Blackpool v Bolton Wanderers: 1953 FA Cup final – live! | Football

11.40am EDT 11:40 85 min: Barrass takes his sweet time to get back up. Matthews stands by, hands on hips, his life’s g...

11.40am EDT
11:40

85 min: Barrass takes his sweet time to get back up. Matthews stands by, hands on hips, his life’s goal moving further and further away from reach with every loud tick of the clock. Right now, he’s a perfect study of impotent frustration.

11.39am EDT
11:39

84 min: Barrass stays down, face down on the turf. He looks up and around, then decides to plant his face in the lush turf again. Eventually he’s helped up, after sponge-wielding superman Sproston works on his sore leg. Prepare for some significant injury time. If anyone else goes down, the BBC may be forced to postpone tomorrow evening’s episode of What’s My Line?

11.37am EDT
11:37

83 min: Taylor has been a danger all afternoon, and here he is driving at speed towards the Bolton defence again. He whips a pass wide right for you know who, and with a drop of the shoulder the half-fit Banks is left in the dust. Matthews reaches the byline but his cross is deflected out for a corner, another wonderful last-ditch intervention by the stately Barrass. Matthews takes the corner himself. Some pinball. Then Shimwell has another bash from distance. This one loops into the air, off the outstretched leg of the lunging Barrass, and safely into the arms of Hanson.

11.37am EDT
11:37

82 min: Matthews dribbles down the middle of the park and is stopped illegally by the outstretched leg of Wheeler. In the opinion of the referee, anyway; there didn’t seem a whole lot in that. But free kick it is, in a central position, 35 yards out. Fenton dinks it in dismally, and it’s imperiously chested down and cleared long by Barrass. And suddenly Lofthouse has the ball at his feet in the Blackpool half! He’s got no support, though, with Garrett and Johnston in his road. Garrett ushers him to the right. Lofthouse checks and very nearly threads a reverse pass that would release Langton, arriving late on the scene, but Johnston puts in a block tackle that keeps his side in the final! This is breathless to watch, pity the poor buggers playing in it.

11.36am EDT
11:36

81 min: Shimwell strides down the right past the unfortunate Bell and swings a cross into the mixer. It’s not particularly well hit, but turns into a dangerous shot in mid-air, only just clearing the crossbar and the flailing arm of Hanson. It’s a goal kick, and on comes Banks, physically destroyed by Matthews. If he was a racehorse, etc. But every cloud has a silver lining, and it’s not his prime responsibility to deal with Matthews any more. The ever-adaptable Hassall takes over at left back, and Banks will toil upfield as an annoyance a la Bell.

11.36am EDT
11:36

80 min again: Bolton are now effectively operating with just nine men, and Lofthouse isn’t in best shape either. Still, they could have sealed it here, Robinson carelessly miscontrolling and letting Moir tear upfield to worry a light-handed Blackpool defence. A pass straight forward would send Lofthouse on a footrace with Johnston, but the Bolton captain inexplicably sends one wide left for Bell, who is never going to get to the ball on his one leg. The poor man gamely tries his hardest, but the futile, lumbering chase is painful to watch. Goodness knows how painful it is to perform. Sympathetic applause rings around Wembley.

11.35am EDT
11:35

80 min: With Banks off getting treatment from the all-seeing, all-knowing Sproston, Blackpool are ordered to take their corner. Perry takes it long. Mudie rises at the far post as Hanson punches clear. The Blackpool inside left is too rambunctious and the ref blows for a free kick. The pressure suddenly eases on Bolton, who were beginning to creak. Just the ten minutes to hold out, though. Plus a couple of minutes for stoppages, of course.

11.34am EDT
11:34

79 min again: This is relentless! The ten-and-a-half men of Bolton are being run ragged, and by one man in particular. Matthews one-twos with Taylor down the right and wins a corner. But before it can be taken, Banks goes down clutching his left thigh. It’s apt that Bolton is a mill town, because its football team are being put through one.

11.34am EDT
11:34

79 min: But they’re pinning Bolton back. Matthews crosses from the right. Barrass slices clear. Then some head tennis. Another Matthews speciality from the right wing. Perry and Mudie both go up for the header at the far post, and get in each other’s way. Mortensen can’t quite feed off the resulting scraps. “They must score!” chirps Wolstenholme. They’re certainly putting the screws on, but time’s not on their side. Something has to happen soon, or Stanley’s dream is over for another year, perhaps for good.

