Sunderland 0 - Blackpool 2 - DJ Campbell a hit as Holloway dream goes on

Sunderland 0 - Blackpool 2

BLACKPOOL finished a brilliant year by ending Sunderlands unbeaten home league record this season with a fifth away win.

We should have known Ian Holloway had something special up his sleeve for Blackpools last game of 2010.

And boy did they go out with a bang, thanks to a second-half double from DJ Campbell.

Sunderlands only previous home league defeat this year was by Manchester United and over that period theyve beaten Spurs, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

Its an impressive record but Blackpool are growing accustomed to sticking two fingers up at such stats.

Sunderland created a hatful of chances, but Blackpool keeper Richard Kingson played out of his skin and Ian Evatt and Craig Cathcart hurled their bodies at everything.

But they also attacked at every opportunity and typically for a Holloway side, the Tangerines were looking for a second at a time when most sides would have packed 10 men behind the ball.

The Blackpool boss had only one problem afterwards. 2010 has been an absolute belter, he said. Unfortunately, in three days time, its going to be 2011.

Its like a dream, the way my lads are playing. We hadnt played for two weeks, but y! ou would not have known it even though we had to stem a Sunderland tide.

On another day, theyd have got a decent win with all those chances, but I play my keeper and defenders to do a job and they did it brilliantly.

Campbell credits Steve Bruce for sparking his career when he took him to Birmingham.

Mind you, he has a strange way of showing his gratitude.

Blackpool had somehow gone in level at half-time they could easily have been trailing 6-2.

But they caught Sunderland cold with a short corner on 52 minutes and when Ian Evatt nudged on Neil Eardleys cross, Campbell volleyed home.

His second and fifth in the league this season came in the last minute, tapping home at the far post after impressive substitute Matt Phillips had left Anton Ferdinand for dead before crossing.

By then, Bruce probably already knew it wasnt going to be his day with chance after chance going begging.

Bruce turns 50 on Friday and says it frightens the pants off him, but yesterday it was his much-vaunted strikers who got their knickers in a twist.

Darren Bent i! s enduri ng his worst Sunderland run, not having scored since November and against Blackpool he was down on luck and confidence.

The England international crashed an 85th-minute free-kick against the underside of the bar, but before that he missed the sort of chances he would have buried last season.

Moments earlier, after a comedy of errors in the Blackpool defence, Bent was left with just the keeper to beat, but couldnt find a way past Kingson.

And in the fi rst half, he linked up brilliantly with Danny Welbeck only to shoot wide.

Just before half-time, Ahmed Elmohamady fed Asamoah Gyan on a plate, but the 13m record signing somehow fired wide from just eight yards.

Gyans Ghana team-mate Kingson and Evatt combined to foil the striker again when he latched on to Lee Cattermoles long ball but after being forced wide, could only find the side-netting.

Sunderland had 32 shots in all, 16 on target, but Blackpool werent just restricted to those Campbell efforts.

Campbell might have broken the deadlock in the 38th minute, but shot inches wide while Craig Cathcart headed a Ludo Sylvestre corner wide when he should have scored. The 42,892 crowd, Sunderlands biggest of the season, had come to see the team reclaim their top six place.

! Instead, they saw the ultimate party-poopers throw a festive bash all of their own.

I dont think I have ever had a day like that, even when I was at school, said Bruce, who is likely to be without Gyan, Welbeck and Nedum Onuoha against Blackburn on Saturday.

I cant recall a game when a side has created so many chances. We absolutely hammered them and lost 2-0.

Well just have to lick our wounds and get on with it.


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