1st May 2000
1st May 2000 Oldham's reserves are back in action on Tuesday night in the final of the Manchester Senior Cup. They are taking on Manchester United's reserves and are expected to field a strong side in their bid to lift some silverware this season. Saturday's hero Ryan Sugden is in the starting line-up along with a crop of the Latics ' exciting youngsters.
TOP tip: If you want to make a quick commercial killing in Blackpool this summer, forget the Kiss Me Kidderminster Quick hats, open up a soccer-based psychiatric surgery. If it wasn’t a Bank Holiday today, bewildered Blackpool fans would be queuing round the tower block after being pushed over the edge at Oldham. How much can any band of football fans take and still come back for more? Injury-time events at Boundary Park on Saturday were enough to stretch the most battle-hardened supporter to breaking point. Buoyed by Clarke Carlisle’s 63rd minute strike, about 2,000 Seasiders supporters sang their hearts out fully believing their side were going to take their survival fight to the last week. Even when with 16 minutes to go the Tangerines were reduced to ten men – midfielder Richard Wellens ordered off for a reckless challenge – Blackpool fans, some as at Bury again bare-chested, still bellowed their support. But just like at Gigg Lane for the second time in eight days they were to have their cries cruelly strangled in their throats deep into stoppage time.
Only 27 seconds of the three extra minutes remained when, with the great escape looking on course, came the killer blow which silenced every Blackpool fan, not just inside the Boundary Park stadium, but around the world. Oldham had levelled, Oxford had already wrapped up their win, Blackpool were down. After weeks and months of postponing what at times had looked like the inevitable, it was like hitting a brick wall. From the optimism of survival to the despair of relegation in one swing of a 19-year-old’s boot – the first kick and first senior goal for Oldham’s 90th minute substitute Ryan Sugden. It was almost too much to bear. The moment the ball had fallen at Sugden’s feet six yards out from Danny Boshell’s knock-down it was always clear the wound was going to prove fatal. Phil Barnes had already saved the Seasiders time and again in the second half with three stunning stops. Tommy Jaszczun had also miraculously headed off the line. This time there really was no escape.
With the slow motion action which always seems to accompany such momentous moments Sudgen duly tucked the ball under the unprotected Barnes. 1-1. This time it was final. There was no coming back. Pool’s players, who had fought so manfully all afternoon, knew it. To a man they held their heads in sheer disbelief. Referee Mr Robinson’s final whistle just seconds later confirmed the Tangerines’ ten-year tenure in the division was over. Blackpool had given it all they’d got. In the first half they more than matched Oldham in midfield without carving out a single clear-cut chance – the story of their season. Time and again Blackpool looked dangerous when breaking through the middle, only to fall down around the edge of the 18-yard box. In contrast the home side, who found themselves on the backfoot for much of the half in the face of Blackpool’s desire for the fight, but still managed to create the better opportunities. On 26 minutes Pool had a bit of their own quick free-kick medicine rammed down their own throats. Steve Whitehall put through by Boshell’s ball only to be denied by a brave diving save from Barnes. Right on half time Barnes, who put in a man of the match performance which didn’t deserve the last-gasp agony later, did well to keep out an Andrew Holt header.
In the second half, news that Oxford were 1-0 up against Scunthorpe meant the nerves took over. Until on 63 minutes the Seasiders grabbed just the lifeline they’d been waiting for. Wayne Gill, captaining Pool for the first time because of Ian Hughes’ virus, played the corner short to Richard Wellens who returned the favour with a one-two. Gill then made a diagonal run into the box and when his shot was stopped short, James Thomas had the presence of mind to hold it up for Carlisle to swing his shot low into the bottom left hand side of the net. The scenes at one end of Boundary Park were ones of sheer Seasiders ecstasy – the great escape was on. Beat Chesterfield in the last game and Pool really could stay up. But Oldham weren’t going to lie down. Barnes had to be on his mettle to tip over a 65th minute Boshell free kick. And on 71 minutes he pulled off the save of the match to keep out Stuart Thom’s close-range header from Lee Duxbury’s cross.
A minute later at the other end a crucial chance to make it 2-0 went begging. Mike Newell, who held the ball up well all day, robbed Shaun Garnett by the corner flag. Running into the box Newell had options with Pool players arriving in the middle but taking responsibility himself he opted to shoot from ten yards out on the right, only to drag his effort wide of the nearpost. Two minutes later – just after Oxford had assured their win with a second against Scunthorpe – an even more significant moment. Wellens saw red consigning his team-mates to see out the last 16 minutes with ten men. Craig Dudley was the one who did the initial damage, skipping past both Jaszczun and Danny Coid before being ruthlessly scythed down 40 yards out in centre field by Wellens. Referee Robinson did the rest. With several Seasiders players backtracking there was no way Wellens was the last man. Which meant when the referee immediately reached for red he’d deemed Wellens’ foul constituted violent conduct.