Matthews dribbles past Bolton midfielder Barass. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Updated
at 11.38am EDT

11.33am EDT
11:33

78 min: Matthews drops deep and demands the ball. What Stan wants, Stan gets. He dances down the inside-right channel. Banks is in his way, well positioned to be fair. But he’s no match for the maestro, who shimmies this way and that, finally takes a touch to the left and sends a sliderule pass down the channel. Wheeler can’t intercept. Perry can’t quite control. The ball breaks to Mortensen, just to the right of the six-yard box. Mortensen pearls one towards the bottom right, but Hanson shows a strong pair of hands and turns it round the post for a corner! What a move, what a chance, what a save. Blackpool take a short corner and, well, they’ve wasted it.

11.32am EDT
11:32

77 min: Ball’s OK, and he’s on point to clear Mudie’s inswinging corner.

11.31am EDT
11:31

76 min: Blackpool come again, some pressure on Bolton beginning to build. Taylor dribbles down the inside-right channel and lofts a ball into the box for Perry, who rises on the penalty spot and eyebrows on for Mudie, rushing in from the left. Mudie creams a shot, but Ball deflects it out for a corner. Brave, because that was travelling, and as such he requires a little treatment from man-of-the-match Sproston.

11.30am EDT
11:30

75 min: An agonised cry of “Come on Blackpool!” pierces the air. The tension and anxiety from both sets of supporters is palpable. Johnson is unceremoniously scythed down in midfield by Wheeler, but the referee waves play on because Taylor picks up the loose ball and scampers into the Bolton half. But he plays a pass to the right wing, where Matthews usually resides but doesn’t right now. Banks mops up.

11.29am EDT
11:29

74 min: After a stoppage of a minute and three-quarters, the game eventually restarts. We might have a little time added to the end of the game as a result. Bell slaloms as best he can down the centre of the park. A fine run that’s brought to an unceremonious end by Blackpool’s right-half Fenton. It’s an extremely dangerous position to the right of the D. Wheeler takes the free kick as Wembley descends into tense expectation … but only batters it straight into the wall. The ball rebounds away, and both teams momentarily forget about it, focusing on each other instead with a few meaty challenges. Mudie, Hassall and Fenton get involved in a series of mistimed tackles and egregious barges that momentarily threatens to escalate. But as quickly as the situation bubbles up, it all cools down again. “Now now, let the tempers cool down just a trifle, shall we!” chirps our Ken on the BBC. “One or two tackles there that I think we’ll forget about.”

11.28am EDT
11:28

73 min: Ugh, poor Lofthouse doesn’t look in tip-top condition at all. Sproston and Bolton captain Moir haul him back to his feet, though it takes some work and for a second it looks as though the striker would fall flat on his back, his legs buckling worryingly. He eventually stands on his own two feet, after a good rub-down with the ice-cold magic sponge, but he still looks a little shaky. Meanwhile, Garrett is up and running again … and on the touchline, Bill Ridding is seeing to another of his lame charges, massaging the thigh of Banks, who has been given the royal runaround this afternoon by Matthews, and will undoubtedly be grateful for the invigorating pop-up spa treatment.

11.27am EDT
11:27

72 min: Sproston, who must be due a pay rise, or perhaps a seat on the board, comes on for the umpteenth time, to deal with Lofthouse. Garrett goes down belatedly, the pair having obviously clashed badly. Time out!

11.26am EDT
11:26

71 min: Blackpool, who looked kaput to a man a few minutes earlier, are now full of vim. The restorative power of a goal, ladies and gentlemen. They’re piling forward, as they have to with time running out. That allows Bolton to launch a couple of dangerous counter-sorties, Holden probing down the right, then Langton zipping with purpose down the middle. The ball’s looped into the box. Lofthouse goes up with Garrett, and he’s taken a bang to the head.

11.25am EDT
11:25

70 min: No wonder Mortensen’s good to go: he’s now on a hat-trick. Should he get another, he’ll become the first player to score one in the final at Wembley, and only the third in finals overall (following William Townley for Blackburn Rovers in 1890 and James Logan for Notts County four years later). And to think, he hadn’t previously scored in the FA Cup this season!

11.23am EDT
11:23

69 min: Mortensen was competing for that loose ball with Wheeler and Hanson, everyone going down in a bundle, the striker whacking his leg on the post. It took Wembley a couple of seconds to register that a goal had been scored, such was the bedlam, but that’s nothing: there were eight seconds of dead-air silence before Kenneth Wolstenholme worked out what had gone on! On comes the Blackpool trainer to give Mortensen the once-over. He’s good to go. It’s on!

