1991–92 Blackpool F.C. season
The 1991–92 season was Blackpool F.C.'s 84th season (81st consecutive) in the Football League. They competed in the 22-team Division Four, then the fourth tier of English football. They finished fourth, missing out on automatic promotion by one point for the second consecutive season after a final-day defeat at Lincoln City, and were promoted via the play-offs to the new Division Two.[1] It was Billy Ayre's first full season as manager.
| 1991–92 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Owner and chairman | Owen Oyston | |
| Manager | Billy Ayre | |
| Division Four | 4th (promoted via play-offs to Division Two) | |
| FA Cup | Second round | |
| League Cup | Second round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Dave Bamber (28) All: Dave Bamber (36) | |
| Highest home attendance | 8,007 (v. Burnley) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 2,155 (v. Mansfield Town) | |
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The first two home League fixtures saw Blackpool extend their win streak at Bloomfield Road to fifteen League games. Their 24-game unbeaten run at home ended, after just over a year, with a defeat by Crewe Alexandra on 23 November.
Dave Bamber was the club's top scorer for the second consecutive season, with 36 goals (28 in the league, one in the play-offs, one in the FA Cup and six in the League Cup).
The six goals Blackpool scored against Aldershot were expunged from the record books when the latter went out of business in March 1992, hence only 71 of Blackpool's actual 77 league goals scored in the 1991–92 season are accounted for in the table below.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Rotherham United | 42 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 70 | 37 | +33 | 77 | Promoted |
| 3 | Mansfield Town | 42 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 75 | 53 | +22 | 77 | |
| 4 | Blackpool | 42 | 22 | 10 | 10 | 71 | 45 | +26 | 76 | Promoted through play-offs[lower-alpha 1] |
| 5 | Scunthorpe United | 42 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 64 | 59 | +5 | 72 | Participated in play-offs |
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 66 | 51 | +15 | 70 |
Notes:
- Blackpool won the play-offs and were promoted.
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Blackpool and Barnet met in the two-legged semi-finals of the play-offs. Barnet won the first leg by a single goal, at Underhill on 10 May. Blackpool, however, managed to turn the tie around in the return leg at Bloomfield Road three days later. Paul Groves (40') and an Andy Garner penalty in front of the South Stand, ten minutes into the second half, gave the Seasiders a 2–0 victory on the night and 2–1 on aggregate. A pitch invasion ensued at the final whistle.
Final
On 23 May, Blackpool met Scunthorpe United in the final at Wembley. Blackpool manager Billy Ayre was accompanied by the club mascot — his son, David — during the pre-match walk out to the centre circle.
The game finished 1–1 after normal time and extra time, a Tony Daws strike equalising Dave Bamber's close-range header. It went to a penalty-shootout, which Blackpool won 4–3. Mitch Cook, Paul Groves, Andy Garner and David Eyres were the successful takers for Blackpool, but it was Steve McIlhargey's save from substitute Graham Alexander that set up the victory. After Eyres' effort, Scunthorpe's other substitute, Jason White, stepped up, put the ball over the bar, and Blackpool were promoted.
| Blackpool | 1-1 (4-3 on penalties) | Scunthorpe United |
|---|---|---|
| Bamber | (Report) | Daws |
|
Blackpool 1McIlhargey Substitutes: 12Murphy Manager: |
Scunthorpe United 1Samways Substitutes: 12White Manager: |
Player statistics
Appearances
| Name | League | Play-offs | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Bamber | 44 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 53[2] |
| Paul Groves | 44 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 53[2] |
| David Eyres | 43 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 51 |
| Ian Gore | 43 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 51 |
| Tony Rodwell | 42 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 51 |
| Steve McIlhargey | 29 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 38 |
| Mike Davies | 30 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 38 |
| Andy Garner | 31 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 37 |
| Phil Horner | 29 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 35 |
| Trevor Sinclair | 29 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 35 |
| Gary Briggs | 26 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 29 |
| Andy Gouck | 25 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 28 |
| Paul Stoneman | 20 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 25 |
| Dave Burgess | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| Alan Wright | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 16 |
| Jason Kearton | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Dylan Kerr | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Mitch Cook | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Mark Taylor | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| Grant Leitch | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Mark Bonner | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Chris Hedworth | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Carl Richards | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Mark Murray | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Andy Howard | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jamie Murphy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Gary Brook | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Neil Mitchell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Players used: 28
Goals
| Name | League | Play-offs | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dave Bamber | 28 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 36 |
| Paul Groves | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Tony Rodwell | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| David Eyres | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Andy Garner | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Phil Horner | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Trevor Sinclair | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Andy Gouck | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mark Taylor | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Davies | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dylan Kerr | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Total goals scored: 88
Transfers
In
| Date | Player | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Mark Bonner | Trainee | |
| 1991 | Andy Howard | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1991 | Dylan Kerr | Leeds United | Loan |
| 1991 | Grant Leitch | Trainee | |
| 1991 | Neil Mitchell | Trainee | |
| 1991 | Mark Murray | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1991 | Paul Stoneman | Unknown | Unknown |
| 9 January 1992 | Jason Kearton | Everton | Two-month loan |
| 26 March 1992 | Mitch Cook | Darlington | Unknown |
Out
| Date | Player | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Dave Lancaster | Unknown | Unknown |
| 1991 | Alan Wright | Blackburn Rovers | £400,000 |
Notes
- After formation of the Premier League, the Football League restructured and Division Three became Division Two
- Ever-present
References
- Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887-1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.