History of Blackpool F.C. (1887–1962)

Blackpool Football Club were formed on 26 July 1887, through a breakaway group from the local St. John's F.C. Mike Jackman's Blackburn Rovers: A Complete Record, 1875–1990, published in 1990, makes reference to a game against "Blackpool" in December 1880, but whether this was today's club is not clear. The St. John's club had been in existence for a decade or so, risen from the ashes of the disbanded Victoria Club. Five members of the club – Revd. N.S. Jeffrey, Sam Bancroft, Dick Swanbrick, Dick Worthington and W.J. Brown – felt it was necessary for the town of Blackpool to have a football club bearing its name. After a disagreement with the other members regarding the possibility of having their name drop the denominational suffix and become a town team, the men left the meeting, went next door to the Stanley Arms Hotel, and immediately founded Blackpool Football Club. The remainder of the St. John's players eventually defected to join the new club, in turn making the former defunct. It was with these individuals that Blackpool F.C. played their first competitive game, at Dole Lane, the home of Chorley, in which they recorded a 2–1 victory. Hargreaves scored Blackpool's first-ever goal with "a ponderous kick half the length of the field". At the end-of-season annual general meeting on 14 May 1888, held at the Stanley Arms, club president Alderman John Bickerstaff announced a small profit of around £20, with £66 contributed in membership and subscription fees. At this point in time, Blackpool played home matches at Raikes Hall (or the Royal Palace Gardens), part of a large entertainment complex containing several attractions, including a theatre and a boating lake. This meant that average attendances hovered around the two-thousand mark, making the club's early years financially successful. Blackpool's debut in the first-round proper of the FA Cup occurred in 1891–92, with a visit from Sheffield United to Raikes Hall. The Yorkshiremen won 3–0. A second tie against the same opposition occurred the following season, with the Blades again victorious, this time by a 3–1 margin. On 25 February 1893, after Blackpool defeated South Shore 4–0, the contentious issue of the amalgamation of the two clubs was raised. The Gazette and News commented: "He must be a hot-headed supporter of either South Shore or Fleetwood Rangers who will not admit that the Blackpool team is the strongest in the Fylde. To our mind, the sooner the South Shore and Blackpool clubs are fused into one, the better it will be." Despite both clubs' committees being in favour, a meeting of over two hundred South Shore members on 10 April decided to carry on independently, and further talk of a merger was not discussed for another six years. ==In and out of the Football League==

Blackpool's application to the Football League was successful, and for the club's debut season, they joined the sixteen-team Second Division along with Gainsborough Trinity and Walsall, replacing Crewe Alexandra, Burslem Port Vale and Rotherham County. The club's first-ever Football League game took place on 5 September 1896, at Lincoln City. The fact that the game took place at all is notable in itself, because it took the Blackpool team six hours to travel what was just a journey. The players, directors and club doctor caught the 7am train from Blackpool North and endured a journey via Manchester and Birmingham. They had to change trains on two occasions, with the players' only exercise being a run up and down the platform. The game was due to kick off at 2pm, but due to the fact that it was "raining incessantly", causing the pitch to resemble a swamp, the referee delayed the start by fifteen minutes while the players acclimatized themselves. When the match got underway, Blackpool found themselves a goal behind after five minutes. The Imps doubled their lead a minute before half-time. The players reluctantly came out for the second half as conditions got steadily worse. Most of the 1,500 spectators had decided that a warm seat by the fireside was infinitely more enjoyable than standing around a muddy field. Ten minutes after the restart, Blackpool scored their first-ever League goal, courtesy of a Charlie Mount free-kick. Blackpool could not find the equalising goal, however, and five minutes from time they conceded a third. The Athletic News reported that Blackpool had "a weakness in front of goal, plus a rather poor defence." On the pitch, too, Blackpool had begun to struggle. They finished the 1897–98 season in eleventh place and failed to make the first-round