Another tie against a lower league side, another chance for our exciting youngsters to get some Emirates pitch time. Well, that’s always the hope. The reality is usually far less enticing.

First Half

Pretty dire throughout. The only moment of quality was the goal. Stephan Lichtsteiner made a superb diagonal run in behind the Blackpool bus. Matteo Guendouzi picked him out with a glorious punched wedge shot and the Swiss trooper managed to divert it past the stranded Tangerines’ keeper.

Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty

That really was the only football worthy of note in a turgid display of insomnia-crushing tedium.

Second Half

After the break, it seemed a case of, ‘score the second and we can all go home’. It duly arrived when a Jenko cross-cum-shot with his standing leg was palmed out by the Blackpool goalie back into the danger zone where Emile Smith Rowe shinned it into the turf and high up into the net.

Enter the referee, who was obviously disgruntled that his 15 minutes of fame was likely to peter out like a damp firework. He’d already missed several touches for corners and the like, along with the help of his incompetent sidekicks, but the coup de grace was still to come.

In the 56th minute Guendouzi put his arm across a Blackpool chap before hastily withdrawing it. The chap with orange shorts went down as if he’d been slung across the ring by Shirley Crabtree and the pathetic excuse for an official decided that this was a heinous-enough crime to send the Frenchman from the pitch for an early luxury jacuzzi and massage.

Game on for Blackpool. To be fair they did press, hit the post and then scored a goal from a corner from which O’Connor was given the freedom of Islington at the back post. They might have had an equaliser if their shooting and crossing was anywhere near standard. Cech was grateful to see the ball sail over his bar half a dozen times.

Petr’s passing out from the back hasn’t improved while he’s been in the sick bay. He nearly gifted Blackpool a second but the offside flag saved us.

Blackpool’s resurgence was ended when the ref evened things up after the Blackpool goalscorer committed GBH on Auba in the centre of the pitch. There’s a difference between taking a booking for the team and committing an offence which should get jail time. This was the latter.

Summary

Arsenal never looked like a team all night. Some seemed offended they’d been chosen to play for the second string, others were content to pass backwards rather than attempt to beat the bus.

The prize was yet another home tie, this time against our smelly neighbours. Hopefully we’ll get the winners of Boro v Burton in the semi final 2 legger. 🙂

Ratings

Cech: not a lot to do – needs to work on his passing…6

Lichtsteiner: great goal, looked at home against League One opposition…7

Mustafi: effective in parts – left his man (when he had a choice of two) for their goal…6

Pleguezuelo: Doesn’t look a centre back but a competent debut…7

Jenkinson: You can almost see how much he enjoys playing in a red and white shirt – assist for the second…9

Ramsey: not willing to make his extra class count – played well within himself…6

Guendouzi: MOTM by a country mile until the ref intervened – only pipped by Jenko’s enthusiasm…8

Smith Rowe: don’t remember him taking anyone on – the goal will give him some confidence hopefully…6

Maitland-Niles: lost at the start of the game but showed some decent touches when dropping deeper – rusty…6

Mkhitaryan: why am I playing in the Caribou Cup? – another Ramsey-like performance…6

Welbeck: ran around quickly but lacked much quality on the ball…6

Subs

Torreira: gives 100% regardless of the opposition – others take note…7

Auba and Iwobi: came on to see the game out…6

chas

Division Two

Our first game against Blackpool was a Division Two fixture played December 19, 1896 – one hundred and twenty two years ago – we won the game 4-2 with a brace apiece for Gavin Crawford and Adam Haywood.

Highbury in 1914

League Cup

Ticket from first replay in 1976 League Cup tie

The following is a report of the 2nd replay in the League Cup competition from the 5th October 1976………

Memory Match: Arsenal 2-0 Blackpool, 1976 (From the Blackpool Gazette)

Blackpool’s love affair with the League Cup ended in the third round second replay at Arsenal. But the Seasiders pushed Arsenal all the way and had chances to equalise Frank Stapleton’s 48th-minute headed goal before David O’Leary hit the killer seven minutes from time, with Blackpool committed to attack.

