The West Lancashire derby (sometimes also known as the '' M55 derby'') is a local rivalry in

English football Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...

between

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancas ...

clubs

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

and

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

. The derby has taken place across all four tiers of English football, but not the top flight since the formation of the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

. Blackpool were promoted to the Premier League in 2010; Preston North End have yet to reach it. They did not meet in the League between the 2009–10 and 2020–21 seasons, but did so again in the

2021–22 EFL Championship The 2021–22 EFL Championship (referred to as the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the 18th season of the Football League Championship under its current title and the 30th season under its current league division format. Team ch ...

campaign following Blackpool's promotion from the third tier. The first West Lancashire derby took place on 23 November 1901 at Blackpool's

Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a single-tier football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the At ...

. In front of a crowd of 6,000, Preston won 4–1. There have been 95 meetings between the two clubs in all competitions, with North End winning 45 to Blackpool's 31. The remaining 19 matches have been draws.

Background

The derby is also known as the ''M55 derby'' because the town of

and city of

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

are at either end of the

M55 motorway The M55 is a motorway in Lancashire, England, which can also be referred to as the Preston Northern Bypass. It connects the seaside resort of Blackpool to the M6 at Preston. It is 12.2 miles (19.6 km) in length. One mile was originally ...

. The clubs' stadiums –

and

Deepdale Deepdale is a football stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End. Deepdale is "widely recognised as being the oldest 'continuously used' football stadium in the world, though this is contested". History ...

, respectively – are seventeen miles apart. In the 2003 ''The Football Fans Census'', fans of both clubs listed the derby as being the main derby, with both sets of fans agreeing that the other club is their main rival. Based on the survey, it was one of only 44 such rivalries in England. Preston player

Tom Finney Sir Thomas Finney (5 April 1922 – 14 February 2014) was an English international footballer who played from 1946 to 1960 as a winger or centre forward for Preston North End and England. He is widely acknowledged to have been one of the spo ...

, who played for ''the Lilywhites'' from 1946 to 1960, said: "We always saw Blackpool as our main rivals and we had some great matches against them. But there was none of the current nastiness from some fans." While Blackpool player

Jimmy Armfield James Christopher Armfield, (21 September 1935 – 22 January 2018) was an English professional football player and manager who latterly worked as a football pundit for BBC Radio Five Live. He played the whole of his Football League career at B ...

, who played for ''the Seasiders'' from 1954 to 1971, said: "The rivalry is mainly between the fans. It started with arguments over whether

Stanley Matthews Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer who played as an outside right. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the British game, he is the only player to have been knighted while sti ...

was better than Tom Finney in the '50s." Ahead of the first derby of the 2008–09 season at Bloomfield Road on 15 November 2008, which Preston won 3–1, Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston said: "As chairman I get excited. It's difficult not to. I feel like telling the manager to feed the players on raw meat all week. I absolutely understand the rivalry, I am probably the person with the fiercest tribal views you can get. It's not to be under-estimated how strongly I feel about this game." Preston fans refer to Blackpool and their fans as ''Donkey Lashers'', in reference to the walking of

donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as ...

s along Blackpool beach. Likewise, Blackpool fans refer to Preston and their fans as ''Nobbers'' using an amendment of the word ''North'' from ''Preston North End'', which is changed to ''Nob'' and sometimes ''Knob''.

Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters Sr. (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator from Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representa ...

, who was Preston manager from 1994 to 1998, took the rivalry so seriously that he would not use the word "Blackpool" in public, always referring to the club as "that lot with the

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specific ...

". In 2008, journalist Andy Mitten's book, ''Mad for It: From Blackpool to Barcelona: Football's Greatest Rivalries'', included the derby as one of a number of "classic football derby matches".

