Blackpool F.C.

1896–97 season
Manager	None
Second Division	8th
FA Cup	Fifth round qualifying
Top goalscorer	League: Jack Parkinson (12) All: Jack Parkinson (14)
Highest home attendance	5,000 vs Newton Heath, 17 October 1896, Second Division 5,000 vs Grimsby Town, 1 January 1897, Second Division 5,000 vs Darwen, 16 April 1897, Second Division[lower-roman 1]
Lowest home attendance	1,000 v. Woolwich Arsenal, 4 January 1897, Second Division 1,000 vs Walsall, 13 February 1897, Second Division[lower-roman 1]
Average home league attendance	2,833[lower-roman 1]
Home colours

The 1896–97 season was Blackpool F.C.'s debut season in the Football League. They competed in the sixteen-team Division Two, then the second tier of English football, finishing eighth.

Jack Parkinson was the club's top scorer, with fifteen goals to his name. Tommy Bowman, William Douglas and Bob Norris were ever-present during the club's 30 league games.

Season review

Blackpool's first game in the Football League took place on 5 September 1896, at Lincoln City's Sincil Bank. The visitors' starting eleven that day was: William Douglas, Henry Parr (captain), Tommy Bowman, Alex Stuart, Harry Stirzaker, Bob Norris, John Clarkin, Sam Donnelly, Jack Parkinson, Bob Parkinson and Charlie Mount. Mount scored Blackpool's first League goal, but they slipped to a 3–1 defeat.

A week later, Blackpool travelled to Darwen and chalked up their first victory, 3–2.

On 19 September, Burton Wanderers were the first visitors to Raikes Hall for a Football League game, and they returned whence they came with a 5–0 defeat behind them.

For the final game of September, the Seasiders hosted Manchester City. The match finished 2–2.

Another road trip ensued, on 3 October, to Leicester Fosse. The Midlanders took both points with a 2–1 victory.

After a fortnight's break, Blackpool welcomed North-West neighbours Newton Heath to Raikes Hall. The home side ran out 4–2 winners.

The following week, at Burton Swifts, Blackpool drew 2–2.

November began with a trip to Manchester City. The host won 4–2.

Lincoln City travelled to the Lancashire coast on 14 November, and Blackpool recorded their first win for a month. Bob Birkett, on his debut and in his only appearance of the season, scored Blackpool's first goal in a 3–1 victory.

Two weeks later, Notts County were the visitors, and Blackpool were the victors for the second consecutive game, this time with a 3–2 result.

Blackpool didn't play again until a 19 December visit to Woolwich Arsenal. They lost 4–2.

On Boxing Day, Blackpool travelled to Newton Heath and lost 2–0 in what appears to be, at around 10,000, the largest crowd of the season in a game involving Blackpool.

1897 began with a New Year's Day victory at home to Grimsby Town.

On 4 January, Woolwich Arsenal made the trip up from London. They returned to the capital with a point after a 1–1 draw.

Twelve days later, Blackpool travelled north-east to Newcastle United. The Magpies won 4–1.

On 23 January, Small Heath were the visitors to Raikes Hall. They won 3–1.

A third consecutive defeat occurred at Loughborough at the end of the month. The match ended 1–4.

After another break, Blackpool hosted Walsall on 13 February and chalked up their first win in four games with a 3–2 result.

Grimsby was the destination the following weekend. The match ended in a 2–2 draw.

Blackpool took on Leicester Fosse on 27 February, and ran out 3–0 winners.

Into March, and an away game against Small Heath. Blackpool won 3–1.

A third consecutive victory followed on 13 March — 4–1 at home to Newcastle United.

The Seasiders' good form ended in the following game, a 3–1 defeat at Notts County.

On 27 March, Blackpool returned to winning ways when Loughborough travelled to Raikes Hall. The hosts won 4–1.

Two days later, Blackpool travelled to Burton Wanderers and lost 3–1.

Two more defeats ensued: 2–0 at Gainsborough Trinity, and the same scoreline at Walsall.

Seven months after they met in East Lancashire, on 16 April Darwen travelled west to the coast. Jack Parkinson's strike gave Blackpool both points.

A 3–0 home victory over Burton Swifts ensued, before the final game of the season saw Gainsborough Trinity visit the seaside for a 1–1 draw.

Three players appeared in each of Blackpool's 30 matches: Douglas, Bowman and Norris.

