Blackpool vs Wigan Athletic | League One Preview
Wigan Athletic travel to Bloomfield Road on Monday night to take on Blackpool in game thirteen of our League One season.
Part One | An overview of our opponents. 🔎
Part Two | “Who to Watch” players. 👓
Part Three | What can we expect from this game? 🏟️
Wigan Athletic have lost back-to-back games for the second time this season, after losing against Charlton Athletic and Reading in the opening fixtures.
Under the lights of Bloomfield Road on Monday night, Shaun Maloney’s side have a good chance to get back to winning ways against a Blackpool side who have lost their last three games - most recently a 5-1 loss away at Peterborough United.
Three points would take our tally to 16 from 13 games and push us up to 16th position, leapfrogging Blackpool, Northampton Town, and Bristol Rovers.
Let’s see what we can expect from Monday’s game 👇
Blackpool FC
On the 26th of July 1887, a meeting chaired by Mr Samuel Bancroft at the Stanley Arms Hotel was the birthplace of Blackpool Football Club.
In their first campaign, Blackpool won both the Fylde Cup and the Lancashire Junior Cup. During their end-of-season meeting at the hotel, club president, Alderman John Bickerstaff, announced that the football club had made a profit of roughly £20, along with an additional £66 contributed through membership and subscription fees.
The 88/89 season saw the football club become increasingly popular amongst the town residents, with attendance averaging around 2000 per home game and profits ultimately tripling. It was at the end of this season that Blackpool became one of thirteen founding members of the Lancashire League 🤝
Blackpool finished fifth in their first season, before securing second place for the next three consecutive seasons behind Bury (90/91 & 91/92) and Liverpool (92/93). Finally, in the 93/94 season, Blackpool won the division 🏆
In May 1896, Blackpool FC became a limited company and applied for entry into the Football League. After failing in their initial application, they instantly reapplied and were successful, allowing them to compete in the 1896/97 season.
The Seasiders’ debut campaign saw them finish eighth with 31 points from 30 games, but they fell to 11th then 16th over the next two seasons and failed in their attempt to be re-elected into the Football League. In the 1899/00 season, the club returned to the Lancashire League. In December, Blackpool merged with locally based South Shore FC, and many of their players joined Blackpool. The club then moved to Bloomfield Road, the former home of South Shore.
Following a third-place finish in their return to the Lancashire League, Blackpool were re-elected into the Football League and remained in Division Two from the 1900/01 season until 1929/30. It was in this final campaign that Blackpool won the title and gained promotion to Division One. Jimmy Hampson scored 45 league goals, plus 1 in the FA Cup, and was the top goalscorer in England at this time. Hampson was the top scorer at the football club for eight consecutive seasons ⚽️
Blackpool finished 20th in their first two Division One seasons and were relegated following a 22nd-place finish a season later. Their setback would only last for four seasons, as they finished as runner-up in the 36/37 season and returned to the top flight.
The Tangerines remained a Division One side for thirty years, and in that time they were crowned FA Cup winners in the 52/53 season, FA Cup runners-up in 47/48 and 50/51, and Division One runners-up in 55/56. Stan Mortensen was their top scorer for ten consecutive seasons, scoring 227 in that time.
A 22nd-place finish in 1966/67 saw Blackpool return to Division Two, but this time it took them only three seasons to return after again being promoted as runners-up. However, another 22nd-place finish in their first season back condemned the club to another relegation.
Blackpool did see some success this season as they won the 1971 Anglo-Italian Cup which consisted of six sides from England and six from Italy. The Tangerines faced Verona and Roma twice in the group stage, picking up two wins and one draw to finish top of the English standings, and went on to beat Bologna 2-1 in the final on their own turf 🇮🇹
The next ten seasons were cruel to Blackpool, and they dropped two leagues over this period to end up in Division Four for the 81/82 season. The club were in serious financial difficulty due to a recent track record of poor spending, and the Blackpool Borough Council almost had to step in to help with a supermarket chain also looking at purchasing Bloomfield Road.