proper of the FA Cup. This came after moving to a new home, the Athletic Grounds in the town's present-day Stanley Park, as Raikes Hall required upgrading. The move was made without damaging their financial status too much; they announced a loss of only £441 2s 5½d, despite a reduction in admission prices. Blackpool's one season out of the Football League was only moderately successful, with their finishing in third place in the Lancashire League. However, at the League's annual meeting on 25 May 1900, they were able to regain a place in Division Two, along with Lancashire League champions Stockport County. The club's committee set about rebuilding the team in an attempt to cope with League football again. Notable signings included Joe Dorrington, a goalkeeper from Blackburn Rovers; Harold Hardman, a local schoolboy who played at outside-left but went on to bigger things at Everton and as a director at Manchester United; and Jack Parkinson, who had been the club's top scorer in their first season in the League, returned after a brief taste of First Division football with Liverpool. On his way out of the club was Jack Cox, who was sold to Liverpool for the large sum of £150. ==Early 20th century==

In their first season back in the League, the club attained a twelfth-placed finish despite suffering their record defeat; 10–1 at Small Heath. The referee blew the whistle for time four minutes early, with the score 9–1, and did not realise until the players had reached the dressing room and the crowd had all left. He took them out for the remaining four minutes, during which Small Heath scored a tenth goal. It was not all good news: a fire in the West Stand all but destroyed the structure, and a large outlay was needed for its reconstruction. The club's improvement continued into the 1920–21 season, with another promotion push; however, a poor run-in cost them. Their fourth-placed finish was viewed as a huge disappointment by the fans, particularly because the team had spent the majority of the campaign atop the table. They exited the FA Cup in the second round again, this time at the hands of non-League Southend United. On the goalscoring front, only one player broke into double figures: Heathcote, with 18. On 27 December 1920, in a League encounter at Barnsley, young full-back Horace Fairhurst received a blow to the head. He died at home eleven days later as a result of the injury. The 1921–22 season saw Blackpool flirt with relegation to the new Division Three North. They went into the final two games, both against West Ham, knowing that they had to take six points out of six to make safety. The Londoners were on the coattails of promotion, but Blackpool won both fixtures – 2–0 at Upton Park and 3–1 at Bloomfield Road seven days later – escaping the drop by a single point, at the expense of Bradford City and Bristol City. Blackpool struggled despite the fact that they had acquired the signature of goalscoring machine Harry Bedford from Nottingham Forest. Bedford would go on to emulate Joe Lane by scoring the majority of the team's goals over the following seasons. Also joining the club was Bert Baverstock from Bolton Wanderers, who was installed as captain, although an injury early on in his Blackpool career limited his appearances. Again, without a cup run to swell their finances, the club announced another loss, this time totalling £2,994, for the 1921–22 season. Nonetheless, the Bloomfield Road ground continued to be improved, with extra concrete added to the Spion Kop, increasing the overall capacity to 18,000. As the 1922–23 campaign drew to a close, the club found themselves in the running for promotion; however, three defeats in their final six games meant only a fifth-placed finish was achieved, largely as a result of Harry Bedford's 32 goals. After the final curtain came down, Bill Norman and his assistant, son-in-law Allan Ure, both moved to Leeds United. Ure returned to Bloomfield Road as trainer in 1928. Norman's ability to strengthen the team had been handicapped by a lack of funds, with the only real exception being the purchase of Harry White from Arsenal for £1,225. On the field, the team, without new blood, struggled. They spent most of the season fighting relegation, although Harry Bedford top-scored for the fourth consecutive season, with 28 goals in all competitions. Only the consistent Matt Barrass also reached double figures. In a bid to cut costs, the club decided against appointing another full-time manager. Instead, they gave the title of "honorary manager" to director Harry Evans. Evans went on to hold the position