Matches

Matches between the two clubs have at times had significant consequences. For example, on 30 April 1904, Blackpool visited Deepdale for the final game of the season, and the home side's single-goal victory gave them the Division Two championship, edging out Woolwich Arsenal. In 1912–13, Preston won the Division Two championship (and fellow Lancastrians

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...

were also promoted) while Blackpool finished bottom of the table. ''The Seasiders'', however, were successful in their re-application to the League. On 4 May 1921, Blackpool played a benefit match against Preston, with the proceeds going to the widow of ''Seasiders'' defender

Horace Fairhurst Horace Fairhurst (2 June 1893 – 7 January 1921) was an English professional footballer. He played as a defender. After playing for Darwen for a number of years, Fairhurst joined fellow Lancashire club Blackpool in May 1919 after previously ...

, who died in February after suffering on-field head injury, and to the children of his partner at full-back,

Bert Tulloch Albert Tulloch (23 February 1889 – 15 February 1953) was an English professional footballer. He played as a full-back, and spent his entire ten-year professional career at Blackpool. Tulloch made his debut for Blackpool on 24 October 1914, i ...

, whose wife had died the same weekend as Fairhurst. It was until November 1925, at the sixth attempt, that Blackpool recorded their first home success against Preston. A brace by Bert Fishwick, together with a goal by

Billy Meredith William Henry Meredith (30 July 1874 – 19 April 1958) was a Welsh professional footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each ...

, gave ''the Seasiders'' a 3–1 victory. Between 1946 and 1961, the derby took place in the top flight of English football for all but two seasons, with both clubs playing in the First Division. In the 1947–48 season both clubs were joint-favourites to win the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...

; however, Preston lost 4–1 to

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

in the quarter-finals while Blackpool made it to the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

, in which they lost 4–2 to Manchester United. On 1 May 1948, at Deepdale, Blackpool inflicted what still remains Preston's record loss in the Football League: 7–0.

Jimmy McIntosh James McLaughlin McIntosh (5 April 1918 – 4 April 2000) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. As a player McIntosh was a fast, strong, stocky forward.Alex Munro and

Walter Rickett Walter Rickett (20 March 1917 – 1991) was an English professional footballer who played as a winger for Sheffield United, Blackpool, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Halifax Town. Blackpool Rickett signed for Joe Smith's Blackpool du ...

scored one apiece. The 1950s saw eighteen matches between the two clubs in the top flight in English football. A record attendance at Bloomfield Road was set for the 9 October 1954 meeting of the two clubs. 36,204 witnessed a 2–1 victory for the visitors. On 29 October 1955, in a 6–2 victory for Preston North End,

George Farm George Neil Farm (13 July 1924 – 18 July 2004) was a Scottish professional football goalkeeper and manager. Born in Slateford, a suburb of Edinburgh, Farm represented his country on ten occasions, the last three of which occurred after a g ...

became one of the few goalkeepers to score a goal. He injured a shoulder and replaced

Jackie Mudie John Knight Mudie (10 April 1930 – 2 March 1992) was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won seventeen caps for his country, helping the Scotland national team to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Starti ...

at centre-forward, where he proceeded to open the scoring with his head. Blackpool ruined Preston North End's Christmas of 1958 with a festive double in the space of twenty-four hours. ''The Seasiders'' inflicted a 4–2 Christmas Day defeat on their neighbours at Bloomfield Road. When the two sides met again, on

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

at Deepdale, the visitors were 3–0 victors. During the first half of a friendly between the two clubs on 15 August 1966 came the news that Alan Ball had been transferred to Everton for a fee of £112,000. Ball was left on the bench, alongside

Emlyn Hughes Emlyn Walter Hughes (28 August 1947 – 9 November 2004) was an English footballer. He started his career at Blackpool in 1964 before moving to Liverpool in 1967. He made 665 appearances for Liverpool and captained the side to three league ti ...

