Blackpool FC Reserves news thread

[Bispham Seasider]

And oddly enough tomorrow is the reverse fixture with the Reserves facing PKE at home. Kick-off 7pm at Highbury Avenue stadium, Fleetwood. Blackpool are expected to include Matthew Gilks, Joe Martin, Alex John-Baptiste and Stuart Green in their line up.

Good news that Martin is back playing.

[Bispham Seasider]

Team news

Striker Daniel Nardiello is set to start what will be only his second game in a tangerine shirt tonight after his summer signing. He will be looking to do well this evening and be able to work his way into contention for the first team on Saturday against Barnsley, the club where he really made his name. Joe Martin also makes a welcome return to action. And Alex John-Baptiste comes back after his one match ban.

The Reserves under Steve Thompson are looking to get their first points of the season and make amends for the dreadful showing last week.

'Pool line up

Matthew Gilks
Ross Lloyd
Joe Martin
Alex John-Baptiste
Ashley Eastham
Matty Kay
Dominic Merella
Daniel Nardiello
Lewis Almond
Stuart Green
Billy McKenna

So a line-up that is nowhere near as strong as that which lost 7-1 last week, just hope they can perform better. No idea what is happening with Michael D'Agostino at present as he hasn't featured at all for the last few weeks.

[Bispham Seasider]

Blackpool 2 PKE 0

The Reserves won their first match of the season with goals from Daniel Nardiello and Dominic Merella.

Before the match, and with seven of the starting 11 involved in last weeks debacle at Bamber Bridge, the coach Steve Thompson's pre-match talk consisted of standing in the middle of the dressing room with a piece of paper on which was written "Preston 7 Blackpool 1" :D

It seemed to work then! Just like last week, and in front of a decent crowd at Fleetwood, Blackpool took the lead after twenty minutes with Nardiello scoring after a ball from Merella.

Unlike last week however, PKE didn't get to score a goal. Their keeper was stratchered off late in the first half with a suspected broken leg. Blackpool continued to dominate in the second half and their deserved second goal came on 54 minutes when Merella scored after good build up by Nardiello and Ross Lloyd.

Hopefully a sign of things to come with Nardiello, scoring two minutes into the game, a repeat on Saturday wouldn't go amiss!

[Bispham Seasider]

The Reserves take on Morecambe tomorrow, 24th September, at Christie Park, kick-of 7pm in the league.

Blackpool are expected to field a strong line-up with Matthew Gilks, Joe Martin, Alex John-Baptiste, Marlon Broomes and Alan Gow.

Full team news is expected tomorrow morning.

[Bispham Seasider]

Blackpool include four of the summer signings in tonights line-up at Morecambe, Matthew Gilks, Joe Martin, Alex John-Baptiste and Marlon Broomes with young Canadian winger Michael D'Agostino also featuring as well as Dominic Merella who has really impressed in the Reserves this season. The rest of the team and subs bench is made up of Youth team players.


Matthew Gilks
Ross Lloyd
Joe Martin
Alex John-Baptiste
Marlon Broomes
Matty Kay
Michael D'Agostino
Jake Hobbs
Lewis Almond
Ben Fishwick
Dominic Merella

Subs
Kieran D'Arcy
Josh Newsham
Ashley Eastham
Billy McKenna
Mark Halstead

[Bispham Seasider]

Morecambe 1 Blackpool 3, attendance 149

Our goals came from Michael D'Agostino (about time too!) and a brace from Jake Hobbs.

Goals
D'Agostino 19mins
Hobbs 60 mins
Hobbs 73 mins

No idea who scored for the Shrimps.

[Bispham Seasider]

On the same evening that the first team travel to London to take on QPR, the Reserves are up in Carlisle, kick-off 7pm. And the good news is that striker Stephen McPhee is back in action. In the side will be Zesh Rehman who has been a regular in the first team squad, on the bench. However, under the terms of his loan deal from QPR he is not allowed to play against them. Also due to play at Michael D'Agostino, Matty Kay and Joe Martin.

[Bispham Seasider]

The match was on Monday evening....... Oh wel.

Carlisle United 5 Blackpool 2

A youthful and relatively inexperienced Blackpool team, which included the Yoth team 'keeper, shipped three goals in the first half and went in 3-1 down. Carlisle added two more in the 2nd half. The Seasiders goals came from Ben Fishwich and Lewis Almond.

The only players with first team experience in the side were Stephen McPhee who was making his return from long term injury, Joe Martin (who has played in 3 first team games), Zesh Rehman (who has made 3 sub appearances for the first team - but who has played a lot for other clubs) and Matty Kay who has a handfl of first team games the last of which was about three years ago!) So it was more like a Blackpool Youth team!

The 'Pool line-up was

Mark Halstead
Ross Lloyd
Joe Martin
Matty Kay
Ashley Eastham
Zeshan Rehman
Michael D'Agostino
Stephen McPhee
Jake Hobbs
Ben Fishwick
Dominic Merella

subs -
Billy McKenna
Lewis Almond
Bill Breakall
Foster (don't know his first name)
Kieran D'Arcy

Of course the return of Stephen McPhee is good news, and hopefully he will ind his shooting boots soon too.

[Bispham Seasider]

The Reserves are in action on Wednesday 15th October, at home to Burnley in the league. And young striker Danny Mitchley is due to make his long awaited comeback from injury. He scored over 30 goals last season before getting a foot injury in February and hasn't played since then. Blackpool again field a very young and inexperience side with only Joe Martin and Matty Kay with any first team experience with Blackpool (and not much between either of them either, with Martin playing in two games and Kays appearances came at least two years ago!)

