Now That's What I Call Progress - Issue 3

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A NEW BLACKPOOL FC FANZINE FOR A NEW ERA Issue 3 • DECEMBER 2019 / JANUARY 2020 • £2 Inside this Issue… TANGERINE AND TARTAN JEWEL OF THE NORTH · YOU THINK THIS IS COLD?

CONTENTS 04-05 06 07 08 09 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

EDITORIAL

DOWN MEMORY LANE

DOWN MEMORY LANE & LEGO BLOOMFIELD ROAD

HOW WILL IT ALL COME CRASHING DOWN THIS TIME?

PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES

TANGERINE & TARTAN

BLOOMFIELD ROAD PHOTOS

THE EGG-CHASING WORLD CUP

MEMORABILIA

THE FA CUP TIE WHICH TOOK 60 DAYS TO COMPLETE

BLACKPOOL SUPPORTERS TRUST

MEMORABILIA FAIR

JEWEL OF THE NORTH

JEWEL OF THE NORTH & LEGO BLOOMFIELD ROAD

SEASIDERS QUIZ

FANS IN FOCUS

TINY TANGERINES

A SPECIAL SEASON TICKET

INTERNATIONAL WALKING FOOTBALL

MY BLACKPOOL SHED

TH’OWD FELLAH

DOST THA LIVE IN YARKSHIRE, CAN THA HELP US TURN T’WHITE ROSE TANGERINE? You’re exiled, but don’t be alone, come join like minded Seasiders from all parts of Yorkshire.

JOIN YORKSHIRE SEASIDERS BY RINGING PHIL ON: 07779 349387 NOW.

find us on FACEBOOK @ YORKSHIRE SEASIDERS

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EDITORIAL by Jane Stuart So, what’s in a fanzine? This is a medium for the fans to share their stories, photos, memories, art and creativity with fellow Seasiders. I have been blown away by the amazing content that the fanzine has drawn so far this season. We have had memories of seasons gone by, some fascinating memorabilia (more of which you can find inside this issue), cartoons, poetry and stories from the current world of football, both at home, nationally and internationally.

Issue 3 includes more of your photographs, including a look back at Bloomfield Road predevelopment, which will evoke some happy memories of years gone by. There’s a quiz on page 24 (no cheating!) - and details of a new, limited edition Blackpool FC book on page 9. SLO Steve Rowland shares with us a beautiful poem about our beloved town on pages 22 & 23. And how did an English Seasider come to follow Scotland home and away?

And how does he fit this in around Blackpool matches? Find out on pages 10 & 11. We feature our friends at Brickstand on pages 7 & 23, sharing with you their Lego models of Bloomfield Road (pre- and post-redevelopment).

Do you think it’s been cold at Bloomfield Road in recent weeks? Peter Duerden (pp.

18-19) tells the fascinating story of the winter that was so cold that Blackpool didn’t play a match for three months - and the FA Cup descended into disarray.

Football memorabilia is a huge and fascinating market that I find myself being drawn into.

I have never considered myself a collector - and yet I am still in possession of every programme, match ticket, shirt and fanzine I have ever acquired. I recently purchased a full back catalogue of Blackpool fanzines VFTT and AVFTT from a collector and hope to draw on them for inspiration for future issues. However I have been fortunate enough to have received such a great deal of quality content for the first three issues that I have hardly had room to include any of my own work! Please do keep your content coming: it’s hugely appreciated.

As well as editing ‘Now That’s What I Call Progress’, I also write a regular blog, which you can find at www.janestuart.co.uk, covering all of Blackpool’s matches (home and away) as well as reviewing local hostelries, eateries and events. The blog was born during my time as Match Secretary at Chasetown and has continued, now charting my adventures on my travels watching Blackpool all over the country (and internationally, with one of my trips to Latvia covered in ‘To Riga With Love’). Do drop in and subscribe to my blog so you can receive each new post via email as soon as it is published. The content is free, although you can provide a donation if you wish to.

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EDITORIAL by Jane Stuart

The full matchday experience can also be seen on Lee Charles TV on YouTube, where every match (home and away) is summarised in a video. Lee started providing Blackpool video content ahead of the homecoming in March, when he recorded the cleaning of the seats ahead of the Southend match.

The channel has since grown into a superb medium of Blackpool content. If you are unable to get to a match and want to know what it was like to be there, you can tune in to Lee Charles TV and we will transport you there. What made the fanzone at Accrington such a fantastic experience? What was so magical about the fan experience at Doncaster? And what were the pies like at Gillingham? Watch the vlogs and read the blogs and you’ll find out! The videos are also free to watch and you can subscribe and receive a notification every time a new video is published.

This level of fan content has never been seen before at Blackpool and we hope you enjoy our work as much as we enjoy creating it for you.

Do you own a business that you would like to promote to fellow Seasiders? If so then please do get in touch at jane@janestuart.co.uk. This season is only the start of what we plan to produce for the Blackpool fans and we have some fantastic opportunities available for sponsors during the months ahead and going into next season.

Is there anything you would like to see more (or less) of in this fanzine? Please do let us know so we can work on providing this for you. Or, better still, write in yourself with content for Issue 4!

If you enjoy this fanzine, please do recommend it to your friends. You could even buy them a subscription for Christmas! It’s great to hear that so many of you pass on the fanzine for your friends and family to read - but why not treat them to a copy of their own?

For details of how to subscribe to ‘Now That’s What I Call Progress’ please email jane@janestuart.co.uk for hard copies or go to www.issuu.com/blackpooljane for the online version.

You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @progress1887.

Please do keep your amazing content coming. We have been receiving some brilliant feedback from readers and would like to continue to provide a top quality fanzine for your enjoyment. We need YOUR stories. Please email jane@janestuart.co.uk with anything you would like to share with your fellow Seasiders. The deadline for articles and adverts for Issue 4 will be 26th January 2020.

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DOWN MEMORY LANE Blackpool v Chelsea - October 29th 1932 FOUR CLEAR GOALS WIN in the Rain, Mud & Cold.