for five years. Despite another 40 goals from Jimmy Hampson in 1928–29, Blackpool could finish no higher than ninth. They were also embarrassed by Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup, losing 3–0 on the south coast. The side's inconsistency was exposed in October and November 1928 when they recorded successive League results of 1–4, 4–0, 2–8 and 7–0. Hampson scored five goals in the last game of the sequence, against Reading. There were a few additions to the squad, with the tough-tackling Scot Jimmy Hamilton joining from St Mirren, and goalkeeper Billy Mercer from Huddersfield Town. All in all, though, it had been another below-par campaign, and the pressure on the team to bring success to the town had become intense. ==League success==

It was said that the 1929–30 season would be a make-or-break one. The team held their nerve in the important run-in, including a victory at fellow title-challengers Oldham Athletic in front of a crowd of over 45,000. It was not concreted for quite some time, but it did increase the capacity to around 30,000. Despite their defensive frailties, the club escaped relegation, with Jimmy Hampson's 32 goals being enough to secure First Division football for at least one more season. Also, a "£10,000 goal" Watson replaced Billy Tremelling, who had moved to Preston North End. Walter Lax was brought in from Lincoln City, for whom he had scored 26 goals the previous season, plus Jack Everest from Rochdale, and a new goalkeeper, Alec Roxburgh. Blackpool avoided the drop by yet again winning the final two games of the season, against Huddersfield and Sheffield United. Again, Hampson was top scorer, with 24 goals in total, and FA Cup interest ended again in the third round. Season 1932–33, however, saw the club's luck run out. Hampson's goals had dried up by his own standards, with only eighteen to his name in the League, and Blackpool finished bottom of the table. After only three seasons in the top flight, they were relegated back to Division Two. Eric Longden returned to Hull City for a "nominal" fee, but tricky outside-right Alec Reid signed from Preston. Changes were afoot in the boardroom too, with no less than six long-standing directors resigning. Other signings included Danny Blair from Aston Villa, Frank Hill from Arsenal and Willie Cook from Bolton Wanderers. The twin strike-force of Hampson and Finan resulted in 44 goals, and with two other forwards – Dickie Watmough and Sammy Jones – also netting in the double-figures, Blackpool seemed a safe bet in Division One. His 252 goals in all competitions remains a Blackpool club record. On the field, Blackpool settled well into the First Division and finished in twelfth place. Among the players who were emerging in the team were George Farrow, a right-back signed from Bournemouth, and Jock Wallace, who was challenging Alec Roxburgh hard for the goalkeeper's jersey. New signings Frank O'Donnell and Willie Buchan, both from Celtic, each cost £10,000, but there were less expensive imports too, such as Eric Sibley and Malcolm Butler. For the 1938–39 season, Blackpool spent over £60,000 on new players, a huge amount for the era. At the outbreak of World War II, in September 1939, Blackpool sat atop the First Division after winning their opening three games. The team's good form continued through the non-competitive wartime period with the help of many guest players. In 1939–40, the first season of the wartime regional league, Blackpool finished third and reached the quarter-finals of the War Cup, assisted by the scoring feats of Jock Dodds. He netted thirty goals in eighteen league appearances, including seven in an 11–2 defeat of Oldham. Blackpool's guest players, who, as in World War I, found themselves stationed in the town, including Ronnie Dix (Tottenham) and Alex Stevenson (Everton). There was also an outside-right who was a regular England international and played club football for Stoke City. His name was Stanley Matthews, and he made regular appearances for Blackpool during the war years, teaming up with a promising youngster by the name of Stan Mortensen. For Blackpool as a club, one positive aspect of the war was the wiping-out of their bank overdraft, which stood at £33,704. With the armed forces requiring Bloomfield Road for various reasons, the rent paid by the War Office helped the club to become solvent once again. When peace returned to Europe, Blackpool found themselves in a stronger position than before the intervention of war, even with the sales of Jock Dodds to Shamrock Rovers and Hugh O'Donnell to Rochdale. Manager Joe Smith gathered around him some of the most talented footballers in the country, and with the help of Stan Mortensen's 28 goals, the team finished the 1946–47 season in fifth position, by far the highest final position that they had achieved up to that point. ==Matthews and Mortensen: the post-war years==