Blackpool’s circumstances almost got worse, as they finished 21st in Division Four in the 82/83 season. Thankfully, they were re-elected and allowed to remain in the Football League.
Following player sales and a turn in fortunes on the field, Blackpool secured a sixth-place finish followed by a second-place finish to return to Division Three. However, their bills continued to mount and Bloomfield Road became increasingly run-down due to poor maintenance. At the end of the 86/87 season, there were fears that Blackpool may fold.
The Seasiders enjoyed decent midtable finishes over the next three seasons and sold players such as Paul Stewart (to Manchester City), Craig Madden (to West Brom), Alex Dyer (to Hull City), and more in a bid to strengthen their finances. Then, in May 1988, Owen Oysten bought the football club for £1 to save it from bankruptcy and became Chairman, replacing Ken Chadwick.
Blackpool were relegated in the 89/90 season following a 23rd-place finish but reached the Play-Off Final as they looked for an instant bounce-back. Torquay United won the game 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw. The Seasiders responded well and reached the Play-Off Final again a season later where they beat Scunthorpe United 4-3 on penalties following a 1-1 draw 🙌
Back in the third tier, now known as Division Two after the formation of the Premier League in the summer of 1992, Blackpool climbed the table to third in the 1995/96 season and secured a Play-Off Semi-Final tie against Bradford City. The Bantams turned around a 2-0 deficit after the first leg to win 3-2 on aggregate.
The Tangerines had built up a reputation of bouncing back from adversity well, and ten months later they returned to the third tier after beating Leyton Orient 4-2 in the Play-Off Final 🏆
Over the next three seasons, Steve McMahon led Blackpool to two Football League Trophy titles after beating Cambridge 4-1 and Southend United 2-0 in the 01/02 and 03/04 Finals. The Seasiders then went on to win the 06/07 Play-Off Final against Yeovil Town to reach the Championship 📈
A further three seasons later, Blackpool won the 09/10 Play-Off Final with a 3-2 victory over Cardiff City to reach the Premier League with Ian Holloway at the wheel. A 4-0 away victory at Wigan Athletic in their first game gave the fans hope, but a 6-0 loss at Arsenal followed and instantly highlighted the reality of the fight ahead.
Despite doing the double over Liverpool, and going unbeaten against Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Stoke City, and Bolton Wanderers, Blackpool were relegated after finishing inside the drop zone, just 1 point and a -3 goal difference to Wolves. However, that season was one for the ages.
Blackpool experienced an extremely difficult next five campaigns, with serious problems arising under the Oyston ownership, and they dropped in table position each time until back-to-back relegations placed them in League Two for the 16/17 season. However, the four-time Play-Off Final champions struck again, and escaped the fourth tier at the first time of asking with a 2-1 victory over Exeter City at Wembley 🏆
In June 2019, the Owen Oyston era finally came to a close and the club was bought by Blackpool fan, Simon Sadler for £10m.
The supporters would not have to wait long for another Play-Off Final victory, as Neil Critchley led Blackpool to third place in the 2020/21 League One season, beat Oxford United 6-3 on aggregate in the Semi-Final, and then defeated Lincoln City 2-1 at Wembley thanks to a Kenny Dougall brace ⚽️⚽️
Critchley guided Blackpool to a 16th-place finish in their first season back in the Championship but left to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa at the end of the campaign. Michael Appleton took but lasted just 27 games as the Seasiders were three points adrift of safety following a run of one win in eleven games. Mick McCarthy took over but was sacked after nine losses in fourteen games and Stephen Dobbie was tasked with the interim manager role for the final six games but could not save them from relegation.
After finding out the grass is not always greener, Critchley returned to the club, much to the dismay of many Blackpool supporters who were not happy with the way he left. However, last season was a decent campaign for Blackpool who finished 8th in League One and kept 18 clean sheets.
