Pre-season games

[Bispham Seasider]

Pre-season matches start this Saturday at Fleetwood Town where there is a reduced capacity of 1,500. Last season this now annual fixture attracted about 2,500+ so should be a sell out for Fleetwood.

On Sunday the squad fly out to Latvia for a shorter visit than the last two years, where they play two matches in two days against two Virsliga clubs. They then fly back to England and play Welsh club Wrexham, who were relegated out of the Football League last season and will play in the Conferene National in the 2008-09 season. After that there is another ten days where the club were supposedly going to Northern Ireland to play in a mini-tournament but there has been no news about that for quite a while now so I can only presume that trip is off. Then the only pre-season match at Bloomfield Road is the visit of Scottish Premier League club St.Mirren by which time hopefully there will be the start of the South Stand arising! And then on 2nd August a trip to League One club Tranmere Rovers in Birkenhead.

Fixtures -

Saturday 12th July - Fleetwood Town
Monday 14th July - FK Jurmula
Tuesday 15th July - Skonto FC
Saturday 19th July - Wrexham
Tuesday 29th July - St. Mirren
Saturday 2nd August - Tranmere Rovers

[Dynamogal]

Will any of these be broadcast (radio) via the internet?

[Bispham Seasider]

I doubt it really with them being pre-season games.

The Fleetwood match will be covered by local radio but only with reports from the match every now and then. The two games in Latvia, there might be (if we are lucky) a match tracker on the Blackpool Gazette website! If I find out anything though I will post it.

Seems like there will be a few 'Pool fans in Latvia. Last year there were about 25 who went out. This year it seems there will be at least 50.

[Dynamogal]

I doubt it really with them being pre-season games.

The Fleetwood match will be covered by local radio but only with reports from the match every now and then. The two games in Latvia, there might be (if we are lucky) a match tracker on the Blackpool Gazette website! If I find out anything though I will post it.

Seems like there will be a few 'Pool fans in Latvia. Last year there were about 25 who went out. This year it seems there will be at least 50.

Are you going? If you do, post some pictures!

[Bispham Seasider]

I wish! Does seem though likely there are quite a few more going this season.

The Latvian football season is ongoing as it is run through the summer months.

The first match in Latvia is on Monday evening (I think they are two hours ahead of the UK) against FK Jurmala in the seaside resort of Jurmala, which is not far from Riga, at the 5,000 capacity Slokas stadion which is apparently like an atheltics stadium with a track round the pitch.

FK Jurmala were only founded in 2003. In their first season in the second tier of Latvian football, they finished in first place and so were promoted to the Virsliga the top flight in Latvia.

Goalkeeper Pavels Steinbors who spent part of last season on loan at Blackpool from Jurmala is now back with them and may well play.

The second match is on Tuesday evening against Skonto FC, who are one of the main clubs in Latvia and who beat Blackpool 4-0 (or could have been 4-1?) last year when they used their reserve team in the 1st half and only used their 1st team in the 2nd half! The match also saw Ian Evatt sent off, and the ref agreeing to allow Blackpool to replace him which they did bringing on Kaspars Gorkss!! Having a player sent off in a pre-season friendly is pretty stupid but also perhaps shows that both clubs took the game seriously and no doubt the Blackpool players will want to make amends for last years result. Their most famous current player is striker Marians Pahars who played for Southampton from 199 to 2006 and who has made about 70 international appearances for Latvia.

Founded in 1991, Skonto won the Latvian championship 14 seasons in a row up to 2004, and in 2005 finished in second place.

The match will take place at the 10,000 capacity Skonto stadion in Riga, which is also home to the Latvia national team.

[Bispham Seasider]

Fleetwood vs Blackpool

Blackpool line up

Matthew Gilks
Shaun Barker
Joe Martin
Keith Southern
Ashton Bayliss
Marlon Broomes
Michael D'Agostino
Stephen McPhee
David Fox
Ben Burgess
A Triallist

Blackpool went 1-0 up in the third minute

[Bispham Seasider]

Now 2-0. Ben Burgess scoring the 'Pools second goal. Still no idea who scored the first goal though.

[Bispham Seasider]

Half time score Fleetwood Town 0 Blackpool 2

Presumably there will be a number of substitutions come the second half.

[Bispham Seasider]

Jamie Milligan scored a penalty for Fleetwood to make the score 1-2.

[Bispham Seasider]

The attendance is being reported on Fleetwood Towns Cod Army message board as being 1,462.

