AFC Blackpool 3-0 Holker Old Boys, Saturday 28th February 2026

AFC Blackpool 3-0 Holker Old Boys, North West Counties League First Division North, Mechanics Ground, att. 410

It’s the final game of the day for the Saturday of the North West Counties League groundhop and it’s only a 5 minute walk from the previous game at Squires Gate. It’s almost like they planned these things! As luck would also have it, I’ve parked my car inbetween the two, which is handy for my mate Stu. He’s a little cold and wants to don his big coat.

At Squires Gate, I asked another groundhopper where AFC Blackpool was. He pointed towards some houses. ‘You can see the floodlights!’ That was handy, as it meant no rush, so while most of the groundhoppers made their way over, we watched a bit of Der Klassiker in the social club. (Well, it beat watching Dirty Leeds – Man City.)

I was worried about crowd numbers at AFC. Would fans have had enough and be drifting home after 3 matches already? There were certainly fewer, but 410 was a more than respectable attendance for a Satdy nite 10th tier game. The social club was a lot pokier than Squires Gate however, and the queue was out the door for food and warm drinks. Stu would have to come back for our tea. Last season’s shirts were a bargain tenner a pop, but I just couldn’t ever foresee myself needing to wear a tangerine AFC Blackpool shirt, other than to point out to bemused folk that it wasn’t Blackpool FC, but AFC Blackpool.

The name of the ground intrigued me. ‘The Mechanics Ground.’ Wasn’t there a side called Blackpool Mechanics? Indeed there was. Inside the entrance to the social club, a display case showed off various trophies and other paraphernalia linked to Mechanics. Had they gone bust? A bit of digging found that no, they’d simply re-named themselves ‘AFC Blackpool’ in 2008. Much more prosaic and less romantic.

The small seated stand beside the social club was busy, but I spied the stand behind the goal. It looked a higher vantage point and it’d be cosy (warmer) under the roof. We bumped into Nathaniel, again, the Hednesford groundhopper. ‘Have you noticed anything?’ he asks. No. ‘Look up.’ There was no roof. So much for cosy. The stand had sides, a fascia, a back, stanchions, but no roof. Still, we stayed, as the home side were attacking (and scoring) at this end. 2 nil after 15 minutes.

Stu brought me a tea, then we went for a wander. The long side to our right had the most spectators. A small stand with a couple of steps straddled the halfway line. There was another covered stand behind the goal, but this was virtually empty save for a couple of lads on drums, making up songs to their hearts’ content. Indeed, there were more drums than they had ensemble, perched on chairs. Good on ‘em, even if no-one else wanted to join them.

Half-time arrived, the home side still being 2 goals ahead. I knew Stu was chilly, and although I faced a drive of over an hour, he’d have another hour drive after that. ‘Shall we call it a day?’ It was up to me. We’d done our stint, had a most enjoyable day, but I didn’t expect we’d miss much if we were to go home.

Thanks, North-West Counties Football League, and thanks GroundhoppersUK.

The Damage:
£6 ent
£2 prog...and a very sparse offering at that. Talk about punting one out just cos the groundhoppers are in town!
= £8

BFC 2-1 Blackpool, Saturday 17th January 2026

‘Autistic child on board.’

What a difference a last minute winner makes. Before then, folk were openly grumbling...as the Reds were crumbling. We’d tossed away a 1st half lead to a goal everyone said ‘was coming’ and Cleary had been subbed for some bloke who struggled for a game at Guiseley (Leo Farrell for non-regulars). Blackpool were pegging us back, our midfield couldn’t get hold of the ball, and the only positive appeared to be the new bloke in goal looking unbeatable save for an outrageous deflection.

THEN IT HAPPENED. We suckered Blackpool, the fools. As they hunted for the winner their 2nd half dominance possibly deserved, they piled forward for a long throw. The defensive header reaches the edge of the box where Kelly, hitherto very quiet, bursts into action, beating a Tangerine, carrying it 60 yards at pace, then laying it off for McG. (I’m still not having any of this ‘Didzy’ nonsense. He’s not my mate). Not having the pace to take it in his stride, he controls it, lets the defender pass him, then does him with one of his trademark stepovers and buries the ball into the far corner. Unimpeachable.

The crowd go wild...and so does Praise or Grumble, which has not one, not two, but three Reds callers going overboard about how amazing we were today. As I said, what a difference a last minute goal makes. In truth, with Cleary and Kelly not reaching previous heights, we were average. But well done the defence, who still had to defend a corner in what was left of injury time.

