The 2014–15 season was Blackpool F.C.'s fourth-consecutive season in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English professional football, and their 106th overall season in the Football League. They exited the League Cup at the first-round stage on 12 August and the FA Cup, also at the first hurdle, on 4 January. They were relegated to League One with six League fixtures remaining.[2]
| 2014–15 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Owen Oyston | |||
| Chairman | Karl Oyston | |||
| Manager | José Riga (until 27 October) Lee Clark (from 29 October) | |||
| Stadium | Bloomfield Road Blackpool, England (Capacity: 17,338) | |||
| FA Cup | Third Round[1] | |||
| League Cup | First Round | |||
José Riga, in his first season as manager, was in charge for fourteen League games, before being sacked on 27 October with the club five points adrift at the foot of the table. Lee Clark succeeded him three days later. Clark, too, departed shortly after the season's conclusion.
Season summary
Pre-season
Barry Ferguson, Blackpool's caretaker player-manager for the final twenty league games of the previous campaign, was not given the role full-time and left the club. Including Ferguson, Blackpool released 17 players, while five loan players returned to their parent clubs.[3]
On 11 June Belgian José Riga was appointed as Blackpool's new manager. He was their first from overseas and their third full-time manager in two years. Blackpool had stated they would discuss contract terms with nine out of contract professionals, but of those only Tony McMahon signed a new deal to return to the club.[3][4] Among the departees were Matt Gilks, the club's only remaining goalkeeper and player from their 2010–11 Premier League campaign, and Tom Ince, whose father, Paul, had been sacked as manager during the previous season. July. The Ince fee was decided by a tribunal, because Ince was under the age of 23, with the same rules applying in the case of Harrison McGahey, a scholar who made his professional debut the previous season, who also left the club, joining Sheffield United.[5][6]
By 1 July, the day after pre-season training was due to begin, the club had just seven registered players. The decision was made to delay training until 3 July. The same day, Estonian striker Sergei Zenjov became the club's first signing of the close season.[7] On 19 July Blackpool played their opening friendly at Penrith, winning 4–0 with a team of professionals, youth players and trialists. Their pre-season trip to Spain was cancelled on 15 July.[8]
Eight days before their second and final friendly, at home to Premier League newcomers Burnley, the club still only had eight registered professionals. José Riga and chairman Karl Oyston were reported to be locked in a standoff over transfers. Riga also implemented a media blackout for himself and his staff, and had not spoken to the press since his appointment 44 days earlier.[9][10]
On 24 July, in an open letter to club owner Owen Oyston and his son, club president Valeri Belokon demanded funds be put aside for player acquisitions.[11] Three players were signed on 28 July, with a further three joining by 1 August. In their home friendly against Burnley on 2 August, Blackpool again fielded a host of trialists both in their starting line-up and on the bench, as the visitors won 1–0.[12]
Between 3–8 August Blackpool added six further players to their squad, including goalkeepers Joe Lewis and Ell Parish. When midfielder Andrea Orlandi became Blackpool's 20th squad member on 8 August, the day before the start of the season, he was also their twelfth in as many days.
Regular season
On 9 August Blackpool lost their opening match of the season to Nottingham Forest.[13] Blackpool had squad problems prior to the match; they had only nine players who "qualified" earlier in the day.[14] They ultimately fielded 15 in their matchday squad, including two 17-year–old scholars from the youth academy.[15][14] One of them, Dom Telford, was offered professional terms after his debut. A week later, in the first home league game of the new season, new signing Tomasz Cywka scored the club's first goal of the campaign in a 2–1 defeat to Blackburn. The club has continued to make acquisitions and by 16 August the signing of Edu Oriol saw the first-team squad reach 26 players. On 30 August, defeat to Millwall, managed by former Blackpool boss Ian Holloway, saw the club go without a point in five games in August.
