Tangerine dream lives on

Ormerod's strike in Cardiff sent Blackpool up

BBC Sport producer and avid Blackpool fan Roy Calley looks forward to the Tangerines' return to Cardiff for the final of the LDV Vans Trophy.

Let me first make a confession.

Before this season, I willingly ignored the existence of a tournament that seemed to have less importance than the annual Manchester and District Ladies' Conker Championships.

It just wasn't important, although that view was helped somewhat by Blackpool's insistence on departing at the first-round stage (or even the preliminary round a few years ago).

Steve McMahon has become a legend around the town after leading us to promotion in Cardiff last season

What was important to me was Blackpool's constant underachievement and the rather worrying success taking place at the "Theatre of Nightmares" - Deepdale, home of Preston, to the rest of you.

To prove how suddenly this trophy has rocketed into the consciousness of the average Blackpool fan, let me tell you that I did actually call a friend of mine after the second round game at Mansfield from Universal Studios in Florida.

Now that is commitment... and we'd won 4-0!

The final in Cardiff shows us that the mighty Pool have risen from the ashes of despair and depression evident around the old crumbling Bloomfield Road just over a year ago.

Last season we witnessed three desperately low points.

First we dropped to 23rd in the bottom division, with only Halifax's inferior goal difference separating us from the position lovingly held on a regular basis by the likes of Carlisle United.

That was followed by a 7-0 thrashing at Barnet, a result that reduced manager Steve McMahon to tears (and a few fans too).

Bloomfield Road is being transformed into an 18,000 all-seater stadium

Amazing that not long afterwards we were promoted and the Bees went down to the Conference!

The final low point was crashing out of the FA Cup at home to non-league opposition in front of the TV cameras.

The only saving grace there was that it wasn't on the BBC, so nobody saw it!

One year on, though, and life is so much better.

McMahon has become a legend around the town after leading us to promotion in Cardiff last season via the play-offs.

Nearly 18,000 tangerine-clad fans lost their minds in the frenzy of excitement as Brett Ormerod scored our fourth in a 4-2 win over Leyton Orient.

Colourful occasion

Bloomfield Road is in the process of being transformed into an 18,000 all-seater stadium.

Two stands are open and we can now feel proud of the ground as opposed to embarrassed when people used to ask if it still looked the same as the days when Matthews and Mortenson would terrorise any defence daft enough to take them on.

It didn't just look the same...it was the same!

There used to be an advert for a local tea company on the top of one of the old defunct stands up until two years ago.

I was reliably informed that the said company went out of business in 1961.

So Cardiff here we come for the second time in a year.

Not sure whether this will be quite as exciting as last time around, but with the tangerine of the mighty Pool and the yellow of Cambridge it should make for a colourful occasion.

May the best team win - or if not the best team, the ones wearing Tangerine at least.