We went ahead with an absolute GIFT. I thought only our keepers did this? Stand miles out of goal, then give away possession to the centre forward. Didzy (ho ho) controls it and hits it first time from distance with his WRONG foot. Well done him. And well done Bailey Peacock-Farrell, just for having one of my favourite names in football.

At the other end, we have a comedy moment of our own. New signing O’Connell (he’s no Brendan, I’ll say that now) trips over his own feet and gifts them a 2 on 1. The ball is squared and the recipient simply slides it first time into the net from 10 yards. Oh, hang on, what’s he doing? He controls it, takes a touch, cuts back inside some desperate challenge and has his shot well saved. Fair play to Goodman (for it was by he) but once that player has cut inside, there’s only one place that shot is going, though Goodman does good, man, by getting across. He also makes a smart save from a near post drive.

Early second half, we spurn a great chance to extend our lead. Phillips lays it to Kelly who blazes the ball Phillipsesque into the crowd from 12 yards. Did it hit a bobble? Dunno, but Kelly’s not really been on it today.

Another one not on it, so much so he’s hauled at HT is the GOAT, or ‘Accident Waiting To Happen.’ Bland is booked halfway through the 1st half for pulling back their player having been outwitted. Then, before half-time, he chops down a breaking Tangerine. I suspect the ref gives him the benefit of the doubt as the ball bounced around 3 or 4 players on that centre circle (Bland’s natural habitat) before breaking. At least Conor realizes his mistake from earlier this season (leaving GOAT on to be booked a second time). Mind, I thought his replacement, Yoganathan, was dreadful. Couldn’t get hold of it, and when he did, gave it away.

(At this point, I must make mention of 2 super passes from Bland. One was a crossfield ball to Cleary on the left wing, and another was to put O’Keeffe clean through. Naturally, by the time O’Keeffe got his shot off, the defender who was BEHIND him was in front of him to block.)

So there. Kelly missed, and Blackpool took control, helped by some lenient officiating. I thought shirt-pulling was an offence? Presumably only if your name’s Bland. Jonathan Bland. In fact, one such shirt pull DID prevent a break, a la Bland, but it was just outside our box. Too far away to be considered ‘dangerous’? How did we score our winner? Then there’s the challenge on Cleary, clattering him from behind. Not even a free kick. It was grating, but we weren’t playing well. Goodman made a few more regulatory saves before being beaten by ex-Red Fletcher thanks to a deflection.

But well done Reds. Hung in there and nicked it. I heard we’re now 7 pts behind a play-off place with 5 games in hand. That’s incredible. But I refuse to look at a table till we’ve won 2 in a row. What does 1 win do? Take us to ----teenth in the table? Big wow.

Onwards and upwards!

*** McGoldrick. Held onto the ball, played in teammates (lovely flick 1st half to send Cleary away), never stopped working...oh, and bagged 2 superb goals.
** O’Keeffe. Threw in some great challenges on the halfway line and looked to get forward. (I’ll ignore the early aberration where he gets done with a throughball.) If the ball’s in front of him and to be won, he’s got a chance. (On being the official MOTM, a caller to Praise and Grumble asked if his wife chose it!)
* Goodman. Till the winner, I was thinking about making him MOTM. He saved everything, came out and caught or punched. But one thing bothers me…he never seemed to stop anything cleanly, needing 2 goes at most things.

Official MOTM: O’Keeffe (announced before McG’s winner)

Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. McGoldrick 2. O’Keeffe 3. Goodman

Despatches:
We were looking remarkably threadbare by the end. Farrell looks like what he is, poor lad, a junior over-promoted. Reminds me of Karl Rose (hopefully without the underage sex). Completely anonymous when he came on, but we had no-one else. Well, not now Conor’s got rid of Russell (who’s now getting rave reviews off Mansfield fans). I had to laugh at the remark that ‘we could only name 6 subs’. How many does a team need? Though this was ours: Flavell, Yoganthan, Gent, Farrell, Barrett and MdG. Still, Connell injured, and DKD ‘ill’ (and definitely NOT sold...as of Saturday, 5pm)...a pensioner is forced to play 90 minutes.

Cleary had a mixed game, thank the Lord. (No-one wants to see him sold). Got into lots of good positions 1st half, but the cross always ended up at the front post, to nobody (like in the Cadden years). Either he needs to put it somewhere else, or someone needs to get on that front post. As for folk blaming him for their equalizer...by keeping it in and kicking it to Ogbeta...well, Ogbeta shoulda done beta!