Blackpool’s best of the season - a 4-0 win over Chelsea at Bloomfield Road - had a remarkable end.

Blackpool: McDonough, Wassell, Everest, Watson (A), Watson (P), Rattray, Wilkinson, Butterworth, Hampson, McLelland, Smalley.

Five Chelsea players went off the field due to hypothermia, one before the interval, but Blackpool held a three goals lead before the Pensioners’ ranks were depleted. Hampson scored a “hat-trick” after Wilkinson had given Blackpool the lead.

The score should have been heavier, but the sodden and heavy ground (which was covered with pools of water), the intense cold and continuous rain spoiled the match. Blackpool stood the endurance test better and revealed great stamina.

Only 6,900 watched the game and braved the elements, and as a fixture of this kind is usually watched by 18,000 to 20,000, the financial loss can be imagined. The game was at times farcical, and is best described as under:

In London town there’s a soccer team, Which cost many thousand pounds, A costly side from Stamford Bridge Which hates the sodden grounds.

Besides the sea, and in the mud, They struggled, lost and squirmed, They even failed to score a goal, But Blackpool’s four were earned.

Hampson three and “Wilkie” one, They caused the Southern rout, And in the rain and bitter cold A finish was held in doubt.

Long before the whistle’s sound To call the big retreat, The Pensioners began their march, Inevitable defeat.

Five in all walked from the field, And Chelsea fought with six, Players tired, cold and puzzled By the Blackpool forwards’ tricks.

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DOWN MEMORY LANE To a man Blackpool were the better team. Their methods were better suited to the conditions; their condition was better suited to the test of endurance, and their markmanship more effective. Rattray at outside left had a satisfactory First Division debut.

Result : Blackpool 4 - 0 Chelsea (Blackpool scorers Hampson 3 & Wilkinson) -oOo“Blackpool Faced It Better” FOOTBALL OFFICIALS HAVE SEEN WORSE CONDITIONS. Have conditions been worse than those at Bloomfield Road, on Saturday, for the Chelsea game?

Two Blackpool officials, Mr. T. A. Barcroft, the club’s honorary secretary, and Mr. E. Crabtree, the club’s assistant secretary, both declare they have seen football on worse grounds.

“What of the Sunderland match, last year but one!” asked Mr Crabtree. “I think the position is summed up in a few words: “Blackpool endured the conditions better than Chelsea.”

Mr. Barcroft says that while the conditions on Saturday were bad he has seen them much worse.

(Credit: Evening Gazette)

LEGO BRICK BLOOMFIELD ROAD COURTESY OF WWW.BRICKSTAND.COM

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HOW WILL IT ALL COME CRASHING DOWN THIS TIME? by Anthony Lord I’ve enjoyed our return to Bloomfield Road and the chance to get excited again about the prospects of the play-offs - but I’m sure I’m not alone in taking a sneaky peak at what is happening at the top end of the Championship too. Currently, our local rivals from the other end of the M55, one of only four Lancashire teams never to have played in the Prem, are battling it out for a place in the Promised Land. Again.

Now we all know what the ultimate result is going to be; it has happened so many times before. But through what ridiculous method with Preston throw it all away this time? Here’s some possibilities.

Scenario One: The Manager Leaves Alex Neil receives an offer from another team with more passionate fans and loftier ambitions and moves on. Think Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest or Accrington. He goes, the team loses shape and motivation. The usual malaise starts and the fans turn on the team. PNE finish fifteenth with only the consolation prize of finishing higher than Blackburn and Wigan because one is skint and the other’s a rugby team.

Scenario Two: A Final Day Meltdown With Brentford, Forest and Derby to play in the closing weeks, PNE’s run-in looks more tricky than impossible, but the final day’s fixture is a lip-smacking trip to Bristol City. What if North End need something to scramble into the play-offs away at a revitalised club with a packed stadium and, hopefully, their own play-off ambitions to maintain? And all that will remain will be a cider-sodden return up the M5/M6 and tales of what could have been. We’ve seen it before. ‘Hi, is that Bet365?

What odds on Preston finishing seventh, please?’

Scenario Three: A Two-Leg Tumble OK, let’s make it tastier. Let’s say PNE do scramble through, in a Blackpool-esque final day frenzy and face a promotion rival in the two-legged play-off semi-finals (most consecutive hyphenated words ever used, I thank you.) Who will they play against? I think we’d all choose Leeds. Mainly because they’d use last year’s heartbreak as motivation to batter North End, secondly because they’d have more fans at BOTH games and, finally, because they’d then lose in the final which would be win-win for most Pool fans. Sad Preston 0 – Dirty Leeds 3.

Scenario Four: Wembley Heartbreak Of course, the ultimate rollercoaster for a Pool fan would be that North End make it to Wembley and then blow it. We’d be initially horrified that they were finally going to do it, but then we’d consult Wikipedia and take solace in the events of 2001. And 2005. And 2006. And 2009. Because it is written in the Laws of the Game: Preston must NEVER play in the Premier League. I foresee a tight affair against Derby County which Preston are just edging 1-0 as the clock ticks into injury time. And then, at a stadium where he has scored so many wonderful goals in the past, playercoach Wayne Rooney whacks one in from thirty yards and scores another two in extra-time. Dream dead. Again.

Whichever scenario comes to pass, there is only ever one result. Ickle Old Preston are destined to stay in the lower leagues forever. Cut and paste that sentence until your keyboard breaks!

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PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES Gerry Wolstenholme has written a new Blackpool FC book. 'Phoenix From the Ashes' covers the rise of Blackpool Football Club 1887-1888. The book is quite timely with the rise of the club again and a good Christmas present.

The Signed Limited Edition of 100 Copies will be available from the publishers www.redrosecricketbooks.com - and Gerry will be signing copies in The Corner Flag before the home game against Fleetwood Town on 7th December.