Blackpool won warm praise from Arsenal observers for their tremendous organisation and it is true to say that, if they had attacked Arsenal in the first half as they did when they went a goal down, the fourth round home tie with Chelsea could have been theirs. They almost covered themselves in glory with a stirring second-half rally which highlighted their outstanding potential. And throughout the match they played their way out of defence and into attack with constructive, thoughtful soccer.

With Blackpool less committed to defence, Arsenal created more clear chances in the first half than they did a week ago in the original tie, with nothing like the sort of pressure. But after a couple of incredible misses by Malcolm Macdonald, Blackpool hit back with two chances for teenage debutant Brian Wilson. Although Wilson found it hard getting into a match of these proportions, he was not afraid to put his weight around and when Bob Hatton crossed after 14 minutes, Wilson – sliding in – sliced his shot wide. After 35 minutes Wilson almost scored with a crisp left footer after Walsh’s great run round the back and fine low centre into the box, but Jimmy Rimmer blocked the shot. Hatton was another shirt’s width away from nudging home Paul Hart’s head down under pressure from Pat Rice, but George Wood had to make a couple of fine saves, and the half was marked by the near misses of Macdonald and Stapleton.

Blackpool did not seem at all flustered and the goal was unfortunate. Wood decided not to come for a cross he might have got, but Stapleton soared above two defenders to head home.

Blackpool roared forward with Billy Ronson, and also had Hart who was brilliant in defence and started a stream of attacks by surging through to midfield with some deft touches. Ronson, Stapleton and George Armstrong vied for Man of the Match. Blackpool sliced the Arsenal defence apart several times without any sort of luck with the run of the ball.

Walsh, who had taken Arsenal wide but been starved of the ball many times, powered through the middle but smacked a shot wide. Ronson’s surge down a similar path was halted by Alan Ball. After early lapses, Alan Ainscow’s authority as an attacking midfielder grew and his influence on the game became increasingly prevalent.

Ainscow then sent a brilliant chip over the advancing Rimmer but the ball went just wide. A superb Blackpool move started by Walsh’s defence-splitting pass and Ainscow’s great touch on, almost gave Hatton a goal but he could not adjust his stride running onto it so the ball hit his right foot and went agonisingly an inch or two past the post with Rimmer going the other way.

The infusion of the dropped Alan Suddick for Wilson after 75 minutes saw some brilliant play by the midfield star and sparked the Blackpool team as a whole. He brought the save of the match from Rimmer with a magnificent volley which few players could even have controlled. His class in knocking the ball about and moving it around rejuvenated Blackpool from a useful outfit into a highly dangerous one. Steve Harrison, who had a good game at left-back, shot just over the bar and Suddick and Bill Bentley worked a fine move for Ainscow to shoot at Rimmer.

Arsenal, notably Macdonald, missed a few chances before O’Leary rifled home from Armstrong’s corner, allowing the home fans to finally relax. But Blackpool had the last word with efforts from Walsh and Hatton blocked by Rimmer and Rice. Blackpool will not complain about the result because of the clear chances Arsenal missed, but their second half rally could so easily have won them the game.

Attendance: 26,791

Division One

Peter Storey (on the floor) heads home in March 1971

Blurry Pathe footage of the game on 20th March 1971 at Highbury. The playing surface doesn’t quite seem up to today’s standards!

Premier League

The only Premier League game against the Seasiders finished 6-0 featuring a Walcott hattrick and Arshavin penalty

So, during our history of playing Blackpool at home in the League or League Cup, we have lost just the two home games, both coming in 1958. These were the days of Stanley Matthews and Jimmy Armfield.

Hopefully our second string can beat the League One outfit this time around in the Caribou Cup.

GunnerN5