We look ahead to this weekend’s game at Bloomfield Road by picking out three visits from the past.
Wanderers have gone nearly 48 years without a win at Blackpool in the league but we bring back some memories of the last triumph, plus UK TV’s first live game and an important win for Jimmy Armfield against the club he represented so valiantly as a player.
December 27, 1977 – Blackpool 0 Bolton Wanderers 2
Wanderers extended their lead over Spurs at the top of the Second Division to three points with victory at Blackpool in what remains their last league success at Bloomfield Road.
It had been a bountiful Christmas for Ian Greaves’s side, who beat Notts County by the same scoreline at Burnden on Boxing Day.
And the Bolton boss showed his appreciation for a huge travelling support, which swelled the gate to more than 25,000 on the day.
“It was a tremendous performance and I must pay tribute to our fans,” he said. “There was a crowd of 25,000 and we must have taken 15,000 to Blackpool.
“The noise they made really helped the players, they were just fantastic. An I was pleased to see that the players showed their appreciation at the end.”
Wanderers were worthy winners, taking the lead on 10 minutes when Willie Morgan crossed low into the goalmouth, Neil Whatmore and two defenders missed the ball but Frank Worthington appeared completely unmarked at the far post to side-foot the ball home.
Peter Nicholson hit the bar from 25 yards and Peter Reid put a shot inches wide from Worthington’s free kick.
Bolton had a big penalty shout turned down when Peter Suddaby appeared to bring down Worthington but the second goal finally arrived at the very end of the game, Worthington hitting the post, Roy Greaves’s follow-up bounced up off the keeper for Whatmore to head into the net from close range.
September 10, 1960 – Blackpool 0 Bolton Wanderers 1
The first match to be screened live on television to the UK public turned out to be a damp squib, played on a treacherous surface.
Fredie Hill’s goal was enough to seal victory for Bolton but Bolton manager Bill Riding was not impressed, insisting the performance was the worst his side had given in years.
ITV had picked the game hoping to pick up some Lancastrian rivalry but, in the opinion of BEN’s football writer Haydn Berry, the lack of quality of show was quite alarming.
“From start to finish is was scrappy in the extreme an if there was a redeeming feature I can’t think what it was unless one selects the consistently competent display of Jimmy Armfield, who was a very good back.
“Unfortunately, his colleagues failed completely to be inspired by his efforts an looked to be by far the poorest tea Wanderers have met so far this season.”
Reasoning that nerves could have affected the players – who were being beamed out for the first time by ITV – our Bolton writer also hoped that one poor 90 minutes would not deter scheduling bosses from screening other games in the future.
“I prayed for a bit of mud and for a ball with some of the bounce taken out of it,” he wrote. “I’m certain that without any team changes from either club we would have seen a different match altogether.
“That is why I hope the TV experiment will not be dropped because the curtain raiser was a poor one. Many a good play has had a bad first night. The next league match televised – if there is a next – may be just what the viewers want.”
March 2, 1974 – Blackpool 0 Bolton Wanderers 2
Jimmy Armfield was so pleased that his Bolton team had beaten his former club Blackpool that he invited them all home for a buffet lunch.
The Whites had leapt from the relegation zone to the fringes of promotion with a 10-game unbeaten run, derailing the Seasiders, who had gone into the all-Lancashire clash a dozen games unbeaten themselves.
Youthful strike pair Neil Whatmore and Garry Jones proved too much for Blackpool early on, and they combined for the opening goal on nine minutes, Whatmore crossing low for Jones to bundle the ball past John Burridge.
The Tangerines responded and Barry Siddall had to be at his best to stop shots from Alan Sudddick, Keith Dyson and Alan Ainscow.
The killer goal arrived on 58 minutes, John Byrom floating a free kick to the edge of the penalty box for John Ritson to power home an unstoppable shot from 25 yards.
“Our defence played very well,” enthused manager Armfield. “Blackpool never got behind us and I thought we played very sensibly at the back.
“The win took the pressure off us. We are trying to finish in a sound position, which is what I said at he start of the season and that is our aim.
“The most incredible thing to me was the support we got. I couldn’t get over it. More than half the gate was ours.
“They gave the lads a great lift and drowned the noise made by the Blackpool supporters.”
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