First-team squad

Name	Position(s)	Nationality	Place of birth	Date of Birth	Apps	Goals	Signed from	Date signed	Fee
Goalkeepers
William Douglas	GK		Dundee		0	0	Derby County	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Full-backs
Bob Birket	FB		Weeton	(1874-11-17)17 November 1874 (aged 21)	0	0	Liverpool	28 July 1896
Harry Parr	FB		Blackpool	(1868-04-18)18 April 1868 (aged 28)	0	0	St. John's	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Half-backs
Tommy Bowman	WH		Tarbolton	(1873-10-26)26 October 1873 (aged 22)	0	0	Annbank	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
George Colville	RH		Tarbolton	(1876-03-18)18 March 1876 (aged 20)	0	0	Annbank	10 June 1896
Bob Norris	LH		Leeds	(1875-03-12)12 March 1875 (aged 21)	0	0	South Shore	30 May 1896
John Scarr	LH		Blackpool	(1874-10-05)5 October 1874 (aged 21)	0	0		16 April 1897[lower-alpha 1]
Harry Stirzaker	CH		Fleetwood	(1869-02-07)7 February 1869 (aged 27)	0	0	Fleetwood Rangers	1894
Alex Stuart	WH				0	0	South Shore	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Fred Thompson	CH				0	0		23 January 1897[lower-alpha 1]
Forwards
Tom Bradshaw	OR		Hambleton	(1876-03-15)15 March 1876 (aged 20)	0	0	Preston North End	27 November 1896
John Clarke	CF				0	0	Bury	27 January 1897
John Clarkin	CF		Neilston	1872 (aged 23–24)	0	0	Newton Heath	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Sam Donnelly	IR		Annbank	(1874-01-01)1 January 1874 (aged 22)	0	0	Notts County	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Nicholas Gillett	CF		Lytham St Annes	1874 (aged 21–22)	0	0		15 December 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Jimmy Martin	IF		Parkhead	1875 (aged 20–21)	0	0	Bolton Wanderers	1 November 1895
Charlie Mount	OF		Cambuslang	(1873-03-27)27 March 1873 (aged 23)	0	0	Cambuslang	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Peter O'Connor	CF				0	0		12 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Jack Parkinson	CF		Blackpool	(1874-08-27)27 August 1874 (aged 21)	0	0	South Shore	5 September 1896[lower-alpha 1]
Bob Parkinson	CF		Preston	(1873-03-27)27 March 1873 (aged 23)	0	0	Luton Town	26 May 1896
George Winstanley	IF		Blackpool	1875 (aged 20–21)	0	0		30 January 1897[lower-alpha 1]

Competitions

Football League Second Division

Main article: 1896–97 Football League § Second Division

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
6	Manchester City	30	12	8	10	58	50	1.160	32
7	Gainsborough Trinity	30	12	7	11	50	47	1.064	31
8	Blackpool	30	13	5	12	59	56	1.054	31
9	Leicester Fosse	30	13	4	13	59	57	1.035	30
10	Woolwich Arsenal	30	13	4	13	68	70	0.971	30

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal average; 3) Goals scored

Results

In summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
30	13	5	12	59	56	1.054	31	11	3	1	39	16	25	2	2	11	20	40	6

Source:

By matchday

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Ground	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	A	H	H	H
Result	L	W	W	D	L	W	D	L	W	W	L	L	W	D	L	L	L	W	D	W	W	W	L	W	L	L	L	W	W	D
Position	12	13	6	6	9	8	10	11	9	8	10	13	11	11	12	13	13	12	11	11	10	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	8	8

Source: 11v11
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

In detail

Lincoln City v Blackpool

5 September 1896 (1896-09-05) 1	Lincoln City	3–1	Blackpool	Lincoln
	Lines Kirton		Mount	Stadium: Sincil Bank Attendance: 1,000

Darwen v Blackpool

12 September 1896 (1896-09-12) 2	Darwen	2–3	Blackpool	Darwen
	Hunt McClung		Donnelly Mount	Stadium: Barley Bank Attendance: 3,000

Blackpool v Burton Wanderers

19 September 1896 (1896-09-19) 3	Blackpool	5–0	Burton Wanderers	Blackpool
	Clarkin Stirzaker O'Connor Mount Donnelly			Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 3,000

Blackpool v Manchester City

26 September 1896 (1896-09-26) 4	Blackpool	2–2	Manchester City	Blackpool
	J. Parkinson Bowman		Hill Mann	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 4,000

Leicester Fosse v Blackpool

3 October 1896 (1896-10-03) 5	Leicester Fosse	2–1	Blackpool	Leicester
	Dorrell Carnelly		Donnelly	Stadium: Filbert Street Attendance: 6,000

Blackpool v Newton Heath

17 October 1896 (1896-10-17) 6	Blackpool	4–2	Newton Heath	Blackpool
	J. Parkinson Mount Martin		Bryant Draycott	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 5,000

