Blackpool came to the Dell in November 1977 for what was a promotion clash, but the end of the season would have different endings.
When Blackpool arrived at the Dell on November 12th 1977, both sides had their sights set on promotion to the top flight, indeed the Tangerines sat 3rd with 18 points from 14 games, whilst Saints had faltered a little and had dropped to 6th although they were only a point behind.
The week before peter osgood had played his last game for the Club in a 2-1 defeat at Blackburn, sent off for head butting John Bailey who would remain public enemy number 1 for the rest of his career despite there being only a few hundred Saints fans who witnessed it.
The week had started with an air of uncertainty with Lawrie McMenemy being granted permission to be interviewed by the FA for the vacant England managers job and as it was out with the old and the departure of Ossie, it was in with the new as local lad Graham Baker made his debut for the club, with Steve Neville making his full debut some 18 months after his first appearance as a sub.
But it was Baker who would steal the headlines on that evenings Match of the day, as with the cameras present for the obligatory lower league game of the day, the Merry Oak las volleyed home on 53 seconds to recrd the quickest ever goal by a football leage debutant., on 53 minutes the game was safe when Neville saw his cross handled and Davis Peach continued his 100% record from the spot to make it 2-0 much to the delight of all but a hundred or so of the 18,356 in the Dell that day.
Saints jumped above Blackpool into fourth and they were starting a run that would see them lose only once in the next three months on the way to the runners up spot and a return to the top flight they had vacated four years earlier.
Strangely Blackpool who had there or thereabouts for promotion for the previous three seasons, missing out by only one point in 76/77 in fact, went into freefall and a freak combination of results in the final weeks of the season some after the final Saturday, saw them relegated to the third tier.
Blackpool fans never travelled in numbers to the Dell in the four league meetings in the mid 70's, for this game there were barely any Blackpool colours to be seen, in fact just about the only time I can remember them bringing any supporters was in the FA Cup game of 75/76 when they had about 500 in the Archers Road, their home gates werent much better, three weeks after this home game we travelled to Bloomfield Road for the return leg, in fairness with it being a bitter Deecmeber day the week before Xmas the travelling Saints fans werent much above 500, but the home crowd that day was only 8,640, terrible for a promotion chasing side and third worst attendance Saints played in front of that season, only the 6, 453 at Oldham and 7,299 at Hull who in fairness were virtually relegated themselves, being less, even the trip to Mansfield saw a bigger crowd than at Blackpool.