. Blackpool won this match, plus the two other meetings played inside seven days. One of the most significant West Lancashire derbies took place on 13 April 1970, at Deepdale. Blackpool won the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

match 3–0, a result which saw them promoted back to the First Division, which was then the top flight, while the result later assisted in Preston's being relegated to the Third Division for the first time in the club's history. Blackpool striker Fred Pickering scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three w ...

in front of a crowd of over 34,000 – over 15,000 of whom travelled from Blackpool, with another 3,000 ''Tangerines'' fans locked outside the stadium. Jimmy Armfield later said of that night: "The real rivalry started that night. It was such a significant result for both teams. Many lackpool fanswalked back to Blackpool and our bus passed them on the way home, dancing and singing by the road." Blackpool's joy was short-lived, however, as they spent just one season in the First Division before being relegated the next year. In the 1972–73 season, Alan Ainscow scored his only hat-trick when Blackpool won 3–0 at Deepdale on 9 December 1972. Alan Suddick scored his 100th

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

goal, a penalty, in Blackpool's 3–0 victory at Bloomfield Road on 23 March 1974. It was the last West Lancashire derby to take place at Bloomfield Road for fourteen years. The two clubs met at Deepdale in the

Anglo-Scottish Cup The Anglo-Scottish Cup was a tournament arranged for teams in the English and Scottish football leagues during the summer for several years during the 1970s. It was created in 1975 as a new incarnation of the Texaco Cup, with a similar format t ...

on 4 August 1979. With Preston leading 3–1 in the final minute, Blackpool goalkeeper Tom McAlister saved

Ricky Thomson Richard Blair Thomson (born 26 June 1957) is a Scottish former professional footballer played as a forward for Preston North End. Early life Thomson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 26 June 1957. Career Preston North End was Thomson's o ...

's penalty, tipping the ball onto the bar. It bounced down over the line, but by then the referee Ashley had blown his whistle to signal the end of the game. The goal did not count, but the spectators went home in the belief that the scoreline was 3–2. The official explained to Thomson and McAlister that the moment the ball had stopped travelling forwards the game was over and ruled it had ended the moment McAlister touched the ball. They met on two other occasions in the same competition: on 2 August 1978 at Deepdale (Preston won 4–2) and on 5 August 1980 at Bloomfield Road (Blackpool won 1–0). In the Football League Group Cup at Deepdale on 15 August 1981, Preston won 2–1. In the Lancashire Manx Cup, the two clubs met on several occasions. Firstly, on 17 August 1982, Blackpool won 2–1 at Bloomfield Road. 364 days later, the fixture was repeated, this time with the visitors winning 3–2. Two years later, on 3 August 1985, Blackpool won 2–1 at Deepdale. They did not meet again until 9 August 1988, when the teams drew 1–1 at Bloomfield Road. The following season, on 8 August 1989, Blackpool won 2–0 at home in the final meeting of the two clubs in the competition. With both clubs languishing in the lower tiers of the Football League, some consolation came for Preston in the 1992–93 season, when they won 3–2 at Bloomfield Road, with

Tony Ellis Anthony Joseph Ellis (born 20 October 1964) is an English former professional footballer who commanded combined transfer fees of nearly £750,000 and scored 185 league goals in 518 league games during a sixteen-year Football League career. Pla ...

scoring a hat-trick. On 17 April 1999,

Brett Ormerod Brett Ryan Ormerod (born 18 October 1976) is an English retired professional footballer. A forward, he made 340 appearances in the Football League, including 215 for Blackpool, for whom he is the only player to have scored in all of the top four ...

scored an injury-time winner for Blackpool at Deepdale. The following campaign, after Preston's 3–0 Division Two victory over Blackpool at Deepdale on 18 December 1999, Nigel Worthington resigned as Blackpool manager. The 1999–2000 season was also significant for Preston, who were then under the management of

David Moyes David William Moyes ( ; born 25 April 1963) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club West Ham United. He was previously the manager of Preston North End, Everton, Manch ...

. Their draw at Bloomfield Road in April 2000 assisted in their promotion from Division Two to the second tier of English football for the first time in twenty years. Later that month, Preston were crowned champions, while by the end of the season Blackpool were relegated to

Division Three The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the fo ...