Phoenix from the Ashes: The Rise and Rise of Blackpool Football Club 1887 - 1888

Gerry Wolstenholme

A cry for Victorian Blackpool Football Club’s supporters was always ‘Play Up Blackpool’ but that cry died on their lips after one game of the 1886/87 season. Unfortunately the club folded after that game and left bitter rivals South Shore FC as the senior club on the Fylde Coast. This was a bitter pill to swallow for the diehard Blackpool Football Club supporters and as the season progressed their resentment at the death of their beloved club festered. As a consequence, once the season was over, moves were afoot to reform the town team. As many of the players had moved to the Blackpool St John’s club, it followed that the discussions to reform a town team would take place in the St John’s schoolroom. Unfortunately things did not go well for Blackpool Football Club supporters as the president of St John’s refused to have his club lose its denominational title. Blackpool supporters therefore moved to the adjacent Stanley Arms and resumed discussions without interference. As a result the 1887/88 season saw a newly formed Blackpool Football Club competing once again. And what sort of season was it? Phoenix from the Ashes answers that question!

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TANGERINE & TARTAN by icywaves International weekends can a bit of a problem for me these days in that I have the constant issue of trying to fit Blackpool fixtures in with watching international football. However surprise surprise - this doesn’t involve watching England, because my chosen international team is Scotland.

To give some background, I am a bit of a caledonophile and have always had a liking for the Scottish supporters and their resilience and never say die attitude, going back to the infamous match in 1961 when Scotland lost 9-3.

Anyway, in May 1973, the season had ended with the Seasiders faring reasonably well, finishing 7th in Division Two. I was sitting with a few others one Saturday lunchtime in the old original Supporters Club at a loose end and wondering what to do. It was at the time when the Home Internationals were played after the end of the season - and someone noticed that Scotland was playing Wales at Wrexham, which is obviously only a couple of hours drive away from Blackpool. So that was it - we jumped in the car and saw Scotland record a 2-0 win, with George Graham scoring both goals. We had a thoroughly good afternoon with the Scotland supporters - and that was me hooked and my love affair with the Scottish national team began in earnest.

During the remainder of the 70s and 80s, I watched Scotland in most of their Home Internationals as well as many home World Cup qualifiers, European qualifiers and friendlies but I never went to a tournament or a non-British away game. At that time, internationals that were played during the course of the regular season took place on Wednesday evenings, so it was very seldom that there was ever a clash with Blackpool games.

In September 1991, I was having a few days holiday in the French Alps and realised that Scotland were playing Switzerland in Berne in a qualifier for the 1992 European Championships. It was only a few hours’ drive away…so off I went and saw Scotland record a 2-2 draw after being 2-0 down. Ally McCoist and Gordon Durie scored the goals. Once again a brilliant time was had with the few hundred Scotland supporters and so Scotland away games became the next phase of my international football experience.

I then decided to go to my first tournament and so went to Euro 1992 in Sweden. I went by car and camped to keep costs down. Scotland played games in Gothenburg against Netherlands, losing 1-0 to a Dennis Bergkamp goal; and in Norkopping against Germany, losing 2-0 and CIS (a Russian derivative called the Commonwealth of Independent States), winning 3-0. Once again, the few thousand Scotland fans that went created a fantastic atmosphere - particularly in the sleepy city of Norkopping.

From this point onwards, I have been to virtually every Scotland game home and away and have only missed four games in the last 27 years. I have seen Scotland play in Japan twice, Hong Kong, Peru, Mexico, the USA three times, not to mention 46 European countries. Sadly this has only involved two other tournaments - in England in 1996 and in France in 1998.

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TANGERINE & TARTAN by icywaves I have had a thoroughly enjoyable experience throughout the years as the Scotland fans go everywhere with a friendly attitude and are out to have a good time (a bit like Blackpool supporters) and sink a few pints.

You may question how is it possible to be English and support Scotland. I can honestly say that this has never been a problem. In fact, over the years, I have met many other like-minded English people - not to mention Scotland supporters from numerous foreign climes. For instance there is a thriving German Tartan Army who are represented at most Scotland games. I have also come across Scotland supporters from Austria, Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Bosnia, the USA, Sweden, Canada, Russia and Italy.

There was very little interference with watching Blackpool games until Messrs Blatter/Platini introduced the idea of long international weekends: Thursday to Tuesday. Fortunately, between 2007 and 2015, Blackpool were either in the Championship or Premier League and as such didn’t play at the international breaks, so once again no clash. However, this is when my problems started - as whilst Blackpool have been in League One or League Two, Blackpool and Scotland games have coincided.

This brings us up to date and what has happened this year in the Euro 2020 qualifying in which Scotland have played five double header weekends. Firstly, at the end of March, Scotland had two away games: on a Thursday in Kazakhstan and on a Sunday in San Marino. Sandwiched between these games Blackpool played away to Bradford City on the Saturday and it was impossible to see all three games - unless of course I had my own private jet. This resulted in me missing the Blackpool 4-1 away win.

In June, Scotland played a home game against Cyprus followed by an away game in Belgium but this was after Blackpool’s season had finished, so no problems there.

In September, Scotland played two home games against Belgium and Russia on a Friday and a Monday, so a dash back from Glasgow after the Friday night match meant I was able to watch Blackpool play Coventry away at Birmingham on the Saturday.

In October, Scotland played on a Thursday away to Russia in Moscow so, after flying home on the Friday, I could see Blackpool play Rotherham at home on the Saturday and then head up to Glasgow on the Sunday for the home game against San Marino.

In November, Scotland played away to Cyprus on a Saturday, so that meant I missed the Blackpool home game against Wimbledon played at the same time; and then on the Tuesday Scotland played the final qualifying game of the group at home to Kazakhstan.

All in all not a bad year and only two Blackpool games missed in the process of seeing all ten Scotland games.