POTY Kelly was very quiet, save for that miss. Saving his energy for the 94th minute, obviously. In defence, Shepherd had another strong game. That’s 2 in a row. (BTW, who had 13 minutes for the ‘Shepherd Flop’ wins a fiver. Hilariously, now we’re not playing at Anfield, these League 1 refs keep giving him the free kick.) I was intrigued by Conor’s tictacs…when in possession, we’d go to a back 4, Shepherd coming wide left and Ogbeta going into central midfield. O’Connell didn’t make a 2nd mistake, but one was worrying enough. Watson was solid, while Ogbeta wasn’t really used down the wing (see earlier). Was it his fault for the goal? Was he fouled? Dunno. Then there’s Phillips, who, even when he's invisible, still manages to set up Kelly, or blaze a good chance (1st half.)

Drink du jour: Verdant Lightbulb at Spiral City. Where Jude became the ‘lucky’ recipient of not one, but TWO half and half scarves from the Liverpoo game. Great minds think alike, D. Wood.

Away: 860 (10,266). Even the official number of home supporters is now less than 10 thousand. Come on Tykes. LET’S BE ‘AVIN YOU!!!!!!! Or just let us die a slow death.

The Damage:
c.£7 petrol
= c.£7

BFC 0-3 Blackpool, Saturday 8th March 2025

‘Our next best chance of scoring today is Phillips...and he’s not even playing!’

I’m not angry. I’m not even disappointed. I’ve gone beyond that – I’m resigned. Resigned to the fact we’re going nowhere fast (other than down). Resigned that, right now, the club is rotten. The ownership, the management, the recruitment, the players, the fans...it’s awful throughout. The vocal minority are busy blaming the board, and I get it. They’re the ones in control of the purse strings, but without em, we’d be bust. They’re also in control of appointments, and in that respect, Coach Clarke and the Director of Recruitment (what a disaster he is thus far) are their fault too.

The latest embarrassment was the worst of the season, for me. (Reedy still claims Leyton O, but I wasn’t there). On Satdy we were played off the park in BOTH halves by another midtable side who have NOTHING to play for. Yet they ran about, they pressed, they made themselves available, they always looked to the front foot. It was everything we’re not. They coulda (shoulda) been 3 or 4 nil up by half-time. (Others said as many as 6). My favourite miss was when their lad put it wide from 6 yards, with an empty net. The keeper made a diving save too, but mostly, it was just poor misses.

In contrast, we had one effort of any note. Connell chipped a great pass through for Humphreys to control with his chest and...blaze over from 8 yards. OK, the keeper’s in close proximity, but all he has to do is get it on target. Just knock it under the keeper into the open goal, rather than paralyse someone in Row X.

But it’s ok, we’ve made it to half time, goalless. A chance for Coach Clarke to reset. Another inspirational teamtalk, some tactical tweaking, maybe a sub. He sends them out identical. If we had the ball (which we had plenty) we had one tactic: hoof it long behind their fullbacks to…to WHO? Every single time, their fullback turned around and collected, or the centre half came across, and possession was ceded. Or it went down the middle to the keeper. This isn’t a one-off. This IS what amounts to us trying to score a goal*. It was repeatedly tried at Rovrum to slightly better success, as their defenders blatantly didn’t know what to do with the ball, and we eked a penalty out of it. Blackpool’s defenders had us on toast all day. Listen, Coach Clarke, it might be the 3rd division but these players are PROFESSIONALS. (I’m referring to the Blackpool players here.) They will not simply give it back to us in their third. This is not Sunday football. (The lack of any kind of press exacerbates the issue.)

*ok, there’s the ‘hopefully DKD will pick up the ball in the final third, beat a player and curl it home from 20 yards’. But that’s hardly a tactic...is it?

Thus the second half started. It took 11 minutes for Blackpool to score. A Tangerine (capital ‘T’) ran 40 yards unchallenged, before burying it into the bottom corner from 20 yards. Another one that went under Smith’s right hand, a la Charlton. I think I see a weakness. But at the point of shooting, there are FOUR Reds players in close proximity to the shooter and NONE of them are putting in a tackle or block. We have given up.