On 13 September, Blackpool gained their first point in their sixth league game of the season, a goalless draw with Wolves at Bloomfield Road. They would have to wait until 3 October for their first win, a 1–0 defeat of Cardiff in their 11th league game. However, this was followed by three consecutive losses, after which Riga was sacked on 27 October and replaced two days later by Lee Clark. The former Birmingham manager lost his first game, 2–0 at home to Ipswich on 1 December, but secured his first point with a 2–2 draw at Fulham four days later. However, on 1 December Blackpool lost 3–1 at Leeds, meaning they had lost 12, drawn four and won only one of their first 17 league fixtures.
Successive draws with Bolton and Rotherham followed the defeat to Leeds, before Clark sealed his first win in his sixth game in charge, a 1–0 home defeat of his former club Birmingham City on 6 December. Blackpool extended their undefeated run with a 2–2 draw at Charlton a week later. However, the following game they lost 6–1 at home to Bournemouth.
Having secured a point from two games over the Christmas period, on 10 January 2015, their first league game of the year, Blackpool sealed their third win of the season, defeating Holloway's Millwall at home. Away defeats followed, 2–0 at Wolves and 7–2 at Watford, having been 2–0 up, before they secured what proved to be their fourth and last win of the campaign against Brighton on 31 January. 17-year-old Henry Cameron made his professional debut in the 1–0 win, becoming the 44th player used by the club that season.
Consecutive defeats to Norwich and Middlesbrough followed, before a 4–4 draw with Nottingham Forest on Valentine's Day, their first such result in 2,252 home league games.[16] A 1–1 draw at local rivals Blackburn came a week later before Blackpool embarked on a six-match losing run (scoring one goal in the process) by which point they had lost the equivalent of one full league season (46 games) out of the last two played, with eight games remaining of 2014–15.
On 21 March, Blackpool ended their run with a 1–1 home draw with Leeds, the first of three consecutive draws. On 6 April, the day before the third of these, they were officially relegated.[2] Another run of four defeats followed, ending with their last away game of the season, the 3–2 defeat to Cardiff confirming they would not win away from Bloomfield Road all season, thus equalling a record from their 1908–09 campaign.[17]
On 2 May 2015, the final day of the Championship season, Blackpool's home game against Huddersfield Town was abandoned after 48 minutes following a pitch invasion by Blackpool fans in protest at chairman Karl Oyston. The score was 0–0 at the time,[18] and that's how the Football League declared it to subsequently stand.[19] It was Blackpool's 18th-consecutive game without a victory and their points tally of 26 was the lowest in the English second tier since Stockport County picked up the same number of points when they finished bottom in the 2001-02 season.
Over the last two full league seasons played, Blackpool had claimed 11 wins from 92 games.
League Cup
Blackpool exited the League at the first-round stage after a single-goal defeat at Shrewsbury Town, managed by former Seasiders captain Micky Mellon, on 12 August. Two players, Jeffrey Rentmeister and Joël Dielna, played having signed earlier in the day.
FA Cup
On 4 January, Blackpool lost their FA Cup third round tie against Premier League club Aston Villa 1–0, with Christian Benteke scoring two minutes before the end of normal time. It was Blackpool's seventh exit at their first FA Cup hurdle in eight seasons.