, the bottom division of the Football League, leaving two divisions between the clubs. The two clubs did not play each other for another seven years, during which time Preston finished fourth in their first season in Division One and reached the play-offs, losing out on promotion to the Premier League to

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pik ...

in the final. Two further play-off appearances followed, in 2004–05, when they again reached the final, and the following season, when they reached the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Blackpool languished in the bottom two divisions, before finally winning promotion back to the second tier (the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

) in the 2006–07 season. The two teams competed in the second tier between 2006–07 and 2009–10, at which point Blackpool won promotion to the

for the first time and a return the top flight for the first time in 39 years. Blackpool survived in the Premier League for one season, but Preston were also relegated from the second tier to

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

. Four years later, at the end of the 2014–15 campaign, Blackpool dropped to the third tier for the first time since 2006–07. Preston, meanwhile, ended a run of nine consecutive unsuccessful appearances in the play-offs and returned to the second tier after four seasons away. The

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

season saw Blackpool promoted to the Championship. In October 2021 they won 2-0 at home, while Preston won the return game 1-0, while celebrating what would have been the 100th birthday of

, who is considered to be Preston's greatest player.

Head-to-head record

Preston have won 14 more West Lancashire derbies than Blackpool, with 45 victories compared to Blackpool's 31. There have been 19 draws. The teams have met three times in the

, with Preston winning on each occasion. Blackpool have also never beaten Preston in the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

— Preston winning four, with the other drawn. Current as of 5 April 2022. Statistics obtained from Soccerbase.

Crossing the divide

At least 50 individuals have represented both Blackpool and Preston North End at some point in their careers. 28 of these moved directly between the two clubs. One such example is

, who had two spells with Preston, in 1987–1989 and 1992–1994, and was

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

in his final two seasons with ''the Lilywhites''. During his second spell at the club, he scored a hat-trick for Preston at

in a 3–2 Preston victory. However, after a much-publicised fall out with Preston manager John Beck over a new contract and his role within the club, Ellis signed for Blackpool for £165,000. Players moving directly between the two clubs was more prevalent in the first half of the 20th century. Albert Brown moved from Preston North End to Blackpool in 1905, and Benny Green did the same in 1913.

Billy Tremelling William Reuben Tremelling (9 May 1905 — 5 November 1961) was an English professional footballer. He played as a forward at the beginning of his career, but was later played as a defender. Family His brothers Dan and Sol were also foot ...

moved in the opposite direction in 1930, as did

Jimmy McIntosh James McLaughlin McIntosh (5 April 1918 – 4 April 2000) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. As a player McIntosh was a fast, strong, stocky forward.Dickie Watmough Richard Watmough (1912 – 7 September 1962) was an English professional footballer and cricketer. He played as a midfielder in the former sport. Football Born in Sheffield (then the West Riding of Yorkshire) but brought up in Idle, Bradfor ...

in 1937. As part of the same deal, Frank O'Donnell exchanged the white of Preston for Blackpool tangerine, and his brother, Hugh, followed him two years later. In 1967, Ray Charnley moved from Bloomfield Road to Deepdale. The most recent of these occurred in 2015, when Northern Irish striker Andy Little moved directly to Blackpool on loan from Preston. Players who have moved directly between the two clubs: * Tom Bradshaw: Blackpool (1896), Preston North End (1896 and 1902) *Laurence Halsall: Blackpool (1897), Preston North End (1897–1899) * Wilf Gillow: Blackpool to Preston North End * Lawrence Cook, Blackpool (1904), Preston North End (1905–1906) * Albert Brown: Preston North End (1904–1905), Blackpool (1905–1906) * Herbert Crossthwaite: Preston North End (1905–1906), Blackpool (1906–1907) * Benny Green: Preston North End (1911–1913), Blackpool (1913–1915) * Billy Mercer: Preston North End (1919–1924), Blackpool (1925) * Peter Quinn: Blackpool (1910–1920), Preston North End (1920–1922) * Bobby Crawford: Preston North End (1921–1932), Blackpool (1932–1933) *