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BLOOMFIELD ROAD by Gary Fowler

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BLOOMFIELD ROAD by Gary Fowler

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THE EGG-CHASING WORLD CUP by Steve Fisher I grew up in a school where there was no football – only rugby. Maybe that footie depravation led me to become the obsessive type of footie fan that I have become? But as a result, alongside football, I do love a good game of rugby. If you haven’t seen that try from the Barbarians versus All Blacks match in 1973, then stop reading this nonsense and log onto YouTube NOW! From Phil Bennett’s staggering pick-up and side-steps near his own posts to the moment when Gareth Edwards dives in for the try…it’s just wonderful sporting theatre. You will thank me when you get back…

So as you can imagine, I was glued to the Rugby World Cup. I love the atmosphere, which is happy and non-provocative; I loved the New Zealand Haka (I always have to pause the game and find my wife Kathryn when they do that, as she does love a muscly aggressive man in shorts). The way the Japanese nation embraced the tournament and adopted their chosen teams, alongside the drums and fireworks; and the gentlemanly way the players conducted themselves. To see a 2-metre-tall, 110kg tower of muscle saying “yes sir” to the referee’s instructions is quite refreshing…

As in the football world cup in Russia, England competed brilliantly and lost narrowly to a very good side in the latter stages. Incidentally, I do actually think we have enough football talent coming through to challenge. Does anyone else think we’ve a realistic chance of 2020 Euro success?

Anyway, it’s an old adage that ‘rugby is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen, whereas football is a gentleman’s game played by hooligans’ but the whole experience did make me dwell on what football can learn from rugby. What are the things that annoy me (and perhaps others) in football particularly on TV - and what can we do about it?

Players spitting. In my book, spitting is disgusting, offensive and largely unnecessary. Why is this horrible practice so prevalent amongst footballers (every time a camera goes onto a player they seem to be coughing up a hairball)? Kids copy what they see on television so, whilst I don’t recall seeing many kids spitting during sport at my school, I can’t help imagining scores of young people hacking up a lung whenever they break into a trot these days. Can I hereby suggest a £500 fine for anyone seen spitting on TV, donated to charity? If officials can book people for taking their shirt off, surely penalising them for gobbing on the pitch can’t be wrong?

Crowd provocation after scoring. There is nothing more provocative to me than a player running towards the other team’s fans after scoring, with a hand behind their ear or a finger over their lips. I genuinely fear that, at some stage, a fan will leap over the hoardings and thump a player, then all hell will break loose. But football is an emotional game and baiting someone when they are already potentially angry and frustrated seems ridiculous to me. If you or I did that, we would be nicked and accused of behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace, so why are footballers any different?

Respect is a huge issue in the game, with the wonderful activities of the Kick it Out campaign working to address the scourge of racism, so let’s widen the debate and eliminate disrespect in all its forms - including from the players to the crowd.

Repeated substitutions near the end of the game. I really loathe teams making late changes, to break up the flow of a game. The players then slowly trail off to further take the sting out proceedings.

The new rule saying that players must leave the pitch by the nearest touchline may help (other than players knowing they are to be subbed and standing on the centre spot of course) but how about changing the rules completely, so players can only be substituted whilst the game is in play?

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THE EGG-CHASING WORLD CUP by Steve Fisher We have a fourth official, so surely they can make sure this is done correctly (they do little else for 80 out of the 90 minutes other than argue with angry managers, so why not give them something positive to do for a change?). Sides will then automatically go a player down for a few seconds - but there will be an incentive to do it quickly and the game will not be stopped.

Diving, simulation and arguing with the referee. Surely one of the worst things in football at the moment is the diving and simulation. I particularly despise the latest addition of a little scream of ‘pain’ as the players launch themselves in balletic motion through the air at the slightest touch, then get up and run off once the other player is booked or sent off. Can you imagine the scenes if rugby players did the same? The pitch would be knee-deep in people screaming and rolling about. I recall a player rolling around at Oldham one year and a voice from the stands shouting “it’s all right ref, he’s just digging for worms”. The rest of the team then confront the ref and try to influence them to ‘take action’. Why not have a new ‘dissent card’ where if a player argues with the ref, they are shown a card and have to spend five minutes off the field in a ‘sin bin’ - it would soon shut them up! (This is being trialled by the FA in non-league so watch this space - Ed).

On the subject of questioning referees, why do TV constantly pick over the bones of decisions on TV by slowing incidents down and overanalysing to determine exactly whether the decision was correct.

Referees see what happens at 1,000 miles an hour from pitch level with players trying to con them, so it’s hardly fair to imply they should have been able to see things in slow motion. Managers then appear saying “yes, I’ve seen the incident on the monitors”. Well why did you look? You can’t change it, so just say “I’m not interested in criticising the officials, so can we talk about something else?”

VAR Unfortunately, due to potential blood pressure issues, I have been advised by my doctor not to discuss VAR. I would only mention in passing that VAR was invented, as I understand it, to correct ‘clear and obvious errors’ by the referee - and that players that are level with the last defender are chuffing well onside! Since when did VAR become a way of penalising attacking teams and cancelling out goals?! Goals are the lifeblood of football and if you start trying to stop them happening then you are cutting your own… sorry…calm…breathe… move on…

Having to drink beer behind the stands. The most stupid rule ever is not to allow beer ‘in sight of the pitch’ but serve it behind the stands. As a result, fans leave ten minutes before half time (as we can never get served – BFC, give me and Brooksie the half-time concessions to run and I will guarantee increasing your sales by 20% overnight!). Everyone then has to neck the beer just as the second half is about to begin, which hardly encourages responsible drinking! Why not allow beer in the stands but in plastic glasses? It would then be drunk at a steadier pace and in the comfort of our seats.

So what can we do about all this? Well, there is one obvious thing that could happen that would solve 90% of the problems above overnight. How about if clubs take responsibility for the action of their players for a change? Instead of defending and rewarding simulation, ban the player. If a player is sent off for dissent, or provokes the other team’s fans, their own club should ban them until they learn respect. If a referee makes a wrong decision, the manager should say “OK, this time it went against us, but I’m sure it will go for us next time…move on.” And if anyone spits more than three times in a game, they should be banned for the rest of the season! Pardon? Too far? Oh OK, perhaps…

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SEASON TICKETS & FIXTURE CARDS

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MATCH TICKETS

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THE FA CUP TIE WHICH TOOK 60 DAYS TO COMPLETE by Peter Duerden Norwich City v Blackpool FA Cup 3rd Round : 5th January 1963 - 4th March 1963 To say the winter of 1962/63 was a bit fresh would be one of the biggest understatements of all time.