Burton Swifts v Blackpool

24 October 1896 (1896-10-24) 7	Burton Swifts	2–2	Blackpool	Burton-on-Trent
	Rae Heald		J. Parkinson Martin	Stadium: Peel Croft Attendance: 3,000

Manchester City v Blackpool

7 November 1896 (1896-11-07) 8	Manchester City	4–2	Blackpool	Manchester
	Sharples Meredith Lewis Bannister		J. Parkinson Martin	Stadium: Hyde Road Attendance: 6,000

Blackpool v Lincoln City

14 November 1896 (1896-11-14) 9	Blackpool	3–1	Lincoln City	Blackpool
	Birket Clarkin Mount		Gillespie	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 1,500

Blackpool v Notts County

28 November 1896 (1896-11-28) 10	Blackpool	3–2	Notts County	Blackpool
	Martin Stirzaker		Bull Boucher	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 2,500

Woolwich Arsenal v Blackpool

19 December 1896 (1896-12-19) 11	Woolwich Arsenal	4–2	Blackpool	Plumstead
	Haywood Crawford		B. Parkinson Donnelly	Stadium: Manor Ground Attendance: 6,000

Newton Heath v Blackpool

26 December 1896 (1896-12-26) 12	Newton Heath	2–0	Blackpool	Manchester
	Cassidy			Stadium: Bank Street Attendance: 8,000

Blackpool v Grimsby Town

1 January 1897 (1897-01-01) 13	Blackpool	1–0	Grimsby Town	Blackpool
	Norris			Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 5,000

Blackpool v Woolwich Arsenal

4 January 1897 (1897-01-04) 14	Blackpool	1–1	Woolwich Arsenal	Blackpool
	Martin		Brock	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 1,000

Newcastle United v Blackpool

16 January 1897 (1897-01-16) 15	Newcastle United	4–1	Blackpool	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
	Wardrope Auld Collins Smellie		Bowman	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 6,000

Blackpool v Small Heath

23 January 1897 (1897-01-23) 16	Blackpool	1–3	Small Heath	Blackpool
	Bradshaw		Hare Inglis	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 2,000

Loughborough v Blackpool

30 January 1897 (1897-01-30) 17	Loughborough	4–1	Blackpool	Loughborough
	Jones Roulston		Stirzaker	Stadium: Athletic Ground Attendance: 1,200

Blackpool v Walsall

13 February 1897 (1897-02-13) 18	Blackpool	3–2	Walsall	Blackpool
	Clarke J. Parkinson Parr		Davies Griffin	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 1,000

Grimsby Town v Blackpool

20 February 1897 (1897-02-20) 19	Grimsby Town	2–2	Blackpool	Grimsby
	Fletcher Bell		Martin Clarke	Stadium: Abbey Park Attendance: 6,000

Blackpool v Leicester Fosse

27 February 1897 (1897-02-27) 20	Blackpool	3–0	Leicester Fosse	Blackpool
	Bradshaw Clarke J. Parkinson			Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 1,000

Small Heath v Blackpool

6 March 1897 (1897-03-06) 21	Small Heath	1–3	Blackpool	Birmingham
	Hodgetts		J. Parkinson Martin Clarke	Stadium: Muntz Street Attendance: 6,000

Blackpool v Newcastle United

13 March 1897 (1897-03-13) 22	Blackpool	4–1	Newcastle United	Blackpool
	Clarkin Bradshaw J. Parkinson			Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 3,000

Notts County v Blackpool

20 March 1897 (1897-03-20) 23	Notts County	3–1	Blackpool	Nottingham
	Murphy Boucher Langham		Bradshaw	Stadium: Trent Bridge Attendance: 7,000

Blackpool v Loughborough

27 March 1897 (1897-03-27) 24	Blackpool	4–1	Loughborough	Blackpool
	Clarkin Clarke Bradshaw		Roulston	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 2,500

Burton Wanderers v Blackpool

29 March 1897 (1897-03-29) 25	Burton Wanderers	3–1	Blackpool	Burton-on-Trent
	King Arkesden Handley		Martin	Stadium: Derby Turn

Gainsborough Trinity v Blackpool

3 April 1897 (1897-04-03) 26	Gainsborough Trinity	2–0	Blackpool	Gainsborough
	Brown Webster			Stadium: The Northolme Attendance: 2,000

Walsall v Blackpool

10 April 1897 (1897-04-10) 27	Walsall	2–0	Blackpool	Walsall
	Johnson Griffin			Stadium: Hilary Street Attendance: 3,000

Blackpool v Darwen

16 April 1897 (1897-04-16) 28	Blackpool	1–0	Darwen	Blackpool
	J. Parkinson			Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 5,000