11.22am EDT
11:22

GOAL! Blackpool 2-3 Bolton Wanderers (Mortensen 68)

Yes, well, you can scrub that, can’t you, because it’s game on! Matthews finally delivers, and how! He takes up possession deep on the right, and knocks the ball past Banks and into acres of space. It’s a footrace the eviscerated left-back is never going to win, as Matthews burns up the turf at absurd velocity. At full pelt, he loops a cross towards the far post. It swerves gently left, then a little to the right, confusing Hanson as he leaps. The keeper tries to catch, but the ball squirms through his palms and drops to Mortensen, who bundles it into the bottom left from a couple of yards!

Stanley Mortensen bundles the ball home from close range! Photograph: PA

Updated
at 11.25am EDT

11.22am EDT
11:22

67 min: An eerie, slightly melancholic hush descends on Wembley. Blackpool haven’t seriously tested Hanson in this second half, and the crowd are beginning to sense that it’s all over.

11.20am EDT
11:20

65 min: Soon after the restart, Lofthouse hares after a long hoick down the left, but doesn’t get anywhere near it. He’s not been running at full capacity since taking that whack to the fruit bowl, never mind his ribs.

11.19am EDT
11:19

64 min: The sporting Johnston rolls the ball out of play to allow Lofthouse to get some treatment for a whack in the ribs. Sproston, who must be wishing he was on piecework rates, comes on to deal with Bolton’s star turn. In the meantime, their unlikely hero Bell receives a vigorous massage to his left thigh from his hands-on manager Bill Ridding, formerly a physio with England. Bolton really have been in the wars today.

11.17am EDT
11:17

63 min: Corner for Blackpool out on the right. Yet another poor delivery from Matthews. This isn’t what we expected from the great man at all. Some fine runs but very little end product.

11.17am EDT
11:17

62 min: More Bolton pressure. Moir barges Robinson out of the way and takes a shot from 25 yards. Farm does well to gather.

11.16am EDT
11:16

61 min: Bolton continue to press forward, Lofthouse barrelling down the left. He looks for Holden, cutting in from the other flank, but there’s too much on the cross.

11.15am EDT
11:15

60 min: To Bolton’s great credit, they’re not sitting on their two-goal lead. They keep piling forward, looking to find Lofthouse at every opportunity. This time the player of the year finds a pocket of space 30 yards out, and draws back his leg to shoot. Johnston bravely gets in the road of the howitzer. But will this gung-ho approach prove costly? Blackpool, with nothing left to lose, go straight up the other end, Taylor finding Matthews in all sorts of space on the right. He dances past Banks, reaches the byline, and cuts one back for Mortensen, who fresh-airs a flick on the six-yard line. The ball continues to Perry, who should also score, but whips his low shot from eight yards across the face of goal and well wide right. That really should have been 2-3.

11.14am EDT
11:14

59 min: Taylor dribbles with great delicacy down the middle of the park, but he runs into a white wall. Hassall, the makeshift defender, uses his attacking nous to bomb up the other end. It’s a storming run, and he really should release Lofthouse with a sliderule pass down the inside-right channel, Blackpool all over the shop at the back. But he overcooks it and it’s an easy gather for Farm.

11.13am EDT
11:13

58 min: Blackpool to a man look completely and utterly demoralised. They’re struggling to put anything together by way of reply. Their right half, with time and space in the Bolton half, clumps a dreadful pass straight at Banks. Jesus Christ, Fenton! Banks sends Langton away on the counter. The move breaks down, but Blackpool need to clear their heads and quick.

11.11am EDT
11:11

56 min: A collective dropping of seasider heads as that one went in. Stanley’s dream looks like turning into yet another nightmare, the national hero now likely to end his career without the bauble his talent so richly deserves. Bolton can’t be concerned about that, however, and Bell’s nightmare looks like turning into a dream! They cavort in celebration, though the scorer is still clearly badly crocked, barely able to run back upfield for the restart, even with the adrenaline pumping. As he limps back to the halfway line, Lofthouse runs across and gives him a big sloppy kiss. A lovely moment! And to think some stick-in-the-muds criticise the continentals for similar public displays of affection.

