26 December 1946 Blackpool 1 Blackburn Rovers 0

Blackpool Win in Last Minute

Blackpool 1, Blackburn Rovers 0

By the 'DAILY DESPATCH'

A goal a minute from time for Blackpool against Blackburn Rovers at Bloomfield Rd.

Fortunes fluctuated with the weather. The game opened on a sanded, icy surface, but ended in mud after thaw had set in and rain had fallen continuously for 60 minutes of the game. 

Mortensen indistinguishable in a coating of sand and mud headed the two points for Blackpool from a well placed centre by Farrow, the best half on the field.

Blackburn were the most vigorous team seen at Blackpool this season, and warnings by the referee were frequent.

Led by virile, determined Mortensen, Blackpool had easily 60 per cent, of the game.

A feature of their front line was the display on the right wing of Nelson, 20-vear-old former Linfield amateur, who signed professional forms for Blackpool after a pre-season trial game.

Dick and Blair were convincing inside forwards, while in the rear Shimwell, Sibley and Suart were great in defence.

For Blackburn Smith was. a dangerous leader. with an outstanding winger in Langton. Pryde had all his work cut out dealing with Mortensen.

Result:

BLACKPOOL 1 (Mortensen)

BLACKBURN ROVERS 0 

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Blackpool smash way to three points,

rise in table

By “Spectator”

THREE OUT OF FOUR POINTS IN THE TWO HOLIDAY GAMES LIFTED BLACKPOOL FROM No. 5 TO No. 4 IN THE FIRST DIVISION TABLE, WRITES “ SPECTATOR.”

THEY were Christmas games - those two engagements with Blackburn Rovers - according to the calendar.

There was little peace or goodwill in either of them. They should not have called it Boxing Day yesterday, but All-in Wrestling Day at Blackpool.

It was a match which began on a football field and ended in a swamp when the rains came. But before the rain the game had been ruined by the Rovers’ stop-’em-at-any-price tactics.

Repeatedly when the ball was missed the man was taken. It was nearly a street-corner brawl in the end.

Blackpool deserved to win because while it was possible to play football the forwards, aided by an assertive line of halfbacks, played it. Then, as men began to tumble as fast as ninepins in an alley, it became merely a case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object.

LATE BLOW

Everything was set for a complete stalemate when Farrow - who said this wing-half could not any longer last 90 minutes? - selected one of the few patches where a  blade of grass was visible, crossed the ball from it and gave the tireless, battered Mortensen the chance to head the only goal a couple of minutes from time.

The Rovers had a daring, acrobatic goalkeeper on view in Hayhurst, a 20-years-old under study, who deserved to win a point for his team on his own. They had also a wing forward, the England outside-left, Langton, who might have won that Point, too, if he had been given the correct passes.

That Shimwell held Langton nearly all the time was a sufficient indication of the new full-back’s quality. At last Blackpool have a full-back whose clearances have distance and decision.

Yet the full-back of this match was Sibley, who revealed that it is still possible to dispossess a raiding forward without nearly slaying him in the process.

In this Sort of free-for-all the young ex-Linfield amateur, Sammy Nelson, had few chances to reveal what he can do. But what little he was allowed to do was promising.

At Ewood Park on Christmas Day the teams played a 1-1 draw. Mortensen scored an early goal for Blackpool - his 13th of the season - and Langton equalised before half-time.

FOOTNOTE. I notice that according to the census sheet there were 22 free-kicks for fouls in the Christmas Day match-eight for Blackpool and 14 for the Rovers. The teams met too soon again after that little argument.

Is it a good thing to play these consecutive matches between the same two teams?

I doubt it.

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