Tottenham travel to Blackpool tomorrow night to play the Tangerines in a league game for the first time since the 1977/78 second division season. Cue a Sky Sports reporter telling us that Spurs haven’t beaten Blackpool in the league for 33 years.
I was at the home game that season and remember nothing about it other than we were down 1-2 for much of the game before a late strike by Don McAllister. This was around the time that our challenge for the Division 2 title began to falter and we ended up promoted in third place on goal difference.
Although we played Blackpool in the Carling Cup a couple of years ago, you have to go back to 1990/91 when we last played the Tangerines away from home. In a third round FA Cup tie we won 1-0 in a game remembered mostly for foul weather and a comedy miss from Gary Linker that still makes the blooper reel. I was sure that peter Garland played in that game but I can’t find proof to back it up.
So on the last two occasions we played Blackpool, it was in the cup and we went on to win the trophy both times. This time it’s league points at stake and we hope Bloomfield Road is a happy hunting ground once more.
P.Garland is not listed in the Topspurs archive for players in the cup for 1990/91