11.10am EDT
11:10

GOAL! Blackpool 1-3 Bolton Wanderers (Bell 55)

Wheeler throws in from the right. The excellent Holden drops a shoulder to whip past Taylor, and arcs a cross towards the near post. Who’s there, challenging with Shimwell? Why, it’s the injured Bell, straining every sinew to somehow rise above his marker and nut a header into the top right! Well, not quite the postage stamp, but Farm had little chance, so close was Bell to goal. And what a story we have brewing here, as ten-and-a-half-man Bolton have one hand and four fingers on the FA Cup!

The injured Eric Bell rises above Eddie Shimwell to head past Farm. Photograph: Colorsport/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated
at 11.12am EDT

11.09am EDT
11:09

54 min: Shimwell knows how to make his mark on FA Cup finals all right; in scoring a penalty against Manchester United in 1948, he became the first full-back to find the net at the big Wembley showpiece. Now he’s bothering Lofthouse again, this time by rugby-tackling his ankles while prone, the Bolton idol threatening to strip him on the left wing! That is brazen, right in front of the referee’s nose. A free kick just to the left of the box, a very dangerous position. Langton takes it, and wastes it, belting a strange riser straight over the heads of everyone lined up in the six-yard box, and hopelessly out for a goal kick.

11.08am EDT
11:08

53 min: Lofthouse closes down Shimwell as the Blackpool right-back prepares to clear by his corner flag. Ooyah! Oof! He takes the clearance right in his special trouser area! He goes down, doubled over. “That must have hurt, Nat! Of course that’s nothing that a good bending down, a good cold sponge won’t cure!” The words of BBC TV’s resident quack Kenneth Wolstenholme there. On comes Bert Sproston again, earning his money today, with wet sponge and, yes, his big white towel. Lofthouse is up again quickly enough, so maybe Doctor Ken knows what he’s talking about after all.

11.07am EDT
11:07

52 min: Garrett fluffs a simple midfield pass, rolling the ball straight to Langton, all wrapped up in ribbons. Langton instantly finds Lofthouse on the right-hand edge of the Blackpool box, and the striker wastes no time in lashing a shot towards the top right. It flies wide. Farm then stands around looking confused for two reasons. One: the referee is busy awarding a corner instead of a goal kick, having decided the shot took a nick off the covering Barrass. Two: as he’s staring at the ref in quizzical fashion, a ballboy gathers the ball and sends it looping back to the keeper, whereupon it clunks him right on the top of the bonce with perfect cartoon timing. Farm looks around briefly in the why-I-oughta style, but decides against any action. Holden’s resulting corner is no good.

11.05am EDT
11:05

50 min: A coruscating run by Matthews, this time down the inside-left channel, as he turns Bell in a flash, leaving him in the dust near the centre circle. He makes it all the way to the edge of the box, and is entitled to have a shot, but instead opts to slide a pass to Perry on his left. Bad decision, because the flag goes up for offside.

11.04am EDT
11:04

49 min: There’s far too much space for Matthews down the right. He hasn’t quite got his crossing boots on today, though; this one sails harmlessly over the bar.

11.02am EDT
11:02

47 min: Matthews skins Banks on the Blackpool right and sprints into acres of space. His cross is easily cleared. Full of beans and desire, the old boy takes the resulting throw himself. The ever-jinking Taylor nutmegs Hassall on the right-hand corner of the box, takes a couple of short strides – well, he is only five feet four, one of the smallest players in the league – and belts a rising diagonal shot towards the top left. Hanson does extremely well to get a strong fist to it and Bolton clear. A very exciting, open, end-to-end start to the second half.

11.00am EDT
11:00

Bolton get the second half underway! And immediately they’re on the attack, at full speed, as though nobody stopped for their half-time oranges at all. Perry thinks about romping down the left but Ball steps up to intercept. He takes a confident stride up the Bolton right and launches a pinpoint pass forward towards Lofthouse, who opens his body and sends a soft diagonal chip dropping to the feet of Bell, in the box, 12 yards out, just to the left of centre. Had that been anyone other than the stricken soldier, Farm would have serious work to do. But Bell can’t sort his feet out for a shot, and the ball clanks out for a corner. Some move, though. Lofthouse comes across to check his pal is OK to continue. He is. Well, he’s not, but you get the general point.

