The 2012–13 season was Blackpool F.C.s second-consecutive season in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English professional football, and their 104th overall season in the Football League. They finished in 15th position. Tom Ince was the club's top scorer, with eighteen goals in all competitions. Ian Holloway, in his fourth season, was manager until 3 November. He left to join Crystal Palace, at which point his assistant, Steve Thompson, took over in a caretaker capacity. On 7 November, after a second game in charge for Thompson, Blackpool appointed Michael Appleton in the role in a permanent capacity, on a one-year rolling contract. He became Blackpool's thirtieth full-time manager. Appleton, in turn, left the club for Blackburn Rovers on 11 January. Steve Thompson again took over as caretaker. One month and one week later, Paul Ince was appointed manager, again on a rolling contract. Season summary Pre-season Over the summer, the club released five players: forwards Lomana LuaLua, Daniel Bogdanović, Roman Bednář and Brett Ormerod, and defender Matt Hill. In addition, four loan players returned to their parent clubs: defender Danny Wilson, midfielder John Fleck, and forwards Nouha Dicko and Stephen Dobbie. Elliot Grandin, however, returned from an extended loan to Nice in his native France. Blackpool made right-back Jake Caprice their first signing on 9 July. He arrived on a free transfer from Crystal Palace. On 20 July, midfielder Isaiah Osbourne joined from Hibernian for a fee of £250,000. Five days later, Portuguese midfielder Tiago Gomes was signed on a free transfer. The following day, midfielder Keith Southern, the club's longest-serving current player, was sold to Huddersfield Town for £300,000, reuniting with his former manager at Blackpool, Simon Grayson. A testimonial match in honour of Southern's ten years of service to the Tangerines took place on 5 August. Everton were the visitors to Bloomfield Road, and Southern played the first fifteen minutes and the last fifteen minutes of the tie. The hosts won 2–0. On 27 July, Ian Holloway made his fourth signing in Dundee United's 27-year-old Scotland international midfielder Scott Robertson. He arrived on a free transfer, and became the eighth Scot in the Blackpool squad. As of 28 July, Ian Holloway had a first-team squad of 34 at his disposal. This included the four former Youth players who were handed professional contracts. They were forward Alex Addai, defender Matt Challoner, and midfielders Jamie Menagh and Curtis