That is a lot less than in the last two seasons. Pretty sure there was about 2,500 there last season and over 3,000 the year before when I last went to this fixture. But Fleetwood did announce it would be restricted to 1,500 today because of buliding work at their Highbury Avenue ground. They are building two new stands.

[Bispham Seasider]

Final score 2-1.

[Bispham Seasider]

The second half of the match was described as being quiet. No wonder really as Blackpool changed the entire team, and only had two players who were regulars in the first team last season (Evatt and Rachubka) with a mixture of triallists and youngsters. There again the first half we only had four first teamers from last season on the pitch!

The first half team (slightly amended from above)

Matthew Gilks

Shaun Barker
Ashton Bayliss
Marlon Broomes
Joe Martin

Michael D'Agostino
Keith Southern
David Fox
A Triallist

Stephen McPhee
Ben Burgess
--------------
Second half team

Paul Rachubka

Matty Kay
Alex John-Baptiste
Ian Evatt
Ross Lloyd

A Triallist
Jermaine Wright
A Triallist
Dominic Merella

Stuart Green
A Triallist

[Dynamogal]

Good start for the pre-season and a good showing for all the new players. Hope this keeps up for the Latvian matches.

[Bispham Seasider]

Jurmala 1 Blackpool 1

Blackpools first match in Latvia ended all square. Again Blackpool had two teams (well nearly as two players played the full 90 minutes - youngsters Michael D'Agostino and Dominic Merella. Both goals came in the second half and Blackpool had Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Stephen Crainey, Matty Kay and Joe Martin all out with injuries.

First half team -

Paul Rachubka

Alex John-Baptiste
Ian Evatt
Shaun Barker
Marlon Broomes

Michael D'Agostino
Keith Southern
David Fox
Dominic Merella

Ben Burgess
Stephen McPhee

Second half team -

Matthew Gilks

Ross Lloyd
Ashton Bayliss
Triallist
Triallist

Michael D'Agostino
Stuart Green
Jermaine Wright
Dominic Merella

Claus Bech-Jorgensen
Steve Kabba

Former 'Pool loanee keeper Pavels Steinbors played in goal for Jurmala who took the lead in the second half from the penalty spot after Stuart Green had upended Vladimirs Helniks, and the penalty kick was converted by Artjoms Kuznecovs. However, Blackpool equalised in the 90th minute with a header from one of the triallists (who Radio Lancashire reported as being Lithuanian).

The Blackpool FC match report was glowing about Jurmala's Argentine striker Cristian Torres who also played the full match.

[Dynamogal]

Oh no - Joe Martin is injured already?? How bad is it? :(

[Dynamogal]

...and yes, good job getting the tie!

[Bispham Seasider]

Martin isn't supposed to be a serious injury apparently. It was a hip injury.

More from yesterday's game - the two triallists have been confirmed as a Macedonian defender and a Lithuanian (who seems to have been a defender I think) who scored Blackpool's goal and also got booked. From comments made by some 'Pool fans in Latvia (there were apparently 64 of them at the match with a few more expected in Riga for todays match against Latvian league leaders Skonto) the Lithuanian, despite scoring, didn't impress but the Macedonian did. Of course that was fans views and often can be totally different from the managers!!

There are some pictures on the BFC official site - not from the match but from training and from a match between a team from Valeri Belokon's Baltic International Bank and BFC staff. There is also a daily blog from club secretary Matt Williams. The pictures also show Shaun Barker in a very fetching white headband........ :eek:

Some pictures from the 1st half on a Latvian website here -

http://www.parsport.lv/f/resources/articles/10822/l/dsc_2292.jpg

[Bispham Seasider]

Skonto 4 Blackpool 0

http://www.parsportu.lv/articles/0/10861/

For the second year running Skonto scored four against Blackpool, and also for the second year running a Blackpool player got sent off and the referee allowed another player to replace him!!

Unlike the previous two pre-season games, Blackpool did not field two different teams in each half.

Matthew Gilks

Shaun Barker
Ian Evatt
Marlon Broomes
Alex John-Baptiste

Stuart Green
Keith Southern
Jermaine Wright
David Fox

Steve Kabba
Stephen McPhee

Subs -

Paul Rachubka
Olegs Baikovs
Claus Jorgensen
Ben Burgess
Ross Lloyd
Ashton Bayliss
Michael D'Agostino
Dominic Merella
Dariuss (!)

