Jump to content

Stat Attack: Notts County vs. Blackpool, Saturday 29 April 2017


Joe Jones

The first fixture between Blackpool and Notts took place on 28 November 1896 at Raikes Hall, and finished 3-2 to the Lancashire side.

A total of 58 games have taken place between the two sides, with Notts winning 19, Blackpool winning 24, and 15 draws.

The last fixture came earlier this season, on 12 November 2016 - a humiliating 4-0 defeat for Notts at Bloomfield Road.

Football had developed in Blackpool by 1877 when Victoria FC were founded as a church club with a ground in Caunce Street.

This team disbanded a few years later but some of its members are understood to have merged with old boys from St John's School to form a new club called Blackpool St John's.

But the two factions remained disunited and, on 26 July 1887, at a meeting in the Stanley Arms public house, the members resolved to wind up St John's and form a new club to represent the whole town called Blackpool Football Club.

Blackpool's most notable achievement is winning the 1953 FA Cup Final, the so-called "Matthews Final", in which they beat Bolton Wanderers 4–3, overturning a 1–3 deficit in the closing stages of the game.

During that post-war period, Blackpool made three FA Cup Final appearances in six years and, during the 1950s, had four top-six finishes in the Football League First Division, their best position being runners-up to Manchester United in the 1955–56 season.

In 1953, four Blackpool players were in the England team against Hungary at Wembley, causing the Daily Mirror to declare that "Blackpool are playing Hungary today", though England lost in a famous defeat.

Since the 1950s Blackpool's fortunes have varied, and when they won promotion to the Premier League, at the end of the 2009–10 campaign, Blackpool became the first club in English football to have won promotion from every division of the Football League via the play-off system.

Blackpool's least successful period was officially in the 1980s, particularly when, in the 1982–83 season, they finished 21st in English League football's lowest tier, their lowest-ever League finish.

Team news

Matt Tootle faces a race against time to be fit for Notts County's final home game of the season against Blackpool.

Tootle missed the defeat at Luton Town with a hamstring injury and should he not make it Josh Clackstone is likely to continue in his absence at right-back.

Midfielder Mark Yeates will hope for a recall against his former club while Alan Smith, Curtis Thompson and Jonathan Forte are also vying to be in Kevin Nolan's starting line-up.

Captain Michael O'Connor has been ruled out for up to nine months after sustaining a knee injury against Portsmouth and requires surgery.

Blackpool are just missing long-term absentees Jim McAlister and Jamille Matt.

McAlister broke his leg in early February while striker Matt has a hamstring tear that could rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.

Ian Black, Kyle Vassell and Bright Samuel are all options for boss Gary Bowyer if he decides to freshen things up, although his team have not conceded in their past three games.

The Seasiders are currently sixth in the League Two table and their goal difference is so superior to their rivals that four points from their final two fixtures should ensure they enter the play-offs.

Share your thoughts about this match preview on Pride of Nottingham by signing up to the website, visiting the forum and joining in the chat with hundreds of fellow Notts County fans.



Share your PRIDE with PON! Visit our Community Forum

Join us - Discuss - Write for us - Debate - Contact us


Member Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.



Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

About PON

Pride of Nottingham

Pride of Nottingham is an independent fansite devoted to Notts County, the world’s oldest professional football club. Created in 2013, it has served as a source of Magpie news, features, match previews, reports, analysis and interviews for more than three years.

Support PON

Enjoy our content? Want to help us grow? Your donation will go a long way towards improving the site!

donate-pon.png

Meet the Team

Chris Chris Administrators
super_ram super_ram Global Moderators
DangerousSausage DangerousSausage Global Moderators
CliftonMagpie CliftonMagpie Global Moderators

Social Media

×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Pride of Nottingham uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To approve, simply continue using the site or click 'I accept' Terms of Use.