In preparation for this season, Critchley bid farewell to; Daniel Grimshaw (GK to Plymouth Argyle), Marvin Ekpiteta (CB to Hibernian), Callum Connolly (RB/CM to Stockport County), Luke Mariette (CM to Flint Town), Matty Virtue (CM to Fleetwood Town), and Shayne Lavery (ST to Cambridge United) 👋
Critchley then welcomed; Harry Tyrer (GK on loan from Everton), Dan Sassi (CB on loan from Rochdale), Elkan Baggott (CB on loan from Ipswich Town), Odeluga Offiah (CB on loan from Brighton), Zac Ashworth (LB from West Brom), Hayden Coulson (LB from Middlesbrough), Lee Evans (CM from Portsmouth), Josh Onomah (CM from ‘Free Agent’), Elliot Embleton (CAM from Sunderland), Ashley Fletcher (ST from Watford), and Jordan Rhodes (ST from Huddersfield Town) ✍️
After a 2-1 loss to newly-promoted Crawley Town on opening day and a 3-0 defeat at home against another newly-promoted team, Stockport County, Critchley was sacked after two games. Richard Keogh then stepped in as interim manager for two matches, managing to draw both games while the club searched for a new manager.
In a surprise announcement, Steve Bruce took charge of the club on September 3rd and led Blackpool to four consecutive wins and a draw. However, following a 2-0 loss at Mansfield Town and in preparation for the Barnsley game, Bruce learned of the tragic passing of his baby grandson and has stepped away from the club for now. My thoughts are with the Bruce family.
Overall this season, Blackpool have won 4, drawn 3, and lost 5, scoring 19, conceding 23, and keeping just 2 clean sheets. They sit 18th in the league with 15 points.
At Bloomfield Road, which is where this game will be held, the Seasiders have won 2, drawn 2, and lost 2, scoring 9, conceding 9, and keeping 1 clean sheet. They sit 18th in the home form table.
Blackpool Last 5 League One Results
Blackpool 3 - 0 Burton Albion
⚽ Goals: O. Offiah (19’), R. Apter (50’), L. Evans (75’)
Blackpool 1 - 1 Lincoln City
⚽ Goal: K. Joseph (74’)
Mansfield Town 2 - 0 Blackpool
Blackpool 1 - 2 Barnsley
⚽ Goal: O. Casey (68’)
Peterborough United 5 - 1 Blackpool
⚽ Goal: K. Joseph (27’)
Steve Agnew will be in charge while Bruce is away from the touchline, and he has a very capable squad of players at his disposal. Here are my top three ones to watch 👇
Kyle Joseph (#9, Forward, Age: 23, joined on July 12th 2023 from Swansea City)
Former Wigan Athletic Academy graduate, Kyle Joseph, is playing football at his fourth club since leaving Latics in the summer of 2021.
After joining Swansea City, Joseph spent time on loan at Cheltenham Town and Oxford United before signing a permanent deal with Blackpool last summer.
Joseph featured 30 times under Neil Critchley last season, scoring 1 goal and providing 5 assists in an underwhelming first season for the Tangerines.
However, the Scottish forward is now enjoying his career-best start to a League One season with 6 goals and 1 assist in 12 appearances. At Oxford United in the 22/23 season, Joseph netted 5 times and provided 1 assist in the same amount of games.
Eleven of his sixteen shots have been on target this season, with all six of his goals coming from open play in the centre of the penalty area. Joseph has decent pace, and a strong shot, but can also score from deft touches. Latics cannot switch off when trying to defend him.
Lee Evans (#7, Centre Midfield, Age: 30, joined on July 8th 2024 from Portsmouth)
Another former Wigan Athletic player who is enjoying a successful season for the Tangerines is 30-year-old midfielder, Lee Evans.
The EFL veteran is closing in on 300 appearances across the second and third tiers and has three League One titles to his name - 13/14 with Wolves, 17/18 with Wigan Athletic, and 23/24 with Porstmouth.