Blackpool v Burton Swifts

19 April 1897 (1897-04-19) 29	Blackpool	3–0	Burton Swifts	Blackpool
	Martin J. Parkinson			Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 3,000

Blackpool v Gainsborough Trinity

24 April 1897 (1897-04-24) 30	Blackpool	1–1	Gainsborough Trinity	Blackpool
	Clarkin		Unknown goalscorer	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 3,000

FA Cup

Main article: 1896–97 FA Cup

Darwen v Blackpool

15 December 1896 (1896-12-15) Third round qualifying	Darwen	1–2	Blackpool	Darwen
	Kinsella 11'		B. Parkinson 20' Donnelly 47'	Stadium: Barley Bank Attendance: 2,000 Referee: J. Lewis

Chorley v Blackpool

2 January 1897 (1897-01-02) Fourth round qualifying	Chorley	0–1	Blackpool	Chorley
			J. Parkinson	Stadium: Dole Lane Attendance: 4,000 Referee: R.E. Lythgoe

Newton Heath v Blackpool

15 January 1897 (1897-01-15) Fifth round qualifying	Newton Heath	2–2	Blackpool	Manchester
	Donaldson Gillespie		Stirzaker Norris	Stadium: Bank Street Attendance: 1,500

Blackpool v Newton Heath

20 January 1897 (1897-01-20) Fifth round qualifying replay	Blackpool	1–2	Newton Heath	Blackpool
	J. Parkinson		Cassidy Bryant	Stadium: Raikes Hall Attendance: 1,500

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

Pos.	Nat.	Name	Second Division		FA Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
GK		William Douglas	30	0	4	0	34	0
DF		Bob Birket	1	1	0	0	1	1
DF		Harry Parr	29	1	4	0	33	1
MF		Tommy Bowman	30	2	4	0	34	2
MF		George Colville	5	0	3	0	8	0
MF		Bob Norris	30	1	4	1	34	2
MF		John Scarr	3	0	0	0	3	0
MF		Harry Stirzaker	27	3	4	1	31	4
MF		Alex Stuart	21	0	1	0	22	0
MF		Fred Thompson	6	0	0	0	6	0
FW		Tom Bradshaw	18	5	3	0	21	5
FW		John Clarke	13	6	0	0	13	6
FW		John Clarkin	28	6	3	0	31	6
FW		Sam Donnelly	14	5	4	1	18	6
FW		Nicholas Gillett	2	0	1	0	3	0
FW		Jimmy Martin	23	10	4	0	27	10
FW		Charlie Mount	9	5	0	0	9	5
FW		Peter O'Connor	4	1	0	0	4	1
FW		Jack Parkinson	27	12	4	2	31	14
FW		Bob Parkinson	8	1	1	1	9	2
FW		George Winstanley	2	0	0	0	2	0

• Players used: 21
• Goals scored: 65 (including 0 own-goals)

Goalscorers

Rank	Pos.	Player	Second Division	FA Cup	Total
1	FW	Jack Parkinson	12	2	14
2	FW	Jimmy Martin	10	0	10
3	FW	John Clarke	6	0	6
	FW	John Clarkin	6	0	6
	FW	Sam Donnelly	5	1	6
6	FW	Tom Bradshaw	5	0	5
	FW	Charlie Mount	5	0	5
8	MF	Harry Stirzaker	3	1	4
9	MF	Tommy Bowman	2	0	2
	MF	Bob Norris	1	1	2
	FW	Bob Parkinson	1	1	2
12	DF	Harry Parr	1	0	1
	FW	Peter O'Connor	1	0	1
	DF	Bob Birket	1	0	1
Own Goals			0	0	0
Total			59	6	65

Clean sheets

Rank	Pos.	Player	Second Division	FA Cup	Total
1	GK	William Douglas	5	1	6

Transfers

Transfers out

Date	Pos.	Nat.	Name	To	Fee
3 October 1896[lower-alpha 1]	CF		Peter O'Connor	Free agency	—
14 November 1896[lower-alpha 1]	OF		Charlie Mount	Cambuslang	—
20 January 1897[lower-alpha 1]	IR		Sam Donnelly	Annbank	—
23 January 1897[lower-alpha 1]	CF		Bob Parkinson	Warmley	—
30 January 1897[lower-alpha 1]	CF		Nicholas Gillett	Free agency	—
27 February 1897[lower-alpha 1]	IF		George Winstanley	South Shore	—
29 March 1897[lower-alpha 1]	RH		George Colville	Hibernian	—

1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Date of the player's last appearance prior to leaving the club as the exact date of the transfer is unknown.

Notes

References