1990–91 Blackpool F.C. season

The 1990–91 season was Blackpool F.C.'s 83rd season (80th consecutive) in the Football League. They competed in the 24-team Division Four, then the fourth tier of English football. They finished fifth, missing out on automatic promotion by one point after a final-day defeat at Walsall, and made the play-offs; however, they lost in the final, against Torquay United, in a penalty-shootout after the game finished 2–2 after normal and extra time.

Blackpool F.C.
1990–91 season
Owner and chairmanOwen Oyston
ManagerGraham Carr
(until 30 November 1990)
Billy Ayre
(from 1 December 1990)
Division Four5th
Play-offsRunners-up
FA CupThird round
League CupFirst round
League TrophyQuarter-finals
Top goalscorerDave Bamber (17)
Highest home attendance9,563 v Tottenham Hotspur,
FA Cup, 5 January 1991
Lowest home attendance1,696 v Darlington,
League Cup, 4 September 1990

Graham Carr was replaced as manager by his assistant, Billy Ayre, on 30 November. Between 10 November and the end of the season, the club went on to record thirteen consecutive League wins at Bloomfield Road.

Dave Bamber was the club's top scorer, with seventeen league goals.

Results

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Date Competition Opponent (home/away) Result Scorer(s) Attendance
25 August 1990 League Scunthorpe United (a) L 0–2 3,024
28 August 1990 League Cup, first round, first leg Darlington (a) D 0-0 2,254
1 September 1990 League Rochdale (h) D 0-0 3,357
4 September 1990 League Cup, first round, second leg Darlington (h) D 1–1[1] Brook 1,696
8 September 1990 League Northampton Town (a) L 0–1 4,300
15 September 1990 League Wrexham (h) W 4–1 Stant, Eyres, opposition own goal, Rodwell 3,497
18 September 1990 League Burnley (h) L 1–2 Stant 4,737
22 September 1990 League Chesterfield (a) D 2–2 Groves, Garner (penalty) 3,549
29 September 1990 League Hartlepool United (h) W 2–0 Eyres, Groves 3,181
3 October 1990 League Scarborough (a) W 1–0 Groves 1,713
6 October 1990 League Torquay United (a) L 1–2 Stant 2,884
13 October 1990 League Darlington (h) L 1–2 Garner 4,092
20 October 1990 League Gillingham (h) W 2–0 Stant, Eyres 3,041
22 October 1990 League Stockport County (a) D 0-0 4,337
27 October 1990 League Halifax Town (a) L 3–5 Rodwell 2, Stant 1,945
3 November 1990 League Walsall (h) L 1–2 Groves 3,233
10 November 1990 League Aldershot (h) W 4–2 Sinclair, Taylor, Garner (penalty), Lancaster 2,065
17 November 1990 FA Cup, first round Grimsby Town (h) W 2–0 Groves, Garner 4,175
24 November 1990 League Doncaster Rovers (a) L 0–0 2,113
1 December 1990 League Hereford United (a) D 1–1[2] Bamber 2,588
10 December 1990 FA Cup, second round Huddersfield Town (a) W 2–0 Groves, opposition own goal 6,329
15 December 1990 League Maidstone United (h) D 2–2 Garner, Bamber 2,341
23 December 1990 League Carlisle United (a) L 0–0 5,195
26 December 1990 League Peterborough United (h) D 1–1 Garner 3,658
29 December 1990 League Lincoln City (h) W 5–0 Groves 2 (1 penalty), Bamber 2, Eyres 2,519
1 January 1991 League York City (a) W 1–0 Horner 3,115
5 January 1991 FA Cup, third round Tottenham Hotspur (h) L 0–1 9,563
12 January 1991 League Rochdale (a) L 1–2 Bamber 2,621
19 January 1991 League Scunthorpe United (h) W 3–1 Bamber 2, Garner 2,494
26 January 1991 League Wrexham (a) W 1–0 Garner (penalty) 2,393
5 February 1991 League Chesterfield (h) W 3–0 Bamber, Horner, Garner 2,357
16 February 1991 League Doncaster Rovers (h) W 2–0 Taylor, Horner 3,533
23 February 1991 League Aldershot (a) W 4–1 Bamber 2, Garner 2 2,164
2 March 1991 League Hereford United (h) W 3–0 Bamber 2, Richards 3,636
9 March 1991 League Maidstone United (a) D 1–1 Richards 2,253
12 March 1991 League Scarborough (h) W 3–1 Richards, Taylor, Bamber 3,798
16 March 1991 League Hartlepool United (a) W 2–1 Horner, Rodwell 2,840
19 March 1991 League Darlington (a) D 1–1 Opposition own goal 4,108
23 March 1991 League Torquay United (h) W 1–0 Bamber 4,778
30 March 1991 League Peterborough United (a) L 0–2 7,721
2 April 1991 League Carlisle United (h) W 6–0 Bamber 2, Horner, Groves (penalty), Rodwell, Richards 5,368
6 April 1991 League Lincoln City (a) W 1–0 Bamber 4,003
13 April 1991 League York City (h) W 1–0 Groves 5,086
17 April 1991 League Cardiff City (h) W 3–0 Groves, Horner, Rodwell 4,813
20 April 1991 League Gillingham (a) D 2–2 Davies, Horner 3,028
23 April 1991 League Burnley (a) L 0–2 18,398
27 April 1991 League Stockpot County (h) W 3–2 Eyres, Garner 2 8,590
30 April 1991 League Halifax Town (h) W 2–0 Rodwell, Groves 5,883
2 May 1991 League Cardiff City (a) D 1–1 Garner (penalty) 1,793
7 May 1991 League Northampton Town (h) W 2–1 Eyres, Groves 7,298
11 May 1991 League Walsall (a) L 0–2 8,051
19 May 1991 Play-off semi-finals, first leg Scunthorpe United (a) D 1–1 Rodwell 6,536
22 May 1991 Play-off semi-finals, second leg Scunthorpe United (h) W 2–1 Eyres 2 7,596
31 May 1991 Play-off final Torquay United (n)[3] D 2–2[4] Groves, opposition own goal 21,615