10.46am EDT
10:46

HALF TIME: Blackpool 1-2 Bolton Wanderers

Thirty extra seconds are added for the injury to Bell, and that’s the half-time whistle. It’s been a strange old half of football. Both sides have looked dangerous in attack, yet all three goals have had a whiff of farce about them. Bolton are 45 minutes away from their fourth FA Cup. Blackpool need to turn it round quickly if they’re not to experience the singular pain of losing the cup final for the third time in six years. And of course the dream of 38-year-old folk hero Stanley Matthews hangs by a thread. The fact that Bolton are effectively down to ten men, with the unfortunate Eric Bell hamstrung, will give them succour. It’s going to be one heck of a second half. Back after the interlude!

10.44am EDT
10:44

45 min: More joy for Holden down the right. He twists and turns and feeds Lofthouse, who breaks into the box and crosses deep for … poor Bell, who can only limp after it sadly, like an ageing dog, as it flies over his head. But he’s an honest grafter, old Shep, and he does enough to knock it back down the inside-left flank for Hassall, who lashes a low shot straight at Farm. Safe hands this time.

10.44am EDT
10:44

44 min: Mudie is fouled by Hassall, 25 yards from goal. Taylor takes a quick free kick, sending it wide right to Matthews, whose high cross is plucked from the sky with confidence by Hanson. Farm should take notes.

10.43am EDT
10:43

43 min: Holden dances down the right yet again. He slides a ball across the face of the box towards the brave Bell, who does extremely well to guide it towards Langton on his right. Langton considers shooting from long range, but instead rolls a pass back wide right for Holden, who this time crosses high. It’s not the greatest connection, but it swerves all over the shop and nearly arcs over the poorly-positioned Farm and into the top left! The crowd OOH in amazement as the ball just about grazes the crossbar. Farm got away with one there, although let’s try to give the unfortunate keeper a little credit: the wind is swirling around Wembley today, the sort that could deceive anybody.

10.42am EDT
10:42

42 min: Blackpool pick themselves up, dust themselves down, and threaten a second equaliser. Some dainty work by Taylor, Mortensen and Matthews, a couple of trademark dribbles followed by some nifty first-time triangles. It’s almost continental. Eventually Taylor scoops down the inside-right channel to release Perry into the box, but the bounce forces the South African wide and his eventual shot is blocked by Ball and cleared. Fine play all round, and it’ll give Blackpool some much needed succour after falling behind again so quickly.

10.40am EDT
10:40

40 min: As Bolton cavort, Robinson holds his head in his hands. Blackpool must be wondering whether the club is simply jinxed, destined to never win the FA Cup. It’ll be three cup-final defeats in six years unless they can turn this around.

10.39am EDT
10:39

GOAL! Blackpool 1-2 Bolton Wanderers (Moir 39)

Scrub that: it’s been a fantastic response by Bolton! Holden probes down the right and slips the ball inside for Langton, who opens up his body and curls a cross towards the far post. Farm comes out to claim, and flaps dismally, allowing Moir to nip in and flick a header past his flailing arms and into the net. Captain’s goal! And that’s a fine, brave, clever effort from Moir. But that’s more awful goalkeeping from Farm. Scottish international keepers will be getting a reputation at this rate.

Bolton’s William Moir flicks a header beyond Blackpool keeper Farm and into the net. Photograph: PA

Updated
at 10.43am EDT

10.38am EDT
10:38

38 min: Lofthouse goes on another tear down the inside-left channel, chasing after a dismal Garrett backwards header, but drifts too far wide and slices his shot-cum-cross out of play. But this has been a good response to conceding by the ten-and-a-bit men.

10.37am EDT
10:37

37 min: Lofthouse reminds Blackpool that their 11 fit men and true won’t have it all their own way. A long pass down the left flank. He spins Shimwell and tears off after it. He’s free on goal! He strides into the area and lashes a left-foot shot … wide left. He should have worked the uncertain Farm at the very least. Farm performs the internationally recognised palms-out mime for Calm Down, I’m In Charge. He wasn’t.

10.36am EDT
10:36

36 min: Blackpool were beginning to grind Bolton down back there, and the dam eventually broke. It’ll be interesting to see how Bolton respond to that equaliser, effectively a man down, Bell little more than a passenger. They could do with hearing the half-time whistle. Get to the break level, and reorganise. Matthews, by contrast, fancies striking while the iron is hot. He shimmies in from the right and whips a low cross towards Mortensen. It clips the unfortunate Hassall, and Hanson does well to gather at his near post, to avoid any more embarrassment for the makeshift defender.