Will Coach Clarke make a change before or after they score a second? He brings on Nwakali and Benson for Connell and Watters. Does that mean we’re not playing with a centre forward? (Insert hilarious caption here.) Within 3 minutes it’s 0-2. A harmless looking cross to the back post is headed in by former Red Fletcher. At least he didn’t celebrate, but I wouldn’t have minded if he did. How does ONE player get inbetween Farrugia, Conor Barrett and the goalkeeper, to score? (By the way, if we have 5 ‘top class centre halves’ according to our leader, what is Barrett?)

It’s ok tho, cos Coach Clarke brings on Rodrigues for the aforementioned Barrett. A centre forward for a centre half. All out attack, then? Does Rodrigues even touch the ball? (Yes, he does. I distinctly remember him touching the ball. Does he touch it twice? I can’t remember a second time, but he definitely touches it at least once in his 25 minute (plus injury time) trot out.)

By now, we’re trying a different tactic (oh yes!). Nwakali appears to be playing right centre half, and is orchestrating all our possession, which invariable is playing the ball forward through the lines to feet, whereupon a Russell, or someone, would hold it up, lay it off…then that player would lose it. Every time. Did we have a shot?

Another pacey attack for the visitors brings a fine save out of Smith, but the loose ball is gobbled up from close range. What ARE our defenders doing (FYI: O’Keefe, Roberts, McCarthy, Farrugia)? No Earl to blame this week, though Barrett was an able deputy. (As in, I don’t rate either.)

There’s still 17 minutes left, not that 80% of the home end will see it. Once again, we are left with the masochists and idiots. Blackpool fans start chanting ‘You’re so sh*t it’s unbelievable’, gaining a round of applause from the home areas, before a few in the Ponty give it ‘We’re so sh*t it’s unbelievable’.

Onwards and upwards!

*** DKD. I trust his transfer request is already in. Needs to play for someone else next season.
** Russell. Generally kept possession
* Nwakali. Plays the ball FORWARD on the FLOOR to players wearing RED. The novelty of it. Marked down for only being on pitch half an hour.

Official MOTM: DKD.

Londontykes’ MOTM: 1. No-one 2. No-one 3. DKD/No-one

Despatches:
Let’s start with the players. O’Keeffe? S***. Farrugia? Hapless. Barrett? Hopeless. McCarthy? Clueless (This is starting to sound like the 7 Dwarves.) Roberts? Crap. Connell? Rubbish. Humphreys? Weak. Watters? Anonymous. Rodrigues? Pathetic. Benson? Actually, didn’t look that bad. Smith? Average. Special mention to Bailey McCann, coming on at 0-3 in the 88th minute. We are now GIVING AWAY appearances. It reminds me of Man U, away, where Coach Clarke sticks in Jalo and Yoganathan – 2 youngsters with little first team pedigree and we’re whacked 7-0 by the worst Manure team in living memory.

This is all poor timing, what with season ticket renewal about to come up. Crap football, poorly performing players, awful signings…and random kick off times. I am worried. The club and I are just hoping that 8,000 people renew out of habit, to help the club, etc...cos if we don’t renew, the club has no budget, we sign even worse (cheap) players, and we disappear for the next 20 years.

I’m saving a rant about our recruitment for another week cos I don’t know where to start. What I will say is that the only decent signing we’ve made in the last 2 windows (DKD) was hardly a scouting masterpiece – anyone who picks up a Sunday paper (remember those?) could see him scoring every other week in division 4.

Oh, and Michael Duff got sacked at Huddersfield yesterday. I’d have him back tomorrow, I really would. This has gone far enough.

And just as I finish writing this, my XG correspondent comes good. 1.31 v 2.76. 1.31? I am gobsmacked. I thought we created as little as we have done all season. That Humphreys miss is doing a lot of lifting, but I wouldn’t have that higher than about 0.4. What did I miss?* What other shots or chances did we possibly have???

*It was a balmy afternoon in the sun. Diane had given away my seat to some juvenile Geordie and I went and sat downstairs with Reedy. Consequently, with little happening on the pitch – for us – my eyelids were given to closing. Did we have a cheeky shot every time I nodded off? I know I fell asleep inbetween the award of a corner, and it being taken. The subsequent crowd groan woke me up. O’Keeffe had delivered yet another awful set piece, low to the first man. It’s bad enough that he can’t defend...

Drink du jour: House Party IPA in Spiral. ‘Home Fans Only’ said a hastily scrawled sign (part of a set of two with TAFKA The Arcade Ale House. (I forget what it’s called these days, but something nowhere near as good.)

Away: 826. They enjoyed themselves.

The Damage:
c.£8 petrol
= c. £8

Blackpool 1-2 BFC, Saturday 19th October 2024

‘Coke must have been on special offer in Barnsley that day.’

