Vital Statistics
Founded: 1887
Owner: Simon Sadler
Last Season: League One - 13th
Nicknames: Tangerines, Seasiders
Rivals: Preston North End
Major Honours
FA Cup: 1953
Scheduled Matches
Portsmouth vs Blackpool: Saturday, February 20th (3pm)
Blackpool vs Portsmouth: Tuesday, December 1st (3pm)
Blackpool: A brief history
Blackpool were formed in 1887 through a breakaway club of the local St. John's FC and joined the Second Division in 1896. The club won its only league silverware by winning Division Two in 1930 but their first foray in the top tier lasted only three years.
The 1950's proved to be Blackpool's most successful decade as they won the FA Cup in 1953 by beating Bolton in the famous "Matthews Final" and the same year saw four Tangerines players in the England squad. In 1956 Blackpool finished as runners-up to Manchester United in Division One.
Blackpool's recent history was a sorry tale of woe that could almost match Pompey's recent decline. The Seasiders were promoted to the Premier League in 2010 under Ian Holloway but were relegated after one season and then, following a play-off final defeat to West Ham in 2012, Holloway left and some poor managerial appointments and even worse ownership decisions by the Oystons saw Blackpool relegated twice in consecutive seasons.
The Oystons refused to budge despite fan protests as Blackpool begun the 2016/2017 in the bottom tier but a shrewd appointment in Gary Bowyer meant the club made an immediate return to League One after beating Exeter in the League Two play-off final.
The Oystons were finally ousted for good last year, with Blackpool fan Simon Spicer buying 96.2% of the club after the Oystons were found guilty of illegitimate stripping of its assets and were forced to pay millions in compensation to the companies they owed.
The Manager: Neil Critchley
The 41-year-old is one of sixteen coaches to have obtained the UEFA Elite badge, having coached Liverpool's youth from 2013-2020 before Blackpool offered him his first job in senior management.
Match To Remember: Portsmouth 1 Blackpool 0 (Championship - 24/09/2011)
Not exactly a memorable match but Erik Huseklepp's stunner in stoppage time had the crowd off their feet.
Match To Forget: Portsmouth 2 Blackpool 0 (League One - 24/02/2018)
A drab game didn't see Pompey register a shot on target until stoppage time but goals from Vassell and Robertson in each half had killed the mood inside Fratton Park until the ironic cheers at the end of the game.
The Ground: Bloomfield Road (Capacity: 16,750 - Away: 1,500)
Bloomfield Road is located not far from the seaside and there are plenty of pubs for people to go to pre-match. The exterior of the stadium shows that most of it has been renovated in recent years.
The outside of the stadium also has a statue dedicated to Stan Mortensen, one of the English game's greatest ever players and a Blackpool legend to boot. The away end is named after him.
Once Pompey fans have made their way through the turnstiles and the narrow concourse of the Stan Mortensen Stand, they will see a similar stand in the Jimmy Armfield Stand. This picture was taken not too long before kick off in 2016 and not many more fans turned up due to the supporters' boycott of the club whilst the Oystons were in charge.
To the left is the virtually empty East Stand. If Pompey sell out their allocation in their part of the Mortensen Stand, they can also be seated in part of this one.
The Stanley Matthews Stand is where most of the home supporters are,.
Overall, Blackpool is more about a weekend away than the football itself and whilst Bloomfield Road should be bouncing again now the Oystons are out.