Blackpool 3-2 Cardiff
Sunday 23 May 2010
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EmailFootball: As the sun shone through on the Blackpool end of Wembley stadium, causing a picturesque scene of luminous tangerine, the shaded Cardiff City fans had to sit and endure their side twice lose the lead in a pulsating encounter where the stakes and the temperature could not have been higher.
It will be Ian Holloway's Blackpool that will attempt to defy the odds and survive in the Premier League next season.
Michael Chopra's early strike set the tone for an entertaining first half. Blackpool equalised through a sublime 25-yard free kick from playmaker Charlie Adam, but with Blackpool in the ascendancy Joe Ledley broke the offside trap to restore Dave Jones's side's advantage.
The Seasiders continued to press and drew level for the second time thanks to a Gary Taylor-Fletcher header. Brett Ormerod grabbed the winning goal just before the break, with a well-taken toe-poke.
Chopra hit the bar in the second half, but the day belonged to Blackpool, who will take their place in the top flight of English football for the first time since 1971.
Holloway will be overjoyed at getting one over on Cardiff for the controversial play-off defeat to the Bluebirds when he was manager of QPR.
His side's preparations that day were affected by a 3am fire alarm set off by an unknown source, allegedly seen fleeing the scene sporting the Cardiff colours. But the only alarm bells ringing this time around will be coming from the Cardiff boardroom, as the failure to achieve promotion could see the end of Jones's tenure.
Known for his ability to entertain, Holloway's quirky quotes and humorous behaviour usually grab all the headlines, but there is a side to Holloway which people rarely give him credit for. He is in fact a football manager with an abundance of talent.
This feat compares favourably with anything that has been achieved in British football over recent seasons.
And the man everyone calls Ollie deserves his chance to be placed among the elite of English football, but he is fully aware of the task that awaits him.
"I can't be prouder of these boys, but I am going to have to be ruthless and think about what I'm going to do," Holloway said.
"I might have to coach a different way. Chelsea and these teams will have to come to Bloomfield Road and they better have the right spirit because we will have a right go at them.
"It's all about getting each individual to believe in themselves and shine."
Ancelotti, Wenger and Ferguson, beware.
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