Is this how it’s going to be this season? Play poorly, but eke out just enough results to stay on the coat tails of the play-off pack, before finally succumbing to 8th? Cos if you haven’t seen this victory before, see also ‘Lincoln City’ and ‘Burton Albion’. The fans have obviously lost belief. We barely took a thousand on Satdy, one half of the stand completely empty. This is Blackpool away, FFS. One of the jewels in the crown of away games (stop laughing at the back). It was a turgid game lightened up with 3 goals that all came out of nowhere.

For those who hadn’t heard, we caught in-form Blackpool at the right time, manager Steve Bruce away on compassionate leave following the death of his four month old grandchild. He was replaced by perma-sidekick and former Reds legend Steve Agnew. The match was accordingly disjointed and lacking in both skill and excitement. Mind, a couple of Londontykes watching it on telly thought it was alright. Maybe the drink had taken its toll (on me). It was RUBBISH.

Still, we went ahead after something approaching half an hour of nothing happening. A smooth move began in our half ends with DKD cutting inside and stroking it home, a carbon copy of his debut strike. I said it was out of the blue. Where did THAT come from!? Blackpool missed a few half chances and there was no way we deserved a lead, but a lead we had. Could we build on it?

No. The teams swapped ends and proceeded to give us the same dirge we had 1st half. I pity the poor neutral (not for the first time). Blackpool were in the slight ascendancy, nothing unduly worrying, when a free kick was lofted over and none of our 3 centre halves dealt with it. I think it came off the forward’s foot eventually. A ball into the danger zone allowed to drop for someone to sweep it into the corner. P*** poor. Another timely substitution, as Coach Clarke had hauled Russell (for Craig) and Phillips (for Yoganathan) a minute earlier. He really is unlucky / s*** our manager, isn’t he?

Nothing continues to happen, until injury time. Coach Clarke hauls Humphreys for Jalo (I didn’t realise the latter was back from his hurty shoulder at Burton) before sending on Pines for Gent, presumably to get the winner. Well, it’s not Pines, but a minute later Connell sends a hopeful corner to the backpost and Marc Roberts loops a header back to the other post, where the defender has gone AWOL. (Have a look at it on youtube, the defender’s efforts are very funny. Indeed, it’s criminal he doesn’t deal with it.) We have STOLEN another away win. I can’t pretend the match was anything other than awful, it really was. Can we go home now?

Onwards and upwards!

*** Roberts. Apart from their goal (and I think Roberts bears most blame) he was solid. Oh, and scored.
** DKD. I have absolutely no memory of anyone else playing well, so DKD for the Litmanen (quality finish).
* Slonina. Reedy can hopefully vouch for me commenting that Slonina hadn’t put a foot wrong and couldn’t be to blame for the goal.

Londontykes’ MOTM: TBA

Despatches:
On the way out, I saw a couple of fans being handcuffed (‘fancuffed’?)...damaging seats...but the way the copper explained it to me, he thought I didn’t think ripping out seats and attempting to abscond with them was a crime. He should have been at Man City home the other year when their fans nicked an entire toilet door!

Pre-match was great. Beer on the pier with Andy, beer in the market with Andy, beers in the Tap room with Andy. An Oirishman explaining to me how he was from Oiland, as if I didn’t know what an Oirish accent sounded like. Being complimented by Tangerines for getting off the beaten track to find quality beer (but of course!) It was a world away from the promised coke fuelled aggro that follows Nice Guy Chris to Blackpool (he was boycotting it).

The players? I have no memory of any of ‘em. I’ve just looked at the line up and have zero reminisces of Phillips or Humphreys. Did they REALLY play? Ditto O’Keefe and Gent. And I just presumed MdG and Earl played, cos they always do. Was Connell his normal s*** self? I have no idea. I can tell you we had 2 shots on target (cos that’s what the BBC website tells me), so I’ll let youse work out how many saves their keeper made. For the record they had 5 shots on target. It was meagre gruel. Pls sir, don’t give me more.

Drink du jour: Beavertown Neck Oil on the pier, Mango Unchained in Abingdon St. Market, Lichfield Pale Ale, Sundown IPA, Thistly Cross Whisky Cask cider at the Cask & Tap. Leffe on the train home, Leffe and Elvis Juice on the train there. Come to think, there’s a reason I can’t remember much beyond ‘this is s***’.

Away: 1,598

The Damage:
£30 ent (!)
£20 train
= £50