During the ‘Big Freeze’, the country suffered three months of frost, freezing fog, snowdrifts as high as a bungalow and temperatures falling as low as -20C as the winter was the harshest since 1740.

I should know as I was born in Blackpool in January 1963 and my Mum often referred to the freezing temperatures she endured whilst waiting for me to make my arrival. The nurses at La Sagesse Hospital on Lytham Road fed expectant mothers constant rounds of hot toast in attempts to keep them warm. That explains my toast addiction!

Blackpool suffered more than most other clubs during the extreme weather and didn’t play a single home game between 15th December 1962 and 2nd March 1963. The only abiding memory of note from that period was that of Jimmy Armfield and Tony Waiters skating on the frozen Bloomfield Road pitch on 8th January 1963 for the benefit of the freezing Daily Mirror photographers. The FA, concerned by the lack of gate receipt proceeds, offered interest-free loans to help out cash-stricken clubs.

The weather duly played havoc with football and this was no more evident than the third round of the FA Cup, when only three of the scheduled 32 matches were played on 5th January 1963.

Blackpool had been drawn to make the long trip away to Norwich City and, despite the best efforts of the Norwich City groundstaff, the pitch was frozen solid. They even tried using flamethrowers to thaw the pitch on 22nd January but this proved to be a thankless task as the water almost instantly re-froze as soon as the ice had been thawed. The match was subsequently postponed no less than 11 times, although many of the re-scheduled dates looked fruitless as the ‘Big Freeze’ showed no signs of abating.

In fact when the draw for the fourth round was due to be made, there were 62 clubs involved ,covering 16 matches. On fourth round day only one scheduled match was played.

On 28th January the fifth round draw was postponed, then also postponed again on 12th February, as this would have involved 49 teams being in the hat for the eight ties.

The Most Complicated Cup Draw Ever With time running out, the FA made the draw for the fifth round of the FA Cup on 5th March, with no fewer than 36 clubs still in the hat vying for the last 16 places. Bizzarely, some of the third round matches were even yet to be played when the fifth round draw was made. Obviously, the draw was extremely complicated - but the best was saved for last.

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THE FA CUP TIE WHICH TOOK 60 DAYS TO COMPLETE by Peter Duerden Walsall or Manchester City or Birmingham City or Bury v Norwich City or Blackpool or Bradford City or Newcastle.

Match Underway….

Finally, on Monday 4th March 1963, the tie, originally scheduled for 5th January 1963, commenced and the teams played out a 1-1 draw in front of a crowd of 26,002 at Carrow Road, with John McPhee scoring the Blackpool goal.

The Blackpool team flew to the match and back and, with the replay only two days later at Bloomfield Road, the team arrived home not too long after the finish. Even though Norwich spent the following day on the road, the long journey didn’t affect them and they were victorious by the score of 3-1 in the replay at Bloomfield Road in front of a crowd of 15,559 with Pat Quinn scoring for the Pool.

The third round of the FA Cup took 66 days to complete. Having started on 5th January, the round was finally completed on 11th March 1963.

As a result of Football being cancelled for three weeks the ‘Pools Panel’ was thus formed to adjudicate the results of postponed matches.

Initially, it had five members who changed weekly and early members were ex-footballers Ted Drake, Tom Finney, Tommy Lawton and George Young and ex-referee Arthur Edward Ellis.

Jimmy Armfield’s only booking, or was it…?

“The referee never cautioned me properly” During his long and distinguished Blackpool career spanning some 627 matches, Jimmy was never sent off and his only booking came in the FA Cup replay in 1963 against Norwich City for 'two successive fouls’.

“Billy Punton had been in the Army at roughly the same time as I was. He was quite a good player. He was quick, very quick. He played against me two or three times, and he did pretty well every time. In the Cup replay, he went past me the first time he got the ball. The next time, I stopped him; and he went flying over the top of me. The referee said, “Look here. You’re catching him on the turn.” I said, “Well, if that’s what you think.” The next time Billy Punton got the ball, he came inside me. I put my left foot out, and he fell over the top of my foot. The referee said to me, “I won’t tell you again.” The next time, Billy had the ball with his back to me, I tackled from behind, trying to stop him from turning, and he went down again. The referee never cautioned me properly. He just said, “I’m booking you for that.” So I said, “All right.” I think I probably deserved it”.

(source : Robin Daniels Blackpool Football - The Official Club History)

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BLACKPOOL SUPPORTERS TRUST by Christine Seddon As we head towards the end of yet another year, it is always interesting to look back 12 months and take stock of where we have been and how far we have come. This is particularly true for Blackpool fans, who have probably experienced the most incredible changes and transformation of the club in its entire history.

Back in November 2018, we were still under the ownership of Owen Oyston, the fans’ boycott was in full swing and BST had just commemorated the first anniversary of the seismic court judgment which we believed would sweep the Oystons out of the club. 163 Blackpool fans gathered together on 6th November 2018 to hold up every page of that legal document, creating a powerful image which was then shared with national and international media to send the message that we were still waiting, had not given up and would not stop highlighting the problems at our club and in the game until something was done about it.

The old saying ‘it is always darkest before the dawn’ was really very true for us. In spite of the judgment, in spite of the protests and campaigning, nothing appeared to be happening - and it felt as if even the law of the land was unable to resolve the Oyston problem. However, behind the scenes there was plenty going on. The cracks in the Oyston empire were deep, even though they were not immediately visible. As pressure mounted and the law took its course, the whole thing came crashing down.

Whilst we don’t want to focus too much on the past, it is important to respect it. We need to know where we have come from to help direct us to where we want to go and how to get there.

The 2019/20 season will be remembered as the first season under new ownership, a time to rebuild and renew, for everyone – the owner, the board, the fans, the players, coaching and club staff – to get to know each other and to find the right way to progress our club.