: Blackpool (1925–1930), Preston North End (1930–1937) * Jimmy McClelland: Preston North End (1929–1930), Blackpool (1930–1933) * Albert Butterworth: Blackpool (1932–1933), Preston North End (1933–1935) *

: Blackpool (1934–1937), Preston North End (1937) * Frank O'Donnell: Preston North End (1935–1937), Blackpool (1937–1946) * Hugh O'Donnell: Preston North End (1935–1939), Blackpool (1939–1946) * Billy McIntosh: Preston North End (1946–1948), Blackpool (1948–1951) * Les Campbell: Preston North End (1953–1960), Blackpool (1960–1961) *

Kit Napier Christopher Robin Anthony Napier (26 September 1943 – 31 March 2019) was a Scottish professional footballer who scored 119 goals from 379 appearances in the Football League playing as a forward for Blackpool, Preston North End, Workington, Ne ...

: Blackpool (1960–1963), Preston North End (1963–1964) * Ray Charnley: Blackpool (1957–1967), Preston North End (1967–1968) * Gerry Ingram: Blackpool (1967–1968), Preston North End (1968–1971) * Andy McAteer: Preston North End (1977–1986), Blackpool (1986–1988), Preston North End (1988–1989) *

: Preston North End (1987–1989 and 1992–1994), Blackpool (1994–1997) * Gary Parkinson: Preston North End (1997–2001), Blackpool (2001–2002) *

Andrew Lonergan Andrew Michael Lonergan (born 19 October 1983) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Everton. Lonergan is a former England U21 international and is also eligible to play for the Republic of Ire ...

Preston North End (2000–2011), Blackpool (2003) *

: Preston North End (2006–2009), Blackpool (2009–2012) * Andy Little: Preston North End (2014–2016), Blackpool (2015) Players who have appeared for both clubs at some point during their career: * Fred Griffiths: Blackpool (1899–1900), Preston North End (1902) * James Mitchell: Blackpool (1914–1915), Preston North End (1920–1922) *

Gordon Milne Gordon Milne (born 29 March 1937) is an English former football player and manager. Personal life Gordon Milne was born in Preston, Lancashire, England and is the son of the Scottish former Preston player Jimmy Milne and Jesse Milne. Club car ...

: Preston North End (19??-1960), Blackpool (1967–1970) * Mel Holden: Preston North End (1972–1975), Blackpool (1978–1979) *

Barry Siddall Barry Alfred Siddall (born 12 September 1954) is an English former professional football goalkeeper. When he retired from the game he had 614 appearances to his name over a 21-year career in the Football League, playing for numerous clubs. He p ...

: Blackpool (1983–84 and 1986–1989), Preston North End (1992–1993) * Mike Conroy: Preston North End (1993–1995), Blackpool (1998–1999) *

David Eyres David Eyres (born 26 February 1964) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career A relative latecomer to the professional game, Liverpool-born Eyres began his career at then Northern Premier League side Morec ...

: Blackpool (1989–1993), Preston North End (1997–2000) * Mike Flynn: Preston North End (1989–1993), Blackpool (2003–2004) *

Colin Greenall Colin Anthony Greenall (born 30 December 1963) is an English former professional footballer who made over 600 Football League appearances between 1980 and 1999. Starting his career at Blackpool as an apprentice, Greenall had spells at Gill ...

: Blackpool (1980–1986), Preston North End (1992–1993) *

Colin Hendry Edward Colin James Hendry (born 7 December 1965) is a Scottish football coach and former professional footballer. Hendry, who played as a defender notably played in the Premier League for Blackburn Rovers where he was part of the title winning ...

: Preston North End (2002, loan), Blackpool (2002–2003) *

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

: Preston North End (1997–2004), Blackpool (2006–2008) *

Adam Nowland Adam Christopher Nowland (born 6 July 1981 in Preston) is an English retired footballer. Career Early career: Blackpool and Wimbledon Nowland started his career at Blackpool in 1998 where he made his professional debut at the age of 17. When ...

