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With this game came a chance for Blackpool to get promotion a game early and with Blackpool there is only one speed, go! With the adrenaline pumping around, Blackpool were out to show they wanted back to back promotion. Blackpool had the better of the possession early on but were not able to break down the rock solid Carlisle defence, Carlisle knew they had to hold on tight and soak up some pressure. The game was wide open like a porn star’s legs and both teams had chances to break the deadlock and it was Carlisle who struck first from a short corner, it was an incredibly soft goal to concede for Blackpool and it took the wind out of their sails slightly but they had to keep at it. Blackpool did however get a slight break when Carlisle picked up a yellow card, Blackpool needed to take advantage of the extra man. Blackpool thought they had scored an equaliser but it was disallowed wit a few players disagreeing about the decision. During the first half there was a strange incident when a Blackpool defender was smashed in the head by a stick going in for a tackle, lucky for him he is ten men! Blackpool’s attacks flowed but they were thwarted every time.
At the half time interval Blackpool knew they needed to keep pressing Carlisle and the goal would come. With another Blackpool attack in the second half they caught a break and it resulted in a penalty stroke. Simon “Sheen” Allen converted with a sweet finish. This gave Blackpool the confidence to score again and Allen, who has been credited with another goal, scored from a short corner. This put Blackpool in a commanding position and once again found themselves with an advantage as Carlisle picked up another yellow card but somehow they were outplaying Blackpool with only ten men, Blackpool switched off and Carlisle had many chances to equalise but Blackpool stayed strong. Blackpool then found themselves in the same situation as Carlisle by receiving a yellow card. Poor discipline cost Blackpool as Carlisle scored to make it 2-2. This game was going to wire! With short corners nearly costing Blackpool again they hung on to the point and gained promotion!
Blackpool showed true spirit throughout the season and it finally paid off. They showed they were not bi-polar but bi-winning! A fantastic end to the season and Blackpool can now go into the final game with promotion in the bag and a new strike force guaranteed by the captain.
Blackpool would like to pay tribute to Carlisle for a really good game of hockey which was packed with end to end action and thank them for their excellent sportsmanship during and after the game.