The opportunities to make Blackpool FC mighty again as well as to do so much good for the community and town, are almost limitless. Already we have a sense of pride and professionalism within the club. Years and years of neglect cannot be fixed in a matter of months, but we have collectively made a fantastic start - and already have a club to be proud of again. There will undoubtedly be bumps in the road, but if we had been told 12 months ago just how far on the road to recovery we would be before the end of 2019, with a new owner who is a genuine Blackpool fan, professional football people at the helm, financial investment flowing and a squad and manager starting to gel and perform well, I doubt many of us would have believed it!

From all at Blackpool Supporters’ Trust, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year – ALL Blackpool fans working collectively have a lot to look forward to!

UTMP!

20

MEMORABILIA FAIR by Rob Frowen Sometime during the summer I thought that, as the feel-good factor was now percolating through all things tangerine - at long last - I’d see if I could get a Programme Fair off the ground.

I’d recently started working with the BFC Community Trust in mental health projects so I decided to broach the idea to them. So, cutting a long story short, a Fair duly got off the ground on Sunday 3rd November. It was held at the lavishly revamped Education & Community Centre (or, to be a little clearer for some, the site of the old club shop at the North end of the stadium).

It was really a win/win situation. The Community Trust would receive a tidy cash donation and we’d also be satisfying the needs of the local collecting fraternities – as well as folk further afield. I’d been pestered (nicely) regularly for years to ‘get something off the ground locally’ so we had now finally got there.

A fantastic total of 15 stallholders attended the Fair, each displaying a wide array of all things memorabilia-wise. One guy, who deserved a medal, travelled up country from Plymouth to sell his stuff! And my wife, who helped throughout the event, noted that in excess of a healthy 100 customers came through the doors.

The memorabilia ranged from programmes to ticket stubs, pennants to enamel badges to hats, scarves and medals…and far more. The most expensive item being offered? Well, that may well have been my 1922 FA Cup Final programme – featuring Huddersfield Town against that team from ‘just down the M55’. It was priced at £1,750 but, alas, it didn’t sell!

To boost the figure that we raised for the Community Trust, we organised a raffle and many attractive memorabilia prizes were up for grabs - all kindly donated. These included a nice example of the 1953 FA Cup Final programme and, in theory, one could win this iconic slice of ‘Pool history for just 20p!

The funds raised from the Fair are being utilised for the benefit of the Community Trust’s weekly Sporting Memories group. This group is aimed at all older sports fans. It has proved to be a real lifeline as many of those involved live in isolation and, in some cases, also with dementia. Additionally, we’ll also be using some cash to co-ordinate several days trips beginning with a day out to the National Football Museum in Manchester.

The day proved to be a great success with many collectors asking “when’s the next one?”, which was pretty gratifying to hear. And, following a meeting with the Community Trust staff soon afterwards, plans are well underway for a Summer 2020 follow-up Fair – only hopefully bigger and better still. So watch this space!

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JEWEL OF THE NORTH by Steve Rowland Some Pool fans know that as well as my involvement in Blackpool Supporters’ Trust over the last 5 years (from which I’ve now stepped away to avoid any conflict of interest with my new SLO role), I’m also a member of the Blackpool-based Lancashire Dead Good Poets collective and I’ve been performing and writing a regular Saturday blog since 2014.

Some of those blogs are about football; most of them are about life, the universe and everything else. For Homecoming Saturday on March 9th the topic really had to be about the day we got our club back and I thought I’d share here the poem that I wrote for that blog:

Jewel Of The North This is the town, up on the gold coast, renowned through the land for fun in the sun.

More brassy than classy and bracingly breezy, it boasts six miles of sand, a tower like Paris, three piers to the sea, wears its heart on its sleeve and will welcome you in to its mad happy family wherever you come from, whoever you be.

But get in behind the rusty old cliché of hen and stag parties who come pouring in from January to December in search of a week-end they'll never remember... and you'll find a richer truth.

Its easy streets are never so easy, though its mean streets are not really mean and it wears its proud claim to be the happiest of places much like the painted face of a clown.

For all of the dancers, prancers, one night chancers, boardwalk quickies and holiday romancers, bawdy comics with earthy gags, rock stalls, chippies, bingo shacks and shops selling laughter and unicorn poo there are solid northern souls inhabiting the barrios, those red-brick terraces behind the hotels and the B&B façades, salt-of-the-earth types and flame-haired mermaids taxed by the reality of years of austerity, doing two jobs if needs must just to keep their kids clothed and fed, aspiring to give them a decent start.

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JEWEL OF THE NORTH by Steve Rowland They live for the team that plays in tangerine.

It's the zest in their days and their dreaming at night, of Matthews and Mortensen, Armfield and Suddick or Adam and Ormerod, the talk of the town, heroes all but still ordinary men whose skill with a ball on that pitch on a Saturday lifts other ordinary folks when they're down.

Supporting the team is tradition and tie, forging friendships from childhood on, binding pals, workmates, families, whole generations with love for the Seaside - and to see those fans flow like a tide once again up to Bloomfield Road decked in colours and scarves, holding forth on the luck of the draw and the finer points of this game of two halves

is just brilliant, brings a tear to the eye, thrills me and fills me with immense pride both for their mighty tangerine passion and resilient Blackpool, our jewel of the north.

If you liked that, you can find all my blogs at www.deadgoodpoets.blogspot.com and if you want to know more about the local poetry scene, email deadgoodpoets@hotmail.co.uk

LEGO BRICK BLOOMFIELD ROAD COURTESY OF WWW.BRICKSTAND.COM

23

SEASIDERS QUIZ: PROMOTION & PLAY-OFFS by Anthony Lord I don’t know about you, but it always amazes me how much I’ve forgotten about watching Blackpool over the years. I’ve been at the games but, now into my 42nd season, some of those facts just escape me. It is with this in mind that I thought I’d set a testing quiz about our club. The idea is to make our older supporters delve into their memories for answers whilst giving younger ones the chance to learn a little more through the power of Google. This edition, I’m focussing on Pool promotion/play-off campaigns. In the unlikely event that I get asked to contribute again, I’ll look at different question themes in editions to come.

1.