: Blackpool (1998–2001), Preston North End (2005–2008) *

: Blackpool (1997–2001, 2009–2012), Preston North End (2006–2009) *

Marlon Broomes Marlon Charles Broomes (born 28 November 1977) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back from 1994 to 2012. He also played as a Defender (associ ...

: Preston North End (2002–2005), Blackpool (2008–2009) *

Matt Hill Matthew Hill (born January 19, 1968) is a Canadian voice actor working for Ocean Productions. Career His roles include Ed in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'', Kevin Keene/Captain N in '' Captain N: The Game Master'', Kira Yamato in ''Gundam Seed'' and '' G ...

: Preston North End (2005–2008), Blackpool (2011–2012) * Ricardo Fuller: Preston North End (2002–2004), Blackpool (2013–2014) *

Eddie Nolan Edward William Nolan (born 5 August 1988) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a full-back or centre-back for League of Ireland Premier Division club Waterford. Nolan has previously played for Blackburn Rovers, Stockport County, Ha ...

: Preston North End (2008–2011), Blackpool (2016–2017) *

Tom Barkhuizen Thomas John Barkhuizen (born 4 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays a forward for EFL League One club Derby County. Career Blackpool Born in Blackpool, Barkhuizen played junior football on the Fylde coast with Blackpool R ...

: Blackpool (2010–2015), Preston North End (2017–present) *

Alex Baptiste Alexander Aaron John Baptiste (born 31 January 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for League of Ireland First Division side Waterford. Club career Mansfield Town Born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire ...

: Blackpool (2008-2013), Preston North End (2016–2017) * Brad Potts: Blackpool (2015-2017), Preston North End (2019–present) *

Nick Anderton Nicholas Jack Wilmer Anderton (born 22 April 1996) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left back. Career Born in Preston, Anderton began his career at Preston North End, moving on loan to Chorley in March 2014 along ...

: Preston North End (2014–2016), Blackpool (2017–present) * Chris Maxwell: Preston North End (2016–2020), Blackpool (2020) Seven players who played for one club went on to manage the other: *

Sydney Beaumont Sydney Beaumont (8 October 1884 – May 1939) was an English professional footballer and football manager, runner and cricketer. He played at both half back and left wing during his football career and won many trophies for middle-distance ru ...

, who played one league game for Preston North End in 1911–12, was manager of Blackpool for the 1927–28 season *

Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...

, who played for Preston North End from 1986 to 1989 and also in 1992, was manager of Blackpool from 1994 to 1996 * Paul Simpson, who played for Blackpool from 2000 to 2002, was manager of Preston North End from 2006 to 2007 * Phil Brown, who played for and coached Blackpool under Allardyce between 1994 and 1996, was named manager of Preston North End in January 2011 *

Michael Appleton Michael Antony Appleton (born 4 December 1975) is an English professional football manager and former player. He is currently the head coach of Blackpool. As a player, he operated as a midfielder, in a nine-year career that began in 1994 and e ...

, who played for Preston North End between 1997 and 2001, was appointed Blackpool manager in both 2012 and 2022 *

Simon Grayson Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Bengaluru. As a player, he was a right back, but he was also utilised in ...

, who both played for and managed Blackpool, was appointed Preston manager in February 2013 * Neil McDonald, who played and coached at Preston, was appointed Blackpool manager in June 2015 Prior to the 4 April 1958 derby at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool manager Joe Smith commented: "Every time we play Preston, something nearly always happens. This was one weekend when we wanted something like a full-strength team. Still, I expect the two youngsters Starkey_and_Gregson.html" ;"title="Malcolm_Starkey.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Malcolm Starkey">Starkey and Gregson">Malcolm_Starkey.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Malcolm Starkey">Starkey and Gregsonto play with enthusiasm." Preston won 2–1, but one critic wrote: "The good thing in the match from Blackpool's point of view was the showings of Starkey and Gregson. Starkey showed just what hard grafting can achieve, while his application of the game was most promising. Both can be developed." :a ''Brett Ormerod had his contract cancelled at Preston North End so that he could sign for Blackpool without transferring directly between the two clubs.''

