Stephen Dobbie: Play-off Final Extroadinaire

Stephen Dobbie will be looking to make history by becoming the first player to be part of the Championship play-off winning team for three consecutive seasons with a win against West Ham on Saturday. But how could this now seasoned play-off player give Blackpool the advantage? It was only three seasons ago that the player was introduced into English football, mainly playing his trade in the Scottish Leagues. He was a product of the Rangers youth academy in the early 2000's where he failed to make an impact and offered his services to Hibernian and St Johnstone amongst other SPL clubs before finding his feet in the Scottish First Divsion with Queen of the South. After an extremely successful season with Queen of the South in 2008/09, scoring 23 goals in 32 league games, the Scottish forward was poached by then Swansea manager Roberto Martinez. However after Martinez himself was poached by Wigan Athletic after the departure of Steve Bruce shortly after, Dobbie experienced a less than productive relationship with replacement manager Paulo Sousa. Despite scoring three goals in two games in the League Cup, league appearances were far and few between for Dobbie which resulted in the Scot joining Blackpool on loan at the end of the January transfer window. The decision was met with indifference by the Swansea fans who felt that the goalscoring threat that Dobbie provided was exactly what the Swans needed. Their suspicions were proved correct. Dobbie went on to score on his debut for the Seasiders, assisting them to reach the final playoff spot in the expense of his parent club. Incidentally, Swansea also ended the season with the lowest goals scored record in the league. The forward helped dispatch Nottingham Forest in the semi final, scoring in the away leg, and played a major part in providing Blackpool with victory in the final over Cardiff to give them their debut season in the Premier League. It would be the first of potentially many play-off winner medals for the player. Blackpool boss Ian Holloway was desperate to regain the services of Dobbie but with Swansea under yet another new regime fronted by current manager Brendan Rodgers, he was given another chance to shine in South Wales - and it didn't take long. Scoring in the first home game of the season in a 4-0 romp of Preston North End, Swans fans were over the moon to see what their team so awfully lacked in the previous season - goals. With Rodgers fine tuning his tactics and formations to suit each player, the Northern Irishman converted him into an attacking midfielder. With Dobbie's ferocious long range shots and keen eye for goal, he was the perfect fit to play just behind the striker and made the role his own. Fast forward to the end of the regular season and Stephen yet again found himself in the play-off picture, but this time for his parent club. After being part of a team that disposed of Nottingham Forest in the semi-finals yet again, the familiar vista of the Wembley arches neared. Dobbie got his name on the scoresheet in the 4-2 victory against Reading, scoring from an incisive breakaway that put Swansea two-nil to the good and well on their way to the top flight. That was medal number two. The Swans made a stuttery start to Premier League life and Dobbie's chances of a first-team berth slowly took a hit. The Scotsman appeared lacklustre and failed to meet the pace of his opposition but still maintained his dogged attitude. As a result of this, a string of injuries and the arrival of Gylfi Sigurdsson to the Liberty Stadium, Dobbie once again found himself on the outskirts of the first team. Queue one Ian Holloway to become Dobbie's saviour once again. A loan deal was agreed between Swansea and Blackpool near the end of March and like his previous tenure at Blackpool, he started with a bang. Two vital goals against then league leaders Southampton in a 3-0 victory at Bloomfield Road plus two goals to put aside Watford in a 2-0 victory at Vicarage Road had firmly established his place in the Seasiders line up. His contributions did not go amiss. Blackpool found themselves comfortably in the play-off positions and that man Dobbie was amongst the goals yet again, setting them on their way to a 3-2 aggregate win over Birmingham in the semi-finals. That victory brought Blackpool one win away from regaining their Premier League status at the first time of asking. Whilst West Ham are being touted as the early favourites for the fixture, the crux of the Blackpool squad has been there before and know the pressures. If players like Matt Gilks, Ian Evatt, Keith Southern and Gary Taylor Fletcher don't give the Tangerines the play-off experience they need then Stephen Dobbie will certainly provide it. The arches of Wembley and the pressure of "football's most valuable fixture" is almost becoming routine for Blackpool's on loan number 7 and it could well be third time lucky for him this weekend.