Who was the only member of the starting line-up against Cardiff at Wembley in 2010 not to play for Blackpool in the Premier League after promotion?

2.

Which four teams did Blackpool beat away as part of the ‘Perfect Ten’ leading to promotion in 2007?

3.

And which future England international played a part in that run of ten victories?

4.

In the 1984-5 season, which two players scored double figures in the league as we were promoted as Division Four runners-up?

5.

Which is the only club to stop Pool qualifying for the play-off final, beating us in the semifinal?

6.

Which three London teams have the Seasiders met during their seven play-off campaigns?

7.

Which midfielder scored in both the 1990-91 and 1991-92 play-off campaigns?

8.

Which previous play-off opponents did Blackpool beat 3-1 on the final day of the 2016-17 season to ensure qualification for the League Two play-offs?

9.

Which five Scots/Scottish internationals started the 2012 Play-Off Final against West Ham United?

10.

Against which two sides did we keep the only clean sheets of the ‘Perfect Ten’ in 2007?

ANSWERS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Seamus Coleman

Huddersfield Town, Cheltenham Town, Swansea City, Oldham Athletic

Joe Hart

Kevin Stonehouse, John Deary

Bradford City (1996)

Barnet, Leyton Orient, West Ham United

Paul Groves

Leyton Orient

Matt Gilks, Stephen Crainey, Barry Ferguson, Stephen Dobbie, Matt Phillips

Huddersfield Town, Yeovil Town

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FANS IN FOCUS

25

TINY TANGERINES by Liz Cocks I emailed Southend about the away match, enquiring about their baby changing facilities in the away end - the chap who replied was called Gavin Preston (should have known it wouldn’t end well). After a couple of days he said he was enquiring with stadium bods about what they could do to assist, he said there wasn’t time to pop anything on the wall (we were talking a couple of weeks) and the only baby changing was in the home family stand (diagonally opposite aways).

I left it a few days to mull over my options -

1. Attempt to change Junior 2 on the ‘cold’ floor of women’s toilets.

2. Take my Tiny Tangerines in the home family stand and hope Junior 1 didn’t give us away.

I emailed Gavin at Southend enquiring about train station and location/distance to home family stand.

I got a curt email back stating the club couldn’t knowingly sell away fans tickets to home areas.

So well that was that. I had been looking forward to the game but I decided to stay away, knowing Junior 1 would give us away. I wonder what facilities we provide in our away stand for babies.

Anyway we shall try again for Ipswich and see what Portman Road brings…

******************************************************************************************************************

I tried hard to remember the last time I had been in Ipswich - maybe six years ago? I went to the Fat Cat and ordered chips from the Chinese. Today my day consisted of Soft Play pre match at the Greene King Punch and Judy with my Tiny Tangerines, who would be at their first Blackpool Match. I had been coaching Junior 1 on the chants so she would be ok. Junior 1 started the morning shouting come on the Beach Boys instead of Tangerine Wizards but hey she got the gist. I must have been excited as I forgot her ear defenders, I slept in the car once I finally got Junior 2 to have a sleep.

I didn’t really feel much excitement before leaving - more the anticipation of the day and would my Tiny Tangerines be ok…

We got into Ipswich about midday. When we got to Punch and Judy we were too late to order food pre-match so best match day parenting we fed them Hula Hoops. We layered both kids up just before leaving for a 5ish minute walk to the match at 2pm. We had to take photos outside and wasn’t sure which side of the ground we were on. I had Junior 2 in baby carrier so there was no way I was going through the turnstile, though Junior 1 seemed to deal with it like an expert.

When we reached the bar area, suddenly Portman Road was familiar to me. Letting Junior 1 decide where we were sitting, she wanted to sit with some of our friends who had visited yesterday and kept asking for them. It was interesting looking at familiar faces that had changed since I last went to a match. Laugh of the day went to Junior 2 who fell asleep just as the teams came out and wasn’t even disturbed by the crowd cheering as Nuttall scored the equaliser. However due to some overenthusiastic celebrations, hubby holding Junior 1 were almost knocked down the stairs. Thankfully he held his balance and stewards allowed them to sit in cordoned off section (the chaps were escorted out later in the match - nothing to do with us).

I wrote in the first issue I wasn’t sure about coming back, but I enjoyed my day even with emergency wees, toilet runs and baby feeds during the game. Will now have to see when I/we can go again as I think I may have found a tangerine itch that needs scratching.

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A SPECIAL SEASON TICKET by Rob Frowen

We have featured here a very interesting Blackpool FC season ticket book – well, let’s make that a uniquely interesting season ticket book.

It’s a ‘South Stand Seat’ book which d a t e s b a c k t o ‘ P o o l ’s 1 9 5 2 / 3 campaign –-THE season - when the club famously won the FA Cup in such exciting fashion. Such tickets are pretty rare items these days anyway but read on to discover why this one’s so special.

In view of the vast array of star players that Blackpool could boast at the time, I’m sure you’ll agree that the princely price of £4. 4s. 0d would seem a cracking good deal for a full season’s top division football viewing!

This ticket book even contains many of its original unused stubs. That, in itself, probably begs the question “who on earth would miss out on watching so many top class matches and a galaxy of great players such as Stan Mortensen, Harry Johnston, George Farm, Jackie Mudie, Bill Perry…and Stanley Matthews?”

The answer to that question lies firmly in the details that are noted on page 2 of the season ticket. As you will see in the pic, it was once owned by a certain Stanley Matthews - yes it was once the property of Blackpool’s legendary ‘Wizard of the Dribble’.

I was fortunate enough to acquire this gem from an old friend of Stan’s a good number of years ago. And, other than treating the guy to a pint or two, I secured this superb item for precisely nowt!

I seem to recall asking the old gentleman exactly why the Seasiders’ star right winger would need a season ticket at all. It appears that all of Blackpool's first team squad received a complimentary ticket at the start of each season back in those glory days of the 1950s - possibly for handing out to some of their lucky family and friends. A little naughty perhaps because in bold print of the front cover of the ticket book it clearly states NOT TRANSFERABLE!