After the war, attendances at grounds across the country were booming, and Blackpool's attractive football appealed to local fans as they flocked to Bloomfield Road in their thousands. In the League, Blackpool finished ninth, but they made their first-ever trip to Wembley Stadium for an FA Cup Final against Manchester United. In the final, a highly competitive game saw them finally lose 4–2 after leading 2–1 at half-time. Stan Mortensen's goal, Blackpool's second, meant that he had scored in every round, a feat rarely achieved. Other new members included the amateur Bill Slater and Bill Perry. Out went goalkeeper Joe Robinson, who was unable to win back the number-one jersey from Farm, as well as Alex Munro, who retired, and Ron Suart, who joined Blackburn. 1950s Blackpool's success was reflected in the crowds they were drawing, both at home and at grounds all across England. Over 70,000 attended Everton's hosting of Blackpool at Goodison Park on 7 April 1950, although they were ultimately disappointed to discover that, as was the case in the corresponding fixture a year earlier, Stanley Matthews was injured and would not be playing. The club undertook a pre-season tour of Switzerland in May. They played St Gallen (won 2–0), Grasshoppers (won 4–3), a Geneva-Zürich XI (won 4–0) and a Basel-Zurich XI (lost 2–0). Offsetting the transfer fee, Ian McCall was sold to West Brom for £10,500. but Willie McIntosh and Bill Slater both left, to Stoke and Brentford, respectively. Stan Mortensen scored 26 League goals, although Stanley Matthews could manage only nineteen appearances due to injury. Now in high demand as an opponent, Blackpool visited Germany to face Essen (winning 2–1). The following season saw another push for the elusive League Championship, but an unfruitful Christmas period, during which only five points were procured from a possible fifty, contributed to a final position of sixth. New players had been added in the form of Jim Kelly from Watford for around £15,000, and Northern Irish international Johnny McKenna from Huddersfield Town. Leaving were John Crosland, who went to Bournemouth, George McKnight, bound for Chesterfield, and Jack Ainscough, who went into non-League football. In addition, Allan Brown was still recovering from his broken leg and also a cartilage injury, but Stan Mortensen continued to score goals. In the FA Cup, after three third-round replays against Luton Town, Cup holders Blackpool made it past West Ham in the fourth round, only to be knocked out in the fifth at Third-Division Port Vale by a 2–0 scoreline. A pre-season tour of Europe began in France in May 1954. To help celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Alsace Football Association, Blackpool played three friendlies. Firstly, they defeated Alsace 4–0, then followed with two draws, against 1. FC Saarbrücken and an Alsace Amateur XI. Fans had to wait another forty years before any ground modernisation got underway. In March 1957, Blackpool played a friendly against R.S.C. Anderlecht in Brussels. The match finished 2–2. The future appeared less bleak, however, with the emergence of a new scorer in the shape of Ray Charnley at centre-forward, but there were signs that the maestro himself, Stanley Matthews, was inevitably bowing to the passing years. One of the club's former players, Ron Suart, took over the reins for the 1958–59 campaign, and he had the unenviable task of continuing Smith's work. A quietly spoken, deep-thinking man, Chi Doy scored his first goal for the club against Sheffield Wednesday on 25 November 1961. The new League Cup competition provided little interest as Blackpool lost a replay to Leeds United at Bloomfield Road. The final proof that the golden days had ended for Blackpool Football Club came during the 1961–62 season, when Stanley Matthews returned to Stoke after fourteen years on the Lancashire coast. Despite the loss, Blackpool finished the season thirteenth. They also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup, in which they were beaten by Norwich City over two legs. The competition was still very much in its infancy, however; indeed there was no Wembley final to look forwards to. Ray Charnley scored thirty goals, and Graham Oates made his debut, but overall it was a quite undramatic campaign. ==References==