Table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
3 Hartlepool United 46 24 10 12 67 48 +19 82 Promoted
4 Peterborough United 46 21 17 8 67 45 +22 80
5 Blackpool 46 23 10 13 78 47 +31 79 Participated in play-offs
6 Burnley 46 23 10 13 70 51 +19 79
7 Torquay United 46 18 18 10 64 47 +17 72 Promoted through play-offs[a]
Source: [citation needed]
Notes:
  1. ^ Torquay United won the play-offs and were promoted.

Play-offs

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Semi-finals

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Blackpool and Scunthorpe United met in the two-legged semi-finals of the play-offs. The first leg, played at Glanford Park on 19 May, finished 1–1. Three days later, Blackpool won the return leg at Bloomfield Road 2–0, courtesy of a double by David Eyres, and took the tie 3–2 on aggregate. Blackpool's celebration of reaching Wembley since the famous "Matthews Final" thirty-eight years earlier was overshadowed by the news that their former player and manager Stan Mortensen, who scored a hat-trick in that final, had died earlier in the day, at the age of 69.

Final

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On 31 May, Blackpool met Torquay United in the final at Wembley. The game finished 2–2 after normal time and extra time. It went to a penalty-shootout, which Torquay won 5–4. Dave Bamber missed the decisive penalty, the second of sudden death, putting it well wide of Gareth Howells' left-hand post.

Blackpool2-2
(4-5 on penalties)
Torquay United
Groves
Curran (o.g.)
(Report) Saunders
Edwards
Attendance: 21,615

Blackpool

010McIlhargey
020Davies   (for Sinclair)
030Wright
040Groves  
050Horner
060Gore
070Rodwell
080Taylor
090Bamber
100Garner (c)
110Eyres

Substitutes:

120Sinclair   (for Davies)
140Richards

Manager:
Billy Ayre

Torquay United

010Howells
020Curran
030P. Holmes
040Saunders  
050Elliott
060Joyce
070Myers
080M. Holmes
090Evans
100Edwards  
110Loram

Substitutes:

120Hall
140

Manager:
John Impey

Player statistics

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Appearances

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Name League Play-offs FA Cup League Cup Total
Paul Groves 46 3 3 2 54[5]
Alan Wright 45 3 3 2 53
Steve McIlhargey 44 3 3 2 52
Tony Rodwell 45 3 3 1 52
Ian Gore 41 3 3 2 49
Phil Horner 39 3 3 0 45
Andy Garner 36 3 3 2 44
David Eyres 36 3 1 2 42
Mike Davies 37 3 1 0 41
Trevor Sinclair 31 2 3 2 38
Gary Briggs 30 2 3 2 37
Dave Bamber 23 1 1 0 25
Carl Richards 22 0 2 1 25
Chris Hedworth 20 0 3 0 23
Mark Taylor 19 3 0 1 23
Phil Stant 12 0 0 0 12
Dave Lancaster 8 0 0 2 10
Gary Brook 4 0 0 2 6
A. Smalley 6 0 0 0 6
Andy Gouck 5 0 0 0 5
Mark Bradshaw 1 0 0 2 3
Mark Wright 3 0 0 0 3
Fred Barber 2 0 0 0 2
Gordon Owen 1 0 0 0 1
Russell Coughlin 0 0 0 0 0

Players used: 24

Goals

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Name League Play-offs FA Cup League Cup Total
Dave Bamber 17 0 0 0 17
Paul Groves 11 1 2 0 14
Andy Garner 13 0 1 0 14
David Eyres 6 2 0 0 8
Tony Rodwell 7 1 0 0 8
Phil Horner 7 0 0 0 7
Phil Stant 5 0 0 0 5
Carl Richards 4 0 0 0 4
Mark Taylor 3 0 0 0 3
Gary Brook 0 0 0 1 1
Mike Davies 1 0 0 0 1
Dave Lancaster 1 0 0 0 1
Trevor Sinclair 1 0 0 0 1

Total goals scored: 84 (plus four own-goals)


Notes

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  1. ^ After extra time; Darlington won on away-goals rule
  2. ^ Billy Ayre's first game as manager
  3. ^ Played at Wembley Stadium, London
  4. ^ After extra time; Torquay won 5-4 on penalties
  5. ^ Ever-present

References

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  • Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887-1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.