Stephen McPhee was the 'Pool player sent off apparently in amongst a load of shoving and pushing, a Skonto player was also sent off. And the referee allowed both clubs to replace each player. Blackpool brought on Dominic Merella - who the day before had played the full 90 minutes of the match against Jurmala. But it is surely madness to get sent off in a meaningless friendly, especially when it was after just FIVE minutes, and even more so when it was the first time McPhee and Kabba had played up front together and so denied Simon Grayson of the chance to see how they played together. Idiot.

Blackpool again included the two triallists, this time with both their first names being given and one named in full by Skono on their official website. Olegs Baikovs is a 6ft 3in 24 year old Latvian defender who has played for Latvia at Under-21 level. He played for FK Riga in Latvia and then in Lithuania for FK Vetra Vilnius before moving to Macedonia to play for Vardar Skopje. There is no news yet aas to whether he is being considered for signing with the 'Pool.

Other than that though, we lost 4-0. Not that the result matters as it was more a training exercise. Skonto are one of the best teams in Latvia and are in the middle of their league season, in which they are in first place. Surprisingly they fielded a full strength team which included Marian Pahars - who scored their second goal.

The squad fly back to England tomorrow, and on Saturday face Wrexham away. By then there may well be 1 or 2 new players in the squad.

[Bispham Seasider]

Wrexham 0 Blackpool 0

Blackpool were held to a 0-0 draw in North Wales, against a Wrexham side who had, despite being relegated out of the Football League last season to the Conference National, had so far in pre-season beaten Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 and drawn with Tranmere Rovers.

Blackpool included two triallists in their squad, but new signing Adam Hammill was not inlcuded. Still out with injuries were Joe Martin, Stephen Crainey, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Danny Coid.

The two triallists are said to have been John Halls a 26 year old defender who was released by Reading following their relegation from the Premier League, and experienced centre back, 32 year old Darren Powell, who was released by Southampton at the end of last season. However, Powell apparently did not feature according to reports as he was injured in the warm up and Shaun Barker replaced him in the starting line-up.

Simong Grayson also chose to start with a 4-3-3 line-up rather than 4-4-2.

Starting line up

Paul Rachubka

Triallist (apparently John Halls)
Alex John-Baptiste
Shaun Barker
Marlon Broomes

Jermaine Wright
Keith Southern
Stuart Green

Stephen McPhee
Steve Kabba
Ben Burgess

At the start of the second half Matthew Gils replaced Rachubka and David Fox came on for the triallist, meaning Jermaine Wright switched to defence and Fox slotted into the midfield. The only other substitutions made were Dominic Merella for Stuart Green and Michael D'Agostino for Ben Burgess on 77 minutes.

Unused subs - Ashton Bayliss and Ross Lloyd.

Whilst it is still just another warm up exercise the match perhaps did highlight how weak the squad is in depth with a subs bench that included 4 youngsters, and Fox who hardly featured last season.

Attendance - 1,515 with 133 Blackpool fans.

Next up should have been the Northern Ireland trip. Instead though there is now a ten day gap until the only home game of pre-season against Scottish Premier League outfit St.Mirren. Maybe the club will be trying to arrange at least one match in the meantime, perhaps a behind-closed-doors practice match.

[Bispham Seasider]

Looks like Blackpool will be playing two games in Northern Ireland after all, though there is still nothing as yet on the 'Pool official site but both games are listed on the clubs websites (Ballymena United FC and Bangor FC).

Thursday 24th July - Ballymena United FC
see http://www.ballymenaunitedfc.com/home.htm (http://www.ballymenaunitedfc.com/home.htm)

Ballymena United will play in the new 12 team IFA Premiership in Northern Ireland in the 2008-09 season, having finished sixth last season. Home ground is The Showgrounds with a capacity of 8,000 in Ballymena, County Antrim. Ballymena is an inland town 28 miles north-west of Belfast.

Saturday 26th July - Bangor FC, kick off 1pm
see http://www.bangorfc.com/index2.asp (http://www.bangorfc.com/index2.asp)

Bangor will play in the new 12 team IFA Premiership in Northern Ireland in the 2008-09 season, despite finishing only 3rd in 2007-08 in the IFA Intermediate League First Division (the second tier in NI football). Home ground is Clandeboye Park, capacity 4,000 in Bangor, County Down a seaside resort on the north east coast, 13 miles east of Belfast city centre. The club's nickname is also "The Seasiders". Bangor have described it as "The Clash of The Seasiders".