Blackpool of England youngster, Marvin Ekpiteta was benched by his club for their decisive match in the English League One promotion play-offs, but would take delight in seeing his side eke out victory against Lincoln City, who had Tayo Edun in action.
While Ekpiteta was on the inning side’s bench for all 90 minutes, starring alonside Timothy Eyoma, Edun had full duration action with Lincoln, but his efforts could not save his tem from crumbling in defeat, as Blackpool romped back to eke out a stunning 2-1 win at Wembley Stadium.
Megasportsarena.com reports that the victory takes Ekpiteta’s Blackpool back to the English Championship for the first time since 2015, though The Tangerines had fallen behind to the fastest goal in third-tier play-off final history.
It was early celebration for Edun’s side, as Ollie Turton’s own goal found the back of the net after just 48 seconds, but Ekpiteta’s team rallied to turn the game round as Kenny Dougall struck either side of half-time.
It is the latest landmark moment in the rejuvenation of Blackpool – a club that had fallen from the Premier League in 2011 to League Two within five years due to off-the-pitch turmoil. It was also their sixth play-off final win, more than any other side.
It is also Blackpool’s 14th victory in their last 18 play-off games at any level of English football but, for Edun’s Lincoln, it becomes a third play-off final defeat from as many attempts in their history.
It is also a major personal career setback for the youngster, who was born in Islington, London on May 14, 1998 and is officially registered as Adetayo Oluwatosin Olusegun Adio Aduramigba Iretioluwa Edun.
The attacker, who attended Enfield Grammar School, made his professional debut on August 9, 2016 in a League Cup match against Leyton Orient.
After leaving Fulham, Edun signed a two-and-half-year contract with Lincoln in the English League One club on January 10, 2020 and scored his first goal for the club against Liverpool in the third round of the EFL Cup on September 24, 2020.
The youngster, who is of St Vincent and Nigeria descent, has represented England at under-17, -18, -19 and -20 levels, after he was first selected for the UEFA European U-17 Championship and FIFA U-17 World Cup both in 2015.
Edun was also in England’s squad for the 2017 UEFA European U-19 Championship, but was sent off in the final after receiving two yellow cards, following which his side held on to defeat Portugal and he was subsequently included in the all-stars team of the tournament.
On the other hand, celebrations continue for Blackpool and their Nigerian-born lad, who is officially registered as Marvin Akpereogene Paul Edem Ekpiteta, born August 26, 1995 and began his senior career at Chelmsford City.
That followed a spell in the youth set-up at Oxford United and he signed dual-registration forms with Witham Town in January 2015, following which he went on to make 58 lower division league appearances for Chelmsford and scored three times.
Ekpiteta, who made his Football League debut on August 3, 2019 in a 1-0 win over Cheltenham Town, signed a two-year contract with Blackpool on July 8, 2020 and scored his first goal for the former English Premier League side in a 5-0 win over Wigan Athletic on January 27, 2021.
Although Ekpiteta was called up for Nigeria’s under-20 squad, Flying Eagles, and made two appearances for the team in 2013, he made his debut for England’s ‘C’ selection in a 1–0 victory against Estonia’s under-23 side on October 10, 2018.
