Exeter looked to capitalise with Watkins heading wide following Jack Stacey’s cross but they did get the leveller five minutes before the break.
It came from the quick thinking of Craig Woodman whose rapidly taken free kick set up Wheeler who showed immense composure to lob Slocombe and net for the 21st time this season.
Blackpool needed half-time to regroup and that is exactly what they did. They were the much better side in the second half with Bright Osayi-Samuel shooting wide after a surging run before Kyle Vassell’s powerful shot from Kelvin Mellor’s long ball was kept out by Christy Pym.
Osayi-Samuel provided the impetus and he seemed sure to score when his effort looked to be going in before a deflection sent it wide but the Lancashire side did regain the lead on 65 minutes.
This time it was Cullen, who added to his hat-trick against Luton Town in the semi-final first leg, to score another crucial goal tapping home on the line after fine work by Potts who had beaten the Exeter defence with his trickery.
Tisdale, the long serving manager of the men from the West Country side, can be disappointed with his side’s second half efforts especially as it appeared as if the momentum was with them.
Late goals have been a trademark of the second half of the season but there was to be no repeat this time around despite substitute Reuben Reid seeing an angled shot just go wide of the target while an even later header by Watkins also missed the target.
In fact it was Blackpool who could have added further goals with the impressive Osayi-Samuel getting plenty of joy down the left hand side, including one attempt set up for Neil Danns which just cleared the bar.
It is just a shame that Blackpool supporters missed a good moment. Work behind the scenes appears necessary to give the fans back the club they love.
Blackpool (5-3-2): Slocombe; Mellor, Aimson, Aldred (Osayi-Samuel 30), Robertson, Daniel; Payne (Black 62), Danns, Potts; Cullen (Flores 75), Vassell. Subs: Lyness, Nolan, Delfouneso, Gnanduillet. Booked: Osayi-Samuel.
Exeter City (4-4-2): Pym, Stacey, Brown (Sweeney 58), Moore-Taylor, Woodman (Holmes 71); Wheeler, Taylor, James, Harley; Grant (Reid 58), Watkins. Subs: Olejnik, Tillson, McAlinden, Croll.
Referee: Darren England (South Yorkshire)
Att: 23,380.