Ahead of the new Sky Bet League One season, which will kick-off in August, we're taking a look at the seven new teams who will feature in the third tier of English football next season.
Up next in this feature are Blackpool Football Club, who will be playing in the third tier of English football for the first time since 2021 following their relegation from the Championship in May.
The Seasiders finished the 2022/23 season off in 23rd place after picking up 44 points from their 46 games. Michael Appleton started off as Blackpool's manager, and then was replaced midway through the season by experience coach, Mick McCarthy but his tenure didn't last long after a poor run of results.
Former player Stephen Dobbie took charge of the last few games, with the 40-year-old overseeing three wins from the six games he took charge of as caretaker boss.
Neil Critchley - who got Blackpool promoted in May 2021 after beating Lincoln City 2-1 at Wembley - has returned to the Club after 12 months away. During that time, he spent time at both Aston Villa in the Premier League and Queens Park Rangers in the Sky Bet Championship - where his side lost to Town in the Third Round of the FA Cup.
When looking back at the Tangerine's history, they're the most successful side in Play-Off history. Blackpool are the one and only team to have won all three divisional Play-Off finals – they have won the fourth tier twice, Division Four in 1992 against Scunthorpe United, Division Three in 2001 against Leyton Orient; League One in 2007 after beating Yeovil Town; and the Championship play-off final in 2010 against Cardiff City to complete the ultimate hat-trick.
The 1953 FA Cup final was contested between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, with Blackpool winning 4–3, equalling the record for the highest scoring FA Cup Final. The match became famous for the performance of Blackpool winger Stanley Matthews, after whom it was nicknamed. It was the third FA Cup Final (after those in 1890 and 1894) to feature a hat-trick, scored by Blackpool's Stan Mortensen.
In 1971, Blackpool won the Anglo-Italian Cup - which was also the second staging of the annual association football tournament. It featured twelve teams — six from England and six from Italy. The competition started on 26 May 1971 and concluded on 12 June 1971 with Blackpool beating Bologna 2–1 in the final with John Craven and Micky Burns scoring for Blackpool.
In most recent history, the Seasiders were promoted to the Premier League back in 2010. On 22 May 2010, Blackpool faced Cardiff City in the Play-Off final at Wembley Stadium beating them 3-2 thanks to goals from Charlie Adam, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Brett Ormerod.
Fleetwood and Blackpool have played each other 12 times since their first meeting back in 2012 in the Emirates FA Cup, with Fleetwood only winning one of those matches. That was back in October 2018, when Ross Wallace, Wes Burns and Paddy Madden scored the goals to secure a famous victory over their local rivals.
The last meeting between the two sides was a goalless draw at Bloomfield Road in 2021, will this year see Town's luck change as the two will be taking a close look at the two fixtures on Fixture Release Day in just over two weeks time.
Where next for Blackpool FC? Will they bounce back at the first time of asking? Neil Critchley's side are currently 14/1 to win the Sky Bet League One title, with them getting low odds of 2/1 to finish in the top six in the 2023/24 season.
