When it comes to play-off success, no team in the country can hold a candle to Blackpool. Eleven such matches the Tangerines have now played over the past few years and, while this was the first they have failed to win outright, the draw was enough to ensure they will be West Ham United's opponents at Wembley on Saturday week.
They could not have been pushed any harder, though. With half an hour remaining Birmingham City were three goals down on aggregate and seemingly on the way to certain defeat. Having over-achieved all season, however, Chris Hughton's side were never going to give up the ghost, and in an almost desperately frantic final half-hour pulled two goals back and gave everything they had in search of the vital third. It did not come, which means this was almost certainly Hughton's last game at the club.
The former Newcastle manager, who pulled off a minor miracle in guiding City into the play-offs, is believed to be the preferred choice of West Bromwich Albion, ahead of Claudio Ranieri, to replace the departing Roy Hodgson. With Wolves also said to be ready to approach whichever manager lost this game, it was perhaps not surprising that programme notes of the Birmingham vice-president Peter Pannu gave the impression the club expected Hughton to move on come what may.
Circumstances dictated Birmingham were always going to be more adventurous than they had been at Bloomfield Road, and both Chris Burke and Jordan Mutch saw shots blocked in the opening minutes. Blackpool, of course, were never going to sit back and defend their slender advantage, and twice in three minutes Tom Ince nearly doubled it, first when he forced City goalkeeper Colin Doyle to save, and then when he was pulled back by David Murphy in the act of shooting. Had he gone down, instead of getting in a shot that Doyle again blocked, referee Chris Foy might have been more inclined to award the spot-kick.
The atmosphere generated by St Andrew's first sell-out of the season was contributing to the game being played at an unsustainable pace. Shortly after Burke had curled a delicate shot just wide, Marlon King, given a yard of space at the far post, side-footed a volley against the Blackpool bar. The longer the half progressed, however, the more effective the visitor's superior passing began to make itself felt.
Ince, likely to be playing Premier League football next season come what may, picked out Gary Taylor-Fletcher with a cross from which the experienced forward should have tested Doyle, but while their share of possession may have fallen, Birmingham took every opportunity to get forward in numbers. With defenders increasingly unsure of their footing on the rain-soaked surface, they looked dangerous when they did so, and Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks did well to gather Nikola Zigic's low shot at the first attempt.
It seemed impossible such a half would end goalless, but just as it looked certain to do so, Blackpool took the lead. Ince's corner was headed up in the air by Curtis Davies, and though the defender blocked when Alex Baptiste attempted an overhead kick, the ball came out to Dobbie, whose low shot squeezed under Doyle and inside the unfortunate goalkeeper's near post.
The timing of the goal could hardly have been better, but when the teams emerged after the break Holloway was still not inclined to make changes to his attacking formation, and his bravery paid immediate dividends. Angel Martínez's long ball may have been lofted forward as much in hope as in expectation, but Matt Phillips timed his run to perfection to bring it down and squeeze his shot in off Doyle's far post.
That really should have been that, but Hughton's players continued to give it everything they had. Blackpool appeared to be containing them comfortably enough, but shortly after the hour, the Blues gave their supporters hope when Burke's neat pass put Zigic clear off the visitors' back line.
The big Serbian finished calmly, but there was nothing calm about the crowd's reaction when with 17 minutes remaining, Davies rose above a crowded penalty area to head Jordon Mutch's corner powerfully past Gilks. Davies nearly repeated the trick soon afterwards, this time heading over the bar. Read More
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