Even then, when Barnes tipped over from Mark Innes in the 87th minute, David Bardsley got a vital tackle in on Scott McNiven in the 89th and Jaszczun incredibly headed a Thom header off the line in the 90th it looked like Pool had hung on. That the Seasiders should succumb with just 27 seconds of time added on left is heartbreaking even by Blackpool’s standards. Losing to Torquay on penalties at Wembley, blowing the play-off against Bradford, failing to win on all-important last days at Walsall and Lincoln, this was just the latest in a long line of Tangerine travesties. And so for the first time since 1990 the Seasiders are today coming to terms with relegation and all its far-reaching implications. This squad will be disbanded over the next few days. In its place it is to be hoped is built a group of players capable of bouncing back from the basement at the first attempt. Steve McMahon will stay, but only as he had already hinted to The Gazette last month, if the Seasiders stadium gets the go-ahead. If not he and chairman Karl Oyston may well pack their bags, and what future for the club then?
One blessing in all this – and heaven knows we need one – is that straight away Blackpool fans have an even bigger goal to focus on than the survival target so cruelly snatched away from them at Boundary Park. Their new stadium must get the green light for the future of the club. Because as McMahon and Oyston have already said even in the relative darkness of Division Three the future can still be bright as long as the stadium proceeds. We all have to believe that good news off the pitch is only three weeks away and that the ground will be given the thumbs up on both fronts. This might in turn mean we have something to smile about on the pitch only 12 months from now. By the time sunshine broke out over a now empty Boundary Park, Pool’s fleet of coaches set off into the sunset. Many will be back again in August setting off to places like Kidderminster keeping their fingers-crossed for a speedy turnaround. But if, in the meantime, Pool find out they don’t get the go ahead for the new ground we might yet spend the summer worrying about kissing the club a long and painful goodbye. Then the shrinks really will be the only ones smiling. Next please!
Macca's view
I AM speechless. I don’t know what to say. It’s difficult. The lads are heartbroken. The amount of work we have put in. And refereeing decisions and such have cost us. I’ve had a chat with the referee. I thought the criteria was that they should use a bit of common sense. If that was violent conduct I’ll eat my hat. The Oldham player has skipped past a couple of players and then Richard Wellens has brought him down. There were still about five or six players to get past. I think it’s a cop out. I thought referees had a bit of rope and I thought the rules had changed. But obviously the rules haven’t changed for this referee. It disappoints me because it’s our livelihood. If he could have stopped and paused. But the red card was out before he even moved. If he had paused and realised the impact the decision might have he might have changed his mind. I thought it was a very, very hasty decision and I am very disappointed in it.
The referee has told me he begs to differ which I’m sure he would do. What can I do? He is the referee. There’s nothing I can do about it. His decision is final. You can lodge complaints but it’s not going to keep us up is it? I was convinced if we won that game we would have stayed up because I believe Millwall will beat Oxford on Saturday and I believe we would have beaten Chesterfield. But it’s all ifs and buts now. Last weekend against Bury it was in the 93rd minute and a week later in a game which is more crucial to us it has happened again. It has absolutely stunned us. You can see the reaction from everybody, supporters, players management and staff. To put so much in and get so little out of it. It’s difficult. I have to say it’s the worst moment in my career. The lowest point in a footballer’s life and especially in a manager’s life is
CONDEMNED to Division Three Blackpool’s summer clearout was set to begin this week as the Seasiders bid to bounce straight back up next season. Boss Steve McMahon is due to sit down this week and tell Pool’s out of contract players whether there is a future for them at Bloomfield Road. Almost certain to leave is Gary Ablett who would only have been given new terms if the Seasiders stayed up in Division Two. Of Pool’s other out of contract players David Bardsley is one of the other big names whose Blackpool future lies in the balance. Andy Couzens, whose Tangerine terms are also up, summed up the mood among those waiting to hear whether they are being kept on. “I think the boss will tell us all this week. It’s just one of those times when you’ve got to see what happens and take it from there,” he said. Several other Seasiders – Kevin Richardson, Wayne Gill and Richard Wellens – are also out of contract after being signed on short terms deals by McMahon. And of those Gill looks likely to move to a higher level. Made captain at Oldham after Ian Hughes was struck down by a virus, Gill today told The Gazette there were other clubs interested in him. “There have been rumours about other clubs being interested but I will just have to see what happens after the last game against Chesterfield. “It will be difficult to leave because I’ve really enjoyed it. And if we’d stayed up I’d definitely have been tempted to stay,” said Gill. And speaking about the last-gasp heartache at Oldham, Gill said: “I never want to have to go through anything like that again in my life. “When their player got the chance I just thought ‘oh my God he’s going to score’. It was awful. “I was absolutely gutted. We knew that if we’d won that we’d have gone into the Chesterfield game with a great chance of staying up, especially with Cardiff losing yesterday. But it wasn’t to be.”