Players
First-team squad
| No. | Pos | Nat | Name | P | G | P | G | P | G | P | G | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | |||||||||
| 17 | DF |  | Miles Addison | 6 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 6 (0) | 0 | † |
| 2 | DF |  | Tom Aldred | 6 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 6 (0) | 0 | |
| 27 | FW | | Tom Barkhuizen | 4 (3) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 4 (4) | 0 | |
| 39 | DF | | Andre Blackman | 2 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 | |
| 42 | GK | | Myles Boney | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | YTH |
| 40 | MF | | Henry Cameron | 10 (1) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 10 (1) | 1 | |
| 6 | DF | | Peter Clarke | 37 (2) | 2 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 39 (2) | 2 | |
| 22 | MF |  | José Miguel Cubero | 10 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 10 (2) | 0 | |
| 7 | MF |  | Tomasz Cywka | 5 (1) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 6 (1) | 1 | |
| 2 | DF |  | Donervon Daniels | 19 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 19 (0) | 1 | † |
| 9 | FW | | Steve Davies | 11 (6) | 5 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 12 (6) | 5 | L |
| 14 | FW | | Nathan Delfouneso | 21 (17) | 3 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 23 (17) | 3 | |
| 16 | DF |  | Joël Dielna | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | |
| 18 | DF |  | Charles Dunne | 21 (1) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 22 (1) | 0 | |
| 12 | MF | | Chris Eagles | 7 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 7 (0) | 1 | |
| 25 | DF | | David Ferguson | 6 (4) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 6 (4) | 1 | |
| 41 | FW | | Islam Feruz | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | † |
| 26 | DF | | Kevin Foley | 4 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 4 (0) | 0 | † |
| 10 | FW | | Bobby Grant | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | L |
| 32 | DF | | Grant Hall | 11 (1) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 11 (1) | 1 | † |
| 38 | MF | | Alex Henshall | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | † |
| 41 | DF | | Luke Higham | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | YTH |
| 12 | MF | | Michael Jacobs | 5 (0) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 5 (0) | 1 | † |
| 35 | DF | | Tom Kennedy | 5 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 5 (0) | 0 | † |
| 36 | MF |  | Jonathan Legear | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | |
| 32 | DF | | Brian Lenihan | 2 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | † |
| 1 | GK | | Joe Lewis | 34 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 36 (0) | 0 | † |
| 24 | MF | | John Lundstram | 16 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 17 (1) | 0 | † |
| 5 | DF | | Gary MacKenzie | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | L |
| 24 | FW | | Gary Madine | 14 (1) | 3 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 14 (1) | 3 | † |
| 3 | DF | | Niall Maher | 6 (4) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 6 (4) | 0 | † |
| 29 | DF | | Tony McMahon | 28 (4) | 1 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 29 (4) | 1 | L |
| 8 | MF | | Jacob Mellis | 4 (9) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 5 (9) | 0 | L |
| 15 | MF |  | Formose Mendy | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | |
| 17 | FW | | Ishmael Miller | 16 (6) | 2 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 16 (8) | 2 | |
| 36 | GK |  | Daniel Milton | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | YTH |
| 25 | MF | | Jacob Murphy | 8 (1) | 2 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 8 (1) | 2 | † |
| 37 | DF |  | Nyron Nosworthy | 5 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 5 (0) | 0 | L |
| 48 | DF | | Darren O'Dea | 16 (3) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 17 (3) | 0 | |
| 31 | MF | | Jamie O'Hara | 26 (1) | 2 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 27 (1) | 2 | |
| 38 | MF | | Stuart O'Keefe | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | † |
| 20 | MF | | Connor Oliver | 4 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 4 (2) | 0 | |
