Blackpool 2-1 Lincoln City: League One play-off final – as it happened

12.05pm EDT 12:05

Ben Fisher’s match report has landed, so it’s time to wrap up the blog. Thanks for your company and emails. Commiserations to Lincoln and huge congratulations to all who love Blackpool FC. The rebirth is complete!

Kenny Dougall double against Lincoln sends Blackpool back to Championship

12.04pm EDT 12:04

Blackpool’s players walk up to receive their medals, most of them sporting big dumb grins. The captain Chris Maxwell is last – he walks theatrically towards the play-off trophy and then lifts it as high as possible: BLACKPOOL ARE BACK IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!

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The Blackpool fans are going berserk. Michael Appleton warmly congratulates Neil Critchley, who has done a glorious job since joining from Liverpool. Blackpool thoroughly deserved their victory. They got off to a shambolic start when Ollie Turton scored an own goal after 47 seconds. It took them 10 minutes to clear their heads, but from that moment on they played with calm certainty. Kenny Dougall scored two superb goals and Jerry Yates had a magnificent game up front. Lincoln didn’t have a shot on target, which is an odd thing to say in a match that finished 2-1; it also reflects Blackpool’s defensive excellence.

Updated at 12.07pm EDT

11.53am EDT 11:53

Full time: Blackpool 2-1 Lincoln City

Blackpool return to the Championship for the first time since 2015! The primal roar at the final whistle is euphoric confirmation of the club’s rebirth under the owner Simon Sadler and the manager Neil Critchley. The unlikely hero was the Australian midfielder Kenny Dougall, who rifled two superb goals, one with each foot, from just outside the area.

It’s all over and Blackpool celebrate promotion. Photograph: Kieran McManus/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 12.07pm EDT

11.51am EDT 11:51

90+3 min: Great chance for Lincoln! Scully’s free-kick is blocked at the near post and cleared. Bridcutt launches it back towards the edge of the area, where a defensive header falls nicely for Poole. He controls the ball smartly but then sweeps a shot over the bar from 18 yards. That was a big chance.

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90+2 min The corner is cleared but then Dougall fouls McGrandles 30 yards from goal on the right. He is booked. Palmer stays forward for the free-kick.

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89 min Blackpool make the opposite change: the centre-back Jordan Thorniley replaces the outstanding Jerry Yates.

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88 min Lincoln bring on the centre-back Lewis Montsma to play up front. Joe Walsh goes off.

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88 min Scully finds Rogers in a bit of space 25 yards from goal. He turns and whips a curling shot towards the far corner, but it’s well off target.

Updated at 11.45am EDT

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87 min 49 games, 735 hours apiece: the whole season comes down to the next few minutes.

Updated at 11.44am EDT

11.43am EDT 11:43

86 min Scully’s teasing cross hits a Blackpool defender on or near the arm at the far post. The ball bounces up and is punched away desperately by Maxwell, with the ball ricocheting to safety.

11.42am EDT 11:42

85 min Johnson teases a slow cross towards Morton, who gets between Turton and Ballard but heads over from six yards. It wasn’t the easiest chance – slightly too high, no pace on the ball – but it was the best opportunity Lincoln have had for a while.

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84 min Husband is booked for pulling back Morton near the halfway line.

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81 min Lincoln haven’t had a shot on target in the entire match.

Updated at 11.41am EDT

11.38am EDT 11:38

80 min A half chance for Morton, who miscontrols Bridcutt’s long pass on the edge of the area. It wasn’t the easiest ball to take, especially as he was under pressure from Ballard, but had he done so he would have been through on goal.

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79 min There’s a break in play while Ballard receives treatment for cramp. Blackpool make a couple of substitutions: the fit again CJ Hamilton replaces Embleton, and Grant Ward comes on for the limping Keshi Anderson.

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78 min The last man Bridcutt, on a yellow card, makes a terrific sliding challenge on Anderson.

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76 min In an identical position at the other end, Bridcutt is penalised for shoving Madine this far outside the area. I’m not sure it was a foul, in truth. Garbutt hangs the free-kick up towards Madine, who loops a header onto the roof of the net.

11.33am EDT 11:33

75 min Replays show that Garbutt didn’t get the ball when he tackled Johnson in the 67th minute. I think the contact was just outside ethe area, though it was extremely close.

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75 min Good pressure from Lincoln, with the teenager Morgan Rogers starting to look dangerous on the left wing. He wins a corner and then a couple of throw-ins near the corner flag.

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72 min: Poole clears off the line! Dougall, surrounded by Lincoln players, stabbed a short pass towards Madine just inside the penalty area. He let it run cleverly to Yates, who dinked the ball over the outrushing Palmer. I think it was going wide, but Poole made sure by booting it clear.

11.27am EDT 11:27

70 min “Could Dougall score Blackpool’s first Wembley hat-trick since that long-forgotten game in 1953?” says Lino Ruocco. “I jest of course, but also, has any team recovered so many times from being a goal down in the playoffs as Blackpool? Win or lose, they always show resilience, regardless of the era.”

Even when the personnel are completely different, that kind of resilience has a happy habit of perpetuating itself.

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69 min A change for Blackpool: Gary Madine replaces Demetri Mitchell, which suggests a switch to 4-4-2.

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67 min Garbutt slides in on Johnson to concede another corner. Brennan Johnson has been Lincoln’s best attacker by a mile. Grant’s corner is headed away at the near post.

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67 min Yates waits for Garbutt to run round the outside and finds him with a lovely pass. Garbutt tries to dance past Eyoma on the byline but runs the ball out of play.