Most of the team is basically the Youth team.

Pool line-up

Mark Halstead
Ross Lloyd
Alex John-Baptiste
Ashley Eastham
Joe Martin
Dominic Merella
Matty Kay
Ben Fishwick
McKenna
Danny Mitchley
Jake Hobbs

Subs (from)
Kieran D'Arcy
Bill Breakall
(the rest I don't know their first names.)
Abbott
Lewis Almond
Bradley
Forshaw
Potts
Rooney
Wood

[Bispham Seasider]

Apparently the Reserves lost 2-1 which is hardly surprising considering it was more or less a Blackpool Youth team, so not a bad result at all really! No official word as yet though.

[Bispham Seasider]

Just to confirm, the score was 2-1 to Burnely in front of a crowd of 100+. Matty Kay scored for Blackpool, and it would seem they made a good account of themselves up against a Burnley reserve team that included a number of first team squad players.

[Bispham Seasider]

The home match against Accrington Stanley Reserves on Wednesday 29th October will be played at Bloomfield Road rather than Highbury stadium in Fleetwood.

Kick-off is 7pm with adult admission costing just £2 and free for under-18s with all Season Ticket Holders also getting free admission.

[Bispham Seasider]

Blackpool 1 Accrington Stanley 1

A strong reserves team, which included four of the subs from the first teams match against Cardiff City the previous evening, were held to a 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road on Wednesday at Ice Station Bloomfield....

Blackpool took the lead early on through defender Marlon Broomes but despite the Seasiders having most of the possession they failed to capitalise and conceded an equaliser mid-way through the second half.

Blackpool team -

Matthew Gilks
Marlon Broomes
Zeshan Rehman
Joe Martin
Stuart Green
David Fox
Ashton Bayliss
Danny Mitchley
Dominic Merella

Subs -
Mark Halstead
Ben Fishwick
Ashley Eastham
Jake Hobbs
Billy McKenna

[Art Vandaley]

Looks like we are loaning Merella. Here is the story: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_4458446,00.html

[Bispham Seasider]

Odd thing is that Merella is still here, despite the Sky Sports story, and him being linked with at least three League clubs. He is included in the Reserves team this afternoon, so maybe there will be scouts having a look at him with a view to a loan deal.

The reserves travel to Newchurch in East Lancashire tomorrow to take on Rochdale's reserves, who play their home matches at Dark Lane, which is Rossendale United's home ground.

Blackpool include two triallists in what is basically the Youth team plus a couple of first team squad members.

Mark Halstead
Alex John-Baptiste
Joe Martin
Ashley Eastham
Triallist
Stuart Green
Triallist
Danny Mitchley
Dominice Merella
Ben Fishwick
Michael D'Agostino

Subs (from)
Lewis Almond
Rooney (*)
Forshaw (*)
Kieran D'Arcy
Bill Breakall
Foster (*)

(*)These three, their first names aren't known.

[Bispham Seasider]

The match result has come in pretty quick to say the least -

Rochdale 2 Blackpool 2

As expected Blackpool fielded a youthful team, with their goals coming from Danny Mitchley (no surprise really and great to see him back scoring) with substitute Lewis Almond scoring the second. Also as expected the game was watched by a host of scouts and managers and even former managers!

Dale twice took the lead, scoring their first after 25 minutes through Andy Brown. Then just before half-time Mitchley scored the 'Pool equaliser, heading home from a well taken free-kick. Dale restored their lead six minutes into the 2nd half with with Brown this time providing the cross for a Joe Reidy flying header. Almost immediately though Blackpool were again level with Michael D'Agostino providing a perfect cross from the by-line for Almond to score.

With all the scouts and managers there, maybe a loan deal for Merella cold be imminent. No information yet though on the triallists.

[Bispham Seasider]

Finally the Reserves have a match!

They travel to the Wirral tonight to take on Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park. Blackpool include "two young triallists who are currently with a Premier League club". No news about who they are or what club.

New signing Ian Harte is in the squad with just two other first teamers - David Vaughan and Claus Jorgenson plus Marlon Broomes who has hardly featured all season in the first team.

Blackpool from -

Mark Halstead
Ross Lloyd
Ian Harte
Ashton Bayliss
Marlon Broomes
Dominic Merella
Triallist
David Vaughan
Claus Jorgenson
Jake Hobbs
Triallist
Lewis Almond
Ben Fishwick
Billy McKenna
Ashley Eastham
Ralston (first name not known)
Bill Breakall
Kieran D'Arcy

[Bispham Seasider]

Tranmere Rovers 2 Blackpool 3

No match report yet.

[Bispham Seasider]

The next scheduled reserves match is at home to Morecambe Reserves on Wednesday 7th January 2009.

Going back to the Tranmere Rovers match, two of the goals were scored by Jack Brierly a young triallist from Blackburn Rovers Academy. Not sure if he is still on trial with the Seasiders though.

[Bispham Seasider]

The reserve game at home to Morecambe tomorrow will have a pitch inspection at 1pm tomorrow at Highbury Avenue, Fleetwood to see if the game can go ahead or not due to the icy weather which today saw temperatures stay below freezing all day. Cant see the game going ahead as Fleetwood's home game last Saturday was called off, and it has got colder and more icy since then.