| 23 | MF |  | Edu Oriol | 8 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 8 (2) | 0 | |
| 3 | DF | | Joan Oriol | 11 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 12 (0) | 0 | |
| 11 | MF | | Andrea Orlandi | 23 (5) | 4 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 25 (5) | 4 | |
| 43 | MF | | Bright Osayi-Samuel | 1 (5) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (5) | 0 | YTH |
| 21 | GK | | Elliot Parish | 12 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 12 (1) | 0 | |
| 4 | MF | | David Perkins | 45 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 47 (0) | 0 | |
| 19 | FW | | Nile Ranger | 5 (9) | 2 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 5 (9) | 2 | |
| 28 | DF | | Jeffrey Rentmeister | 7 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 8 (1) | 0 | |
| 12 | MF | | Joe Rothwell | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | † |
| 30 | FW | | Saër Sène | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | |
| 34 | FW | | Dom Telford | 9 (5) | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 9 (6) | 1 | YTH |
| 33 | MF | | Mark Waddington | 1 (2) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 (3) | 0 | YTH |
| 20 | FW |  | Sergei Zenjov | 2 (6) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | 3 (6) | 0 | |
| 13 | FW |  | Francois Zoko | 7 (7) | 1 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 (0) | 0 | 7 (7) | 1 | L |
- Players used: 56
- Goals scored: 36 (all in the league)
Results
Pre-season and friendlies
| 19 July 2014 1 | Penrith | 0–4 | Blackpool | Penrith |
| 15:00 BST | Delfouneso (2) Grant Zenjov | Stadium: Frenchfield Park |
| 2 August 2014 2 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Burnley | Blackpool |
| 15:00 BST | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 2,389 |
The Championship
| 9 August 2014 1 | Nottingham Forest | 2–0 | Blackpool | Nottingham |
| 15:00 BST | Antonio  25'Burke 30' | Report | Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 20,028 Referee: Tony Harrington |
| 16 August 2014 2 | Blackpool | 1–2 | Blackburn Rovers | Blackpool |
| 15:00 BST | Cywka 53' | Report | Gestede 26', 47' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 12,130 Referee: James Adcock |
| 19 August 2014 3 | Blackpool | 1–2 | Brentford | Blackpool |
| 19:45 | Delfouneso 17' | Report | Pritchard 37' Dallas 52' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 9,939 Referee: Mark Haywood |
| 23 August 2014 4 | Wigan Athletic | 1–0 | Blackpool | Wigan |
| 15:00 | Riera 37' | Report | Stadium: DW Stadium Attendance: 12,113 Referee: Carl Boyeson |
| 30 August 2014 5 | Millwall | 2–1 | Blackpool | London |
| 15:00 | McDonald 33' Malone 51' | Report | Ranger 71' | Stadium: The Den Attendance: 9,877 Referee: Andy Woolmer |
| 13 September 2014 6 | Blackpool | 0–0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 12,233 Referee: Mick Russell |
| 16 September 2014 7 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Watford | Blackpool |
| 19:45 | Report | Vydra 68' (pen.) | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 9,695 Referee: Scott Duncan |
| 20 September 2014 8 | Brighton | 0–0 | Blackpool | Falmer |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Falmer Stadium Attendance: 24,569 Referee: Keith Stroud |
| 27 September 2014 9 | Blackpool | 1–3 | Norwich City | Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Delfouneso 46' | Report | Daniels 54' (o.g.) Grabban 80'Murphy 81' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,232 Referee: Andre Marriner |
| 30 September 2014 10 | Middlesbrough | 1–1 | Blackpool | Middlesbrough |
| 19:45 | Ayala 19' | Report | Miller 25' | Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 15,213 Referee: Paul Tierney |
| 3 October 2014 11 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Cardiff City | Blackpool |
| 19:45 | Zoko 64' | Report | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,502 Referee: Dean Whitestone |
| 18 October 2014 12 | Huddersfield Town | 4–2 | Blackpool | Huddersfield |
| 15:00 | Holt 4' Bunn 11', 16'Butterfield 61' | Report | McMahon 45' Daniels 45+2' | Stadium: John Smith's Stadium Attendance: 14,238 Referee: Darren Bond |
| 21 October 2014 13 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Derby County | Blackpool |
