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.
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 +DateCompetitionOpponent (home/away)ResultScorer(s)Attendance25 August 1990 LeagueScunthorpe United (a)L 0–2 3,02428 August 1990 League Cup, first round, first legDarlington (a)D 0-0 2,2541 September 1990 LeagueRochdale (h)D 0-0 3,3574 September 1990 League Cup, first round, second leg Darlington (h)D 1–1After extra time; Darlington won on away-goals ruleBrook1,6968 September 1990 LeagueNorthampton Town (a)L 0–1 4,30015 September 1990 LeagueWrexham (h)W 4–1Stant, Eyres, opposition own goal, Rodwell 3,49718 September 1990 LeagueBurnley (h)L 1–2Stant 4,73722 September 1990 LeagueChesterfield (a)D 2–2Groves, Garner (penalty) 3,54929 September 1990 LeagueHartlepool United (h)W 2–0Eyres, Groves 3,1813 October 1990 LeagueScarborough (a)W 1–0Groves 1,7136 October 1990 LeagueTorquay United (a)L 1–2Stant2,88413 October 1990 LeagueDarlington (h)L 1–2Garner4,09220 October 1990 LeagueGillingham (h)W 2–0Stant, Eyres3,04122 October 1990 LeagueStockport County (a)D 0-0 4,33727 October 1990 LeagueHalifax Town (a)L 3–5Rodwell 2, Stant1,9453 November 1990 LeagueWalsall (h)L 1–2Groves3,23310 November 1990 LeagueAldershot (h)W 4–2Sinclair, Taylor, Garner (penalty), Lancaster2,06517 November 1990 FA Cup, first roundGrimsby Town (h)W 2–0Groves, Garner4,17524 November 1990 LeagueDoncaster Rovers (a)L 0–0 2,1131 December 1990 LeagueHereford United (a)D 1–1Billy Ayre's first game as managerBamber2,58810 December 1990 FA Cup, second roundHuddersfield Town (a)W 2–0Groves, opposition own goal6,32915 December 1990 LeagueMaidstone United (h)D 2–2Garner, Bamber2,34123 December 1990 LeagueCarlisle United (a)L 0–0 5,19526 December 1990 LeaguePeterborough United (h)D 1–1Garner 3,65829 December 1990 LeagueLincoln City (h)W 5–0Groves 2 (1 penalty), Bamber 2, Eyres 2,5191 January 1991 LeagueYork City (a)W 1–0Horner3,1155 January 1991 FA Cup, third roundTottenham Hotspur (h)L 0–1 9,56312 January 1991 LeagueRochdale (a)L 1–2Bamber 2,62119 January 1991 LeagueScunthorpe United (h)W 3–1Bamber 2, Garner 2,49426 January 1991 LeagueWrexham (a)W 1–0Garner (penalty)2,3935 February 1991 LeagueChesterfield (h)W 3–0Bamber, Horner, Garner 2,35716 February 1991 LeagueDoncaster Rovers (h)W 2–0Taylor, Horner3,53323 February 1991 LeagueAldershot (a)W 4–1Bamber 2, Garner 2 2,1642 March 1991 LeagueHereford United (h)W 3–0Bamber 2, Richards 3,6369 March 1991 LeagueMaidstone United (a)D 1–1Richards2,25312 March 1991 LeagueScarborough (h)W 3–1Richards, Taylor, Bamber3,79816 March 1991 LeagueHartlepool United (a)W 2–1Horner, Rodwell2,84019 March 1991 LeagueDarlington (a)D 1–1Opposition own goal4,10823 March 1991 LeagueTorquay United (h)W 1–0Bamber4,77830 March 1991 LeaguePeterborough United (a)L 0–2 7,7212 April 1991 LeagueCarlisle United (h)W 6–0Bamber 2, Horner, Groves (penalty), Rodwell, Richards5,3686 April 1991 LeagueLincoln City (a)W 1–0Bamber4,00313 April 1991 LeagueYork City (h)W 1–0Groves5,08617 April 1991 LeagueCardiff City (h)W 3–0Groves, Horner, Rodwell4,81320 April 1991 LeagueGillingham (a)D 2–2Davies, Horner3,02823 April 1991 LeagueBurnley (a)L 0–218,39827 April 1991 LeagueStockpot County (h)W 3–2Eyres, Garner 28,59030 April 1991 LeagueHalifax Town (h)W 2–0Rodwell, Groves5,8832 May 1991 LeagueCardiff City (a)D 1–1Garner (penalty)1,7937 May 1991 LeagueNorthampton Town (h)W 2–1Eyres, Groves7,29811 May 1991 LeagueWalsall (a)L 0–2 8,05119 May 1991 Play-off semi-finals, first legScunthorpe United (a)D 1–1Rodwell6,53622 May 1991 Play-off semi-finals, second legScunthorpe United (h)W 2–1Eyres 27,59631 May 1991 Play-off finalTorquay United (n)Played at Wembley Stadium, LondonD 2–2After extra time; Torquay won 5-4 on penaltiesGroves, opposition own goal21,615
Table
Play-offs
Semi-finals 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 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.
Blackpool
1McIlhargey 2Davies (for Sinclair) 3Wright 4Groves 5Horner 6Gore 7Rodwell 8Taylor 9Bamber 10Garner (c) 11Eyres
Substitutes:
12Sinclair (for Davies) 14Richards
Manager: Billy AyreTorquay United
1Howells 2Curran 3P. Holmes 4Saunders 5Elliott 6Joyce 7Myers 8M. Holmes 9Evans 10Edwards 11Loram
Substitutes:
12Hall 14
Manager: John Impey
Player statistics
Appearances NameLeaguePlay-offsFA CupLeague CupTotal4633254Ever-present4533253443325245331524133249393304536332443631242373104131232383023237231102522021252003023193012312000128002104002660006500051002330003200021000100000
Players used: 24
Goals NameLeaguePlay-offsFA CupLeague CupTotal17000171112014130101462008710087000750005400043000300011100011000110001
Total goals scored: 84 (plus four own-goals)
Notes
References