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65 min This is a good spell for Lincoln, their best since the first 10 minutes. Bridcutt is booked for taking out Anderson, and then berates the referee for not giving Lincoln a free-kick moments earlier for a challenge on Johnson.

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64 min If it stays like this Kenny Dougall will take the headlines, and quite right too, but Jerry Yates has had an outstanding game up front for Blackpool. His pressing led to the first goal, and his unselfishness and precision were a key part of the second.

Jerry Yates of Blackpool. Photograph: Joe Toth/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 11.42am EDT

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63 min Lincoln make their first change: Callum Morton is on for Tom Hopper.

Updated at 11.20am EDT

11.19am EDT 11:19

61 min Lincoln have gone up a couple of gears since going behind. Johnson twists Garbutt one way and then the other in the area before his cross his cleared. He had a great chance to shoot when he first received the ball from Bridcutt, but instead decided to take Garbutt on.

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59 min This game has demonstrated the potential perils of scoring too early. Johnson tries to Lincoln going again with a surging run that forces Ballard to concede a corner. Moments later he goes down in the area after a slight shove from Husband. There wasn’t enough force for a penalty.

Updated at 11.17am EDT

11.14am EDT 11:14

57 min I think I’m right in saying that, before today, Kenny Dougall had scored two goals in his three seasons in English football. Both his goals were beautifully struck, one with each foot.

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Mitchell’s cross from the right took a slight deflection and ran through to Yates, 12 yards out with his back to goal. He thought about a shot, realised it wasn’t on and played a slow, inviting pass to Dougall on the edge of the D. This time he went with his right foot, drilling a daisy-cutter into the bottom-left corner. That was so sweetly struck.

Updated at 11.15am EDT

11.10am EDT 11:10

GOAL! Blackpool 2-1 Lincoln (Dougall 54)

Kenny Dougall scores another superb goal!

Goal for Blackpool! Photograph: Jed Leicester/BPI/REX/Shutterstock Dougall has a go.. Photograph: kevin Warburton – A Moment in Sport/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 11.31am EDT

11.08am EDT 11:08

50 min Embleton plays a slick one-two with Turton and wins a corner. It’s curled under the bar and punched away a little desperately by Palmer. Moments later, Stewart cracks a bouncing ball over the bar from distance.

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47 min The goalscorer Dougall slides a through ball towards Yates, but Walsh comes across to intercept.

10.49am EDT 10:49

Half time: Blackpool 1-1 Lincoln

Peep peep! It’s level at Wembley after a fascinating first half. Lincoln went ahead after 47 seconds through an own goal from Ollie Turton, but they became passive thereafter and allowed Blackpool into the game. They accepted the invitation with a fine equaliser from Kenny Dougall, though there was an unpunished handball by Elliot Embleton in the build up.

Jorge Grant, who was at fault for the Blackpool goal, had earlier hit the crossbar with a fine effort. At the other end Blackpool had a number of shots on target, though all bar Dougall’s were straight at the keeper Palmer.

It’s all-square at Wembley. Photograph: Jed Leicester/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 10.57am EDT

10.45am EDT 10:45

45 min Blackpool continue to press for a second goal. Neil Critchley will be thrilled with their calm, authoritative response to that abysmal start.

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41 min Lincoln may need another half-time brollocking from Michael Appleton. They are hanging on a little bit now, and Palmer has to make another save when Mitchell meets Garbutt’s cross with a decent header.

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40 min Embleton, who is looking increasingly dangerous, shoots straight at Palmer from 22 yards.

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39 min Palmer will be annoyed that he was beaten at his near post, but it was a very clean strike from Dougall with his left foot. I think Palmer saw it late as well. He did get a hand on it but couldn’t keep it out.

Updated at 10.39am EDT

10.37am EDT 10:37

37 min A Lincoln free-kick is half cleared to Edun, who sprays over from 25 yards.

Updated at 10.37am EDT

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36 min Lincoln had been asking for trouble, playing too passively after the first 10 minutes. I suppose it’s human nature to do that when you go ahead so early in such a vital game, but it’s not always the best policy.

10.36am EDT 10:36

35 min There’s no VAR in the play-offs. I think the goal would have been disallowed if VAR was in use, though it’s not certain. You could argue there was enough time between the accidental handball and Dougall’s goal to invalidate the offence.

10.35am EDT 10:35

Yates stole the ball off Grant in the centre circle, moved forward and found Embleton on the edge of the area. He ran into trouble and lost the ball, but then Walsh’s clearance hit him on the hand and dropped at his feet, 20 yards from goal. He squared it to Dougall, who whistled a superb low past Palmer at the near post.

Updated at 10.38am EDT

10.33am EDT 10:33

GOAL! Blackpool 1-1 Lincoln (Dougall 34)

Kenny Dougall equalises for Blackpool – and Lincoln are furious!

Should it have been disallowed? Photograph: James Marsh/BPI/REX/Shutterstock Blackpool equalise! Photograph: Kieran McManus/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 10.56am EDT

10.33am EDT 10:33

32 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Lee Smith. “Perhaps a confirmed Lancastrian such as Phil Sawyer (5th minute) should remain focused on the Roses drubbing currently being handed out to the White Rose fraternity. Either that or enjoy Brennan Johnson before he heads back to Nottingham!”

Nottingham via Azerbaijan and Italy, I hope.

10.31am EDT 10:31

31 min Brennan Johnson, who has been quiet since that flying start, has started to see more of the ball in the last few minutes. I can’t wait to see him in the Championship with Forest next season.