The former Welsh international has been at the heart of everything good for Blackpool this season and tops the assist charts with 5 in 11 games. Evans has also made the most ‘Key Passes’ - a pass that leads to a shot but not a goal - in the division (41), completed the most long balls (110/178), and has won the most ground duels (49/77) in a Blackpool shirt.
Two of Evans’ assists have come directly from free kicks delivered from the right side of the midfield, and two are from corners. His remaining assist was also from the right side of the midfield, but in open play, showing that the midfielder can affect the game in a range of ways.
Evans was suspended for the Peterborough United game, due to accumulating 5 yellow cards, and it was clear that Blackpool were not as effective in the game as they likely would have been with the midfield leader involved.
Rob Apter (#25, Midfielder, Age: 21, Academy product who signed a professional deal in July 2021)
Liverpool-born midfielder, Rob Apter, joined Blackpools Academy from Tranmere in June 2019 and has had to wait a long time to make his step up to regular first-team action for the Tangerines.
Apter was sent back to Tranmere on loan last season and featured in 37 League Two matches. After scoring twelve goals and assisting six more, it is no wonder that he has featured in every game so far for Blackpool this season.
While the midfielder’s underlying stats are not incredibly impressive, he is a solid player for Blackpool, and the eye test will show the excellent effort he puts in every game. If you give Apter space, he will make plays happen quickly in the middle of the park.
Despite being poor in the air, winning just 1 of his 12 aerial duels, Apter has won 46/95 ground duels (2nd best at Blackpool) and made 18 successful tackles. He has also made 9 key passes (4th best at Blackpool) and won the September Goal of the Month award for an excellent solo goal against Burton Albion.
Wigan’s midfield must be prepared for the energy Apter will bring.
Blackpool have had a roller coaster of a season so far, and their inconsistency makes this game a hard one to know what to expect. After two losses against newly-promoted sides, they went seven games unbeaten with four of those wins, but are now on a three-game losing streak where they have conceded nine goals in that time.
Now that Lee Evans is back involved after his one-game suspension, I have worries about his ability to unlock defences and deliver excellent set pieces given Latics’ poor defensive work over the last two games. Admittedly, our defensive performance against Mansfield was much better than against Cambridge, but we cannot see the same mistakes again if we expect to leave Bloomfield Road with a point or three.
With Luke Chambers out, most likely for the season, we can expect to see Steven Sessegnon keep his place at LB with James Carragher, Toby Sibbick, or Calvin Ramsay at RB. I wouldn’t swap either of Jason Kerr or Will Aimson.
Jensen Weir is also likely to remain out of the squad due to his ankle injury, but I would like to see Matt Smith and Tyrese Francois start in our midfield. Baba Adeeko is always a strong option to choose, but with the lack of pace in the Blackpool side I feel Francois can be much more effective at moving the ball in between the lines and linking the attack.
For our front four, I would like to see Olakigbe on the left, Aasgaard in the middle, Rankine on the right, and Taylor up top. I chose the latter over Hugill because I prefer his hold-up and link-up play, which can effectively involve the wingers more. I feel this could exploit Blackpool's defence due to their lack of pace.
Whichever way Maloney sets us up, Latics have to be much better in front of goal as we now have had the lowest amount of shots on target in the division, with just 37 of our 125 shots troubling the keeper or contributing to our 10 goals. Blackpool are fifth in the league for shots (165) and shots on target (58), so we will have to be prepared for what they can bring.
That said, I am feeling good for another ‘shock’ result like we got in the Bristol Rovers game. Sky TV, Monday night, under the lights of Bloomfield Road, yeah… a shock result sounds about right to me 😅
👕 Starting XI Prediction: Tickle, Carragher, Kerr, Aimson, Sessegnon, Francois, M Smith, Rankine, Aasgaard, Olakigbe, Taylor
⚽ Score Prediction: Blackpool 1 - 3 Wigan Athletic
Up the Tics 🔵⚪️
🙌 Thank you for reading!
✍🏼 Charlie Keegan / Central Wigan
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