Supporters

On 6 May 1978, at a concert by The Vibrators in Preston, a young man from Preston was stabbed to death during clashes between Preston and Blackpool fans. In 1996 there were 78 arrests when serious disorder broke out when the clubs met at Deepdale and pubs were trashed in Preston. The match was played on a Friday night and broadcast live on Sky. This derby saw significant disorder – including several pitch invasions – and was dubbed the "Night of Shame" by both the ''

Lancashire Evening Post The ''Lancashire Evening Post'' is a daily newspaper based in Fulwood, a suburb of the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. According to the British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of t ...

'' and the ''

Blackpool Gazette The ''Blackpool Gazette'' (locally marketed as simply ''The Gazette'') is an English daily newspaper based in Blackpool, Lancashire. Published every day except Sunday, it covers the towns and communities of the Fylde coast. It was founded as '' ...

''.Pearson, G. 'An Ethnography of English Football Fans: Cans, Cops and Carnivals', 2012 Manchester University Press Another fan died, this time of natural causes, on 17 April 1999. Kevin Halliwell, a 47-year-old lifelong Blackpool fan, collapsed just minutes before kick-off at Deepdale and died before reaching the

Royal Preston Hospital The Royal Preston Hospital or RPH, is an acute general hospital in Preston, Lancashire, England. It is managed by the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital was built in stages between 1975 and 1983; it was off ...

. Despite there being no match between the two clubs since 2000, the rivalry between the two sets of fans reignited itself on 2 September 2006, when a mini-riot broke out on

Preston railway station Preston railway station in Preston, Lancashire, England, is an interchange railway station on the West Coast Main Line, half-way between London Euston and Glasgow Central (206 miles from London Euston, 194 miles from Glasgow Central). It is s ...

between Blackpool fans returning from their match at

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

and local Preston fans returning from an

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

match in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Bottles, cans and signs were hurled as the two sets of fans fought each other, and two

British Transport Police , nativename = , abbreviation = BTP , patch = , patchcaption = , logo = British Transport Police Logo.svg , logocaption = Logo of the British Transport Police , badge = , badgecaption = , f ...

officers were injured in what the police described as a large-scale disorder. Blackpool were promoted to

the Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

at the end of the 2006–07 season, winning the play-off final at

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

. Promotion ensured that the rivalry with Preston North End would once again happen on the pitch with each club being in the Championship in the 2007–08 season. In June 2007, following threats from

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

and Preston hooligans to cause mayhem when the two clubs meet, Preston's top police officer, Chief Superintendent Mike Barton, warned that "The history of these derbies means we will have to have a significant policing operation both at Deepdale and

." This led to the police making plans for "significant operations" at the two matches involving the clubs. In November 2007 Blackpool police warned football hooligans not to attend the match in Preston on 8 December 2007. The ''

'' reported on 17 November 2007, how comments on a

message board An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...

used by the Blackpool Muckers hooligan firm claimed that Blackpool fans were planning to infiltrate the home stands at the Deepdale stadium in Preston, with members of the Preston hooligan firm also posting threats. The match had already been moved forward to a 12:30 pm kick off at the request of the police in an attempt to avoid violence and local

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s told not to open until 12:00 pm and not to serve alcohol until 12:30 pm, the same time as the kick off. Blackpool won the match 1–0. However, the day saw outbreaks of violence in both Preston and Blackpool. A huge police operation saw 300 police officers on duty outside Deepdale and in Preston city centre while 19 people were arrested. Blackpool fans arriving at

went through airport-style security scanners to check for potential weapons. Blackpool hooligans went on a rampage smashing windows and ripping seats out of specially chartered buses laid on to transport them from the railway station to Deepdale, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. Nine people were arrested. Later that same day, a group of about 30 Preston hooligans attacked a pub in Blackpool in "revenge" throwing bins and bottles at the pub while staff and customers were inside. The return fixture on 15 March 2008 at Bloomfield Road, was marred by racist and

homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...

chanting. Nine Blackpool fans were immediately banned from the stadium for twelve months. Two fans were arrested at the match on suspicion of racial disorder. Blackpool F.C. and the police said they would be investigating whether to ban any additional fans. Some Preston fans were accused of homophobic chants and some Blackpool fans accused of racist chants.

