With the pending arrival of Blackpool Football Club I thought that I would try and find their very first visit to Deepdale.
It appears that when Preston North End were contesting the FA cup final of 1888 against West Bromwich Albion at the Oval in London, Blackpool were themselves playing in a cup final at Deepdale. It was the Lancashire Junior Cup final and they were playing Preston St. Joseph's. Obviously, the Blackpool management did not approve of the so called neutral venue, considering that they were playing a Preston-based team, but their protests were of no avail.
Trips were run from both Blackpool train stations and Fleetwood, with an estimated 2,000 fans taking advantage of the cheap one shilling fare. The reports say that they took Fishergate by storm in a jolly mood as they made their way to Deepdale.
Between 5,000 and 6,000 saw the following Blackpool eleven win the toss: L. Wright, T. Nelson, H. Parr, T. Parr, M. Hull, J. Schofield, W. Corry, G. McVittie (capt), W. Parkinson, J. Nelson & A. Bond. Former Preston North End goalkeeper, Billy Joy, was playing full-back for the St.Joseph's team.
Blackpool had the better start but St. Joseph's clawed their way back into the game and Smith scored after 35 minutes. Five minutes later he ballooned over from five yards out. Wright, the Blackpool goalkeeper had been kept busy and "was called upon several times to use his hands"!!
Trailing 0-1 at half-time Blackpool soon made amends and equalised within two minutes of the re-start, through Joseph Nelson. It was nip and tuck with both sides making chances but failing to convert them until 40 seconds from the end of the game. Tommy Parr launched a huge kick towards goal and the goalkeeper of St. Joseph's, Moses Hart, all 5'5" of him was barged out of the way as the ball flew in.
Blackpool had won the cup but St. Joseph's protested officially, through the correct channels, but to no avail. Besides being fouled, the goal was claimed to be offside and the game had gone 90 seconds over time. Controversy, there's nothing new in football. It was Blackpool's first season, being formed in 1887, and they had already won the Fylde Cup.
Blackpool's first game at Deepdale against Preston North End was on Thursday 29th September 1892. North End were First Division league leaders at the time whilst Blackpool played in the Lancashire League.
Because it was a friendly the admission price was reduced from 6d to 4d. The fixture was played on a 'lousy night' with the pitch ankle deep in mud. North End, expecting an easy game against their Lancashire neighbours, started at a rare old pace. Dave Russell, making his PNE debut, set up an easy chance for Gallacher in the opening minute, which was taken calmly, but confidently.
Blackpool, who seemed to like the heavy going, soon got into the game but squandered their chances until Tyrer equalised on 23 minutes. Left-winger Parkinson added another before half-time to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.
In the second half, Blackpool started as well as they had finished the first half, and had a 'goal' disallowed for offside. This particular let-off seemed to stir North End back into action and they stepped up a gear. Quite a number of shots were aimed at the visitor's goal, but stubborn defending kept North End out.
That was until the 57th minute when Frank Becton equalised from a goalmouth skirmish. Straight from the resultant kick-off North End's right wing set up Russell who unselfishly passed to Gallacher to score what proved to be the winning goal.
PNE: Trainer, Holmes, Ross, Drummond, Sanders, Stewart, Gordon, Becton, Russell, Cowan and Gallacher.
Blackpool: Wright, Bibby, H. Parr, F.Parr, Davey, Stirzaker, J. Parkinson, Tyrer, Marsden, Pittaway and K. Parkinson
Did you know?
Did you know that Blackpool, now nick amed "The Tangerines", originally played in blue and white stripes when they first entered The Football League? They also used to play in claret shirts and light blue shorts before changing to tangerine shirts and black shorts.
Did you know that PNE once beat Blackpool 6-4 at Deepdale in 1926? Three years later Blackpool gained revenge by winning 6-4 themselves, again here at Deepdale.
Did you know that PNE's centre-half & captain from the 1937 FA Cup final, Bill Tremelling, was a successful centre-forward in his Blackpool days? His best season was 1926-27 when he scored 30 goals in 26 appearances.
Did you know that Frank O'Donnell was capped for Scotland when with both PNE & Blackpool?
Did you know that Stanley Matthews' first two appearances in a Blackpool shirt were in war-time regional league games against Preston North End?
Did you know that Blackpool were top of the First Division when the Football League programme was abandoned upon the outbreak of World War Two?
Did you know that Blackpool's record attendance was against Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 1955? It was 38,098.
Did you know that Blackpool's attendance records against Preston North End are 36,264 at Bloomfield Road (1954-55) and 40, 809 at Deepdale (1951-52)?
Did you know that Preston North End Reserves record attendance is 23,605 versus Blackpool Reserves on 2nd May 1938?
Ian Rigby