10.35am EDT
10:35

GOAL! Blackpool 1-1 Bolton Wanderers (Mortensen 35)

From the resulting goal kick, Johnston returns the ball upfield with feeling. It breaks to Mortensen, who turns and powers down the inside-left channel. He sashays past Barrass and Ball, enters the box, and threads a diagonal shot across Hanson and towards the bottom right. It’s going in … but Hassall, running back at full pelt to cover, deflects the shot into the bottom left, firing it past his wrong-footed keeper! On the BBC, Wolstenholme claims “Hassall! Hassall has scored!” which not only sounds all wrong, but is all wrong. The initial shot was definitely heading into the right-hand corner, so it’s Mortensen’s goal. Hassall won’t want to be credited with it anyway. Whatever, it’s the first one Bolton have ever conceded in an FA Cup final at Wembley, having won their Twenties triptych 2-0, 1-0 and 2-0.

Harold Hassall deflects Mortensen’s shot into his own net for Blackpool’s equaliser. Photograph: PA

Updated
at 11.26am EDT

10.34am EDT
10:34

34 min: Blackpool’s best chance of the match! Perry launches an attack with a cute lob and spin over Barrass. Banks gets in the way, but Blackpool quickly come again at Bolton, Taylor in space out on the left. He rolls a precise diagonal pass inside for Perry, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. It’s a great opportunity, but he drags it wide right, Hanson not required to warm his hands. But that’s given the Blackpool fans hope, and they respond with a surge of noise.

10.33am EDT
10:33

33 min: Bolton string a few passes together, Lofthouse, Hassall, Langton and Wheeler all involved in an eye-catching right-to-left sweeping move. But the final pass finds Bell out on the left, and it’s all he can do to weakly prod the ball towards the first man Fenton. Blackpool clear.

10.32am EDT
10:32

32 min: Mudie rides a roughhouse challenge from behind by Wheeler and bursts into space in the Bolton half. He prods the ball forward for Mortensen, who immediately sweeps it towards Matthews on the right. Matthews crosses high. Hanson punches with great uncertainty, the ball falling to Taylor, 12 yards out. It’s a fine chance, but Taylor scoops it wide right. Hanson got away with one there. Blackpool are beginning to ask a few questions, though.

10.31am EDT
10:31

31 min: Matthews affects to run back up the right flank, but checks and plays a cute reverse pass down the channel for Mortensen, who slides it further forward to Taylor, just inside the box. Taylor shoots, but falls back and his effort is blocked. The ball breaks to Mortensen, who tries to bend one into the bottom right. Not a bad effort, but it sails wide.

10.30am EDT
10:30

30 min: Now Langton is down, having hurt himself while trying to strip the ball from the ever-dangerous Taylor. Bolton trainer and geopolitical analyst Sproston comes on again with his magic linen. This time the towel does work, and the Bolton outside-left springs up, ready to go into battle again. Bolton can ill afford another injury; they’d effectively be playing with nine men.

10.29am EDT
10:29

29 min: Taylor skitters in from the right and beats three men, before rolling a pass down the inside-right channel for Matthews. For once the great man is on the back foot, and can’t quite get to the ball. It’s cleared upfield. The ball bounces right next to Bell, and in normal circumstances he’d take up possession without thinking twice. But the poor chap is in a dreadful state. Hamstrung, he lurches towards the ball like a drunk chasing his own hat. Four steps, each of them clearly terribly painful, and he’s never going to get to it. He gives up the futile chase. So sad to see on football’s big day. “I think we can write him off,” suggests Kenneth Wolstenholme on the BBC Television Service. Sadly, he’s probably right. He’ll stay out on the left wing as a nuisance, nothing more, but it’s very difficult to see him influencing this match in any meaningful way.

10.28am EDT
10:28

28 min: Perry drifts in from the left with a view to influencing proceedings. He clips a pass down the middle for Taylor, but Hassall, who has been superb so far both in attack and defence, reads the danger and nips in to intercept.

10.26am EDT
10:26

26 min: Matthews loops one in from the right but it’s easily punched clear by Hanson, who really hasn’t had all that much to do this afternoon.

Stan Hanson punches clear. Photograph: Colorsport/Rex/Shutterstock

Updated
at 10.55am EDT

10.25am EDT
10:25

25 min: Blackpool haven’t tested Bolton too much. Perry tries to break into their box down the left, but he’s denied by a wonderfully timed tackle by Ball. Anything other than perfection, and that would have been a penalty kick.

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