27

INTERNATIONAL WALKING FOOTBALL by Peter Gillatt

In 2018 AFC Blackpool Senior Seasiders were invited to enter a team into the annual walking football tournament at Los Montesinos over two days in Spain. As well as the local hosts Monty Mentals, the two other teams involved were Coleshill and Birchwood, both from Birmingham. Over the two days of round robin matches, the Senior Seasiders emerged as overall winners of the tournament, AFC Blackpool adding their first international trophy after winning the EFL Champions Trophy in 2016.

The Senior Seasiders returned in 2019 and, against teams all from Spain, they again triumphed over the two days, winning 10 of their scheduled 12 matches. Nick Carter was subsequently voted Seasiders Player of the Tournament, with an impressive goal tally of 20 goals.

In August, following an invitation to introduce the walking football format in the Czech Republic, a representative from Senior Seasiders team flew into Prague before travelling onto Brno. Here we met up with David Mycock, who has been working at Masaryk University in Brno. David teaches across their sports coaching and disability sports courses and works with them primarily in coaching and supporting them in blind football. He also arranges to play tournaments and undertakes adapted physical activity workshops.

The team the Senior Seasiders played were AVOY MU Brno. Although they are mainly involved in blind football, a number of their older players wished to try walking football with a view to introducing this variant of the game more widely. It was also an opportunity for the Senior Seasiders to showcase the game for the first time in this country.

Before the games were underway, captain for the afternoon and our club chairman Les Turner presented his opposite number at AVOY MU Brno with a pennant from AFC Senior Seasiders club. In the first of the four games where, perhaps, the rules were only loosely interpreted against AVOY MU Brno, a late equaliser saved the Senior Seasiders from a surprise defeat. In the following games against the Czech Republic side, where the rules were more strictly adhered to, The Senior Seasiders ran out winners.

The opportunity to play football abroad for all these senior players would have been probably unthinkable at any age a few years ago. Yet the chance to play not only against other national teams but also to help introduce this format of the game to a new international audience is something the players continue to relish and enjoy. Another contingent of players will be heading to Los Montesinos in Torrevieja in May 2020 and are already looking forward to a unique treble.

28

MY BLACKPOOL SHED by Dan Nash

29

TH’OWD FELLAH Ah’d just bin totterin’ along th’ beach looking fer a nice Shag, and hadn’t managed t’find one so ‘ad gone ‘ome. Nora wer out and, looking arta me bedroom winda, to my surprise, th‘young lady next dooer were sunning herself and I cud see some great tits. I’d also bin towld there wuz some wonderful brahn boobies t’see in Cornwall, and although I would ‘ave liked t’see ‘em it wuz a bit too far fur me to go on me bike.

Th’dooer burst open and in came Nora asking us what I wuz up to, so I told her th‘truth, that I were looking fur great tits and had been out to try and find a shag on th’ beach. Wham, that were it, no questions asked just assumptions made and I wuz in th’firing line. It’s gradely I didn’t mention the boobies or else ah woulda been further in th’mire. Anyways when I got mysen back together I explained it were part o’ my hobby, bird watching. That didn’t help, her reply wuz swift and barbed, ”and I suppose you expect me to believe you haven’t been looking at ‘er next door sunbathing”. How t’ dig a hole and meck it deeper. So, I got my hornithological book art and showed her what a shag was, a bird o’th’ sea shore, what great tits wuz as well as blue tits and all t’others then explained that brown boobies wur a tropical bird that ‘ad recently bin sin in Cornwall.

At that she drew the curtains saying “and that had better be all it is,” and clattered darn’th stairs t’ put th’kettle on. Dost tha know, I’m sure I’m a battered husband who can get himself into deep water wi art trying too ‘ard and through no fault of me own.

Nora’s a fearsome woman whose mother were one of the original and formidable landladies of th’ digs that used to be in Blackpool. It were far different in them days when the boarders had t’bring their own food to be cooked and I remember chatttin’ to her mother, Peg, abart it in her kitchen, a place as I’ve niver seen sin’. There were a big old Lancashire range at th’end of th’kitchen wi a great big copper pot of boiling water hung over th’fire and a large black kettle next t’it. "Old Peg, muttering and spluttering, threw on coals t’keep them boiling. Hanging over th’copper wur several strings, which disappeared intut steaming water. Tu th’top of each string a bit a wood was attached, and I asked her what this wur for."

"‘Them,’ said Peg in her broad Lancashire dialect, and taking one stick in her hand and pulling its string out of the copper, ‘why sith’ee lad, this bit o’ stick has four nicks in’t, well it’s the Greys from room number four’s dinner, they’re in bed yonder. Now this,’ taking up another stick with six nicks, ‘is the couple and their nippers in room 6, the Wilcocksons, and this,’ seizing a third with ten nicks, ‘is Happy Jack’s in room ten, Well, thee knowst he’s got a bit o’ beef that meks him happy; The Greys nowt but taters, he’s a gradely brute is the man, and the Wilcocksons got a pun or so o’ bacon an’ a cabbage. Now, thee sees, I’ve got a matter o’ twenty dinners or so to bile every day, which I biles in nets, and if I dinna fix em in this rooad, I sud ha niver tell where to find" em, and then there ud be sich a row as niver yet was heered on.’ Soon after this, Old man Grey came swaying in bringing with him a leveret he’d won in the pub, which he tossed to Peg. ‘Get it ready an put it along o’ the rest, and look sharp or thee’s head may be broken.’ Then he took off his boots, shed his jacket and went up to his missus in room four. Judging by th’ row he made, he’d tumbled into the bed, obviously the worse for wear from th’smell of the barmaids apron."

So it’s no surprise wi’ her upbringing that Nora is a bit edgy at times, those days wuz hard. Anyhows as she’s darnstairs, I’ll just ‘ave peep throu’t curtains t’see if I can spot some more tits next dooer hehe. Well I’m sure you’ve ‘eard enough from me so I’ll say tara and probably talk a bit about mycology, next time, something I became interested in recently. Once agin look after theeselves and keep cheering th’Pool.

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