| 19:45 | Report | Martin 81' (pen.) | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,036 Referee: Kevin Wright |
| 25 October 2014 14 | Reading | 3–0 | Blackpool | Reading |
| 15:00 | Murray 23' Clarke 69' (o.g.)Blackman 90+4' (pen.) | Report | Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 15,625 Referee: Gavin Ward |
| 1 November 2014 15 | Blackpool | 0–2 | Ipswich Town | Blackpool |
| 15:00 | Report | McGoldrick 26' Murphy 61' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,918 Referee: Andy Haines |
| 5 November 2014 16 | Fulham | 2–2 | Blackpool | London |
| 20:00 GMT | Parker 45+1' Ruiz 73' | Report | Miller 2' Murphy 26' | Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 14,325 Referee: Robert Madley |
| 8 November 2014 17 | Leeds United | 3–1 | Blackpool | Leeds |
| 15:00 GMT | Cooper 9' Doukara 31'Antenucci 42' | Report | Ranger 75' | Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 18,698 Referee: Stuart Attwell |
| 22 November 2014 18 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Bolton Wanderers | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Murphy 75' | Report | C.Y. Lee 82' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 12,181 Referee: Nigel Miller |
| 29 November 2014 19 | Rotherham United | 1–1 | Blackpool | Rotherham |
| 15:00 GMT | Bowery 78' | Report | Davies 85' | Stadium: New York Stadium Attendance: 9,381 Referee: Tony Harrington |
| 6 December 2014 20 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Birmingham City | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Davies 56' | Report | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,672 Referee: David Coote |
| 13 December 2014 21 | Charlton Athletic | 2–2 | Blackpool | London |
| 15:00 GMT | Buyens 38' (pen.) Cousins 55' | Report | Eagles 25' Davies 89' | Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 15,411 Referee: Andy Davies |
| 20 December 2014 22 | Blackpool | 1–6 | Bournemouth | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Delfouneso 65' | Report | Ritchie 18', 59' Wilson 42'Pitman 67' (pen.)Pugh 73'Arter 76' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,014 Referee: Andy Madley |
| 26 December 2014 23 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–0 | Blackpool | Sheffield |
| 15:00 GMT | Maguire 39' (pen.) | Report | Miller  59'  90+5' | Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 26,609 Referee: James Adcock |
| 28 December 2014 24 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Rotherham United | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Telford 84' | Report | Ledesma 57' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,623 Referee: Scott Duncan |
| 10 January 2015 25 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Millwall | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Clarke 33' | Report | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 9,994 Referee: Steve Martin |
| 17 January 2015 26 | Wolves | 2–0 | Blackpool | Wolverhampton |
| 15:00 GMT | D. Edwards 86' Afobe 90' | Report | Attendance: 28,132 Referee: Kevin Johnson |
| 24 January 2015 27 | Watford | 7–2 | Blackpool | Watford |
| 15:00 GMT | Ighalo 47', 54', 73', 81' Deeney 53'Vydra 59'Angella 66' | Report | Orlandi 8' S. Davies 42' | Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 17,015 Referee: Fred Graham |
| 31 January 2015 28 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Brighton | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | O'Hara 75' | Report | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,575 Referee: Seb Stockbridge |
| 7 February 2015 29 | Norwich City | 4–0 | Blackpool | Norwich |
| 15:00 GMT | Hooper 12', 24', 56' (pen.) Redmond 90+4' | Report | Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 26,017 Referee: Simon Hooper |
| 10 February 2015 30 | Blackpool | 1–2 | Middlesbrough | Blackpool |
| 19:45 GMT | Gibson 85' (o.g.) | Report | Woodgate 81' Kike 88' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,806 Referee: Chris Kavanagh |
| 14 February 2015 31 | Blackpool | 4–4 | Nottingham Forest | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Aldred 40' 76' Madine 45+1'Orlandi 66'S. Davies 73'Ferguson 90+7' | Report | Blackstock 68' Gardner 70'Lansbury 77' (pen.)Burke 90+5' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,712 Referee: Lee Probert |