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

stated that they were awaiting the Referees report before making a decision about whether to take any action. Three Blackpool fans were arrested at Deepdale on 13 February 2010, when two flares were lit on the Kop during the 0–0 draw. While Blackpool fans travelled to Wembley for their 2010 Championship play-off Final with Cardiff City on 22 May 2010, Preston fans hung a banner over a flyover on the M55 saying "Forever in Our Shadow". Then on 7 May 2011, a plane flew twice over Deepdale with trailing banners taunting Preston for their relegation from The Championship. The aircraft trailed two banners over the stadium reading: "Poor Little Preston Enjoy League One" and "We Are Superior, Love Blackpool FC." Preston manager Phil Brown called the stunt "distasteful", adding, "if I had a gun I would have shot the plane down". The club however reacted by taking the stunt in good humour issuing a statement saying: "We can see the funny side of the joke and accept that with any setback you will always have opposition supporters ready to poke fun." Three days later on 12 May, in an episode of the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

quiz show ''

Countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

'', the conundrum 'PNECRISIS' appeared at the show's conclusion, a deliberate reference put in by the show's producer, Damian Eadie, a lifelong Blackpool fan. By contrast to the violence that sometimes surrounds the West Lancashire derby, fans of both clubs have joined to raise money for local charities. In March 2007, Blackpool and Preston fans joined for a seventeen-mile sponsored bicycle ride between Deepdale and Bloomfield Road in aid of the Brian House Children's Hospice in

Bispham, Blackpool Bispham is a village on the Fylde coast in Lancashire, England, a mile and a half north of Blackpool town centre. Geography and administration The village is part of the borough of Blackpool, and generally considered a suburb of the town. To ...

, and Derian House Children's Hospice in Chorley. Dubbed as ''"To Hell and Back"'', about 140 cyclists took part. In August 2013, Preston hosted Blackpool in the

, the first meeting between the two clubs since 2010. Preston won the game by a single goal, but the victory was marred by a pitch invasion by Preston supporters after the final whistle, with a pitch steward being trampled by a police horse during the incident. The FA later announced via a spokesman that they would look into the disorder, with a local senior police officer condemning the fans' behaviour as "absolutely disgraceful".FA 'look into' disorder which marred Preston's cup win over Blackpool
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 6 August 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2013

Popular culture

In April 2008, football magazine ''

FourFourTwo ''FourFourTwo'' is a football magazine published by Future. Issued monthly, it published its 300th edition in May 2019. It takes its name from the football formation of the same name, 4-4-2. In 2008, it was announced that ''FourFourTwo'' had ...

'' ran a four-page article about the derby, entitled "Sheep Shaggers vs Donkey Lashers". The article concentrated on events around the match at Deepdale in December 2007, and the history of the derby. The derby was mentioned in passing as the subject of a £1 or quid bet by Tantivy in

Thomas Pynchon Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Jr. ( , ; born May 8, 1937) is an American novelist noted for his dense and complex novels. His fiction and non-fiction writings encompass a vast array of subject matter, genres and themes, including history, music, scie ...

's postmodern novel ''

Gravity's Rainbow ''Gravity's Rainbow'' is a 1973 novel by American writer Thomas Pynchon. The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military. In particular, ...

''.

References

External links

"Police give blessing to 'tangerine' pub"
– ''

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:West Lancashire Derby England football derbies Blackpool F.C. Preston North End F.C.