| 21 February 2015 32 | Blackburn Rovers | 1–1 | Blackpool | Blackburn |
| 15:00 GMT | Report | Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 14,906 Referee: Mick Russell |
| 24 February 2015 33 | Brentford | 4–0 | Blackpool | Brentford |
| 19:45 GMT | Toral 16', 18', 89' Gray 52' | Report | Dunne  44' | Stadium: Griffin Park Attendance: 8,765 Referee: Andy D'Urso |
| 28 February 2015 34 | Blackpool | 1–3 | Wigan Athletic | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | O'Hara 27' McMahon 51'Madine 85'Davies 90' | Report | Kim Bo-kyung 45' Maguire 67'Perch 75'McClean 79'Clarke 90' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,679 Referee: Keith Stroud |
| 4 March 2015 35 | Birmingham City | 1–0 | Blackpool | Birmingham |
| 19:45 GMT | Shinnie 36' Davis 65' | Report | Maher 47' | Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 15,111 Referee: Stuart Attwell |
| 7 March 2015 36 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Sheffield Wednesday | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Barkhuizen 53' Telford 70'Clarke 77' | Report | Lees 15' McGugan 54'Dielna 70'Hélan 80' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,887 Referee: Graham Scott |
| 14 March 2015 37 | Bournemouth | 4–0 | Blackpool | Bournemouth |
| 15:00 GMT | Pitman 10', 36', 39' Wilson 49' (pen.)Elphick 54'Ritchie 77' | Report | Barkhuizen 58' McMahon 90' | Stadium: Goldsands Stadium Attendance: 10,013 Referee: Chris Sarginson |
| 17 March 2015 38 | Blackpool | 0–3 | Charlton Athletic | Blackpool |
| 19:45 GMT | Barkhuizen 87' | Report | Eagles 31' Diarra 37'Church 61' 86'Guðmundsson 88' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 9,168 Referee: David Webb |
| 21 March 2015 39 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Leeds United | Blackpool |
| 15:00 GMT | Madine 44' Cubero 61'Andrea Orlandi 90+2' | Report | Antenucci 62' Byram 66'Bellusci 90+6' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 11,688 Referee: Scott Duncan |
| 4 April 2015 40 | Bolton Wanderers | 1–1 | Blackpool | Bolton |
| 15:00 BST | Feeney 15' Vela 77'Guðjohnsen 90+4' | Report | Jacobs 9' Clarke 65'Madine 89'Lewis 90+5' | Stadium: Macron Stadium Attendance: 17,076 Referee: David Coote |
| 7 April 2015 41 | Blackpool | 1–1 | Reading | Blackpool |
| 19:45 BST | O'Hara 6' (pen.) 90+4' | Report | McCleary 39' Hall 46' (o.g.)Gunter 57' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 9,614 Referee: Geoff Eltringham |
| 11 April 2015 42 | Ipswich Town | 3–2 | Blackpool | Ipswich |
| 15:00 BST | Sears 24' 28' Berra 83' | Report | Andrea Orlandi 4' Cameron 63' | Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 19,290 Referee: James Linington |
| 14 April 2015 43 | Derby County | 4–0 | Blackpool | Derby |
| 19:45 BST | Bryson 3' Ince 28'Bent 29' 65' (pen.) | Report | Stadium: ipro Stadium Attendance: 27,227 Referee: Oliver Langford |
| 18 April 2015 44 | Blackpool | 0–1 | Fulham | Blackpool |
| 15:00 BST | Report | Smith 8' | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Attendance: 10,122 Referee: Eddie Ilderton |
| 25 April 2015 45 | Cardiff City | 3–2 | Blackpool | Cardiff |
| 15:00 BST | Mason 19' Doyle 31' (pen.) 76' (pen.) | Report | Orlandi 48' Clarke 90' | Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium Attendance: 26,357 Referee: Steve Martin |
| 2 May 2015 46 | Blackpool | 0–0 | Huddersfield Town | Blackpool |
| 12:15 BST | Report | Stadium: Bloomfield Road Referee: Mick Russell | ||
| Note: Match abandoned after 48 minutes, with the score 0–0, with the result later declared as such[19] | ||||
League Cup
| 12 August 2014 1 | Shrewsbury Town | 1–0 | Blackpool | Shrewsbury |
| 19:45 BST | Vernon 34' | Report | Stadium: Greenhous Meadow Attendance: 4,524 Referee: Mark Heywood |
FA Cup
| 4 January 2015 3 | Aston Villa | 1–0 | Blackpool | Birmingham |
| 15:00 BST | Benteke 88' | Report | Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 21,837 Referee: Chris Foy |
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 47 | |
| 21 | Rotherham United | 46 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 46 | 67 | −21 | 46[a] | |
| 22 | Millwall (R) | 46 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 42 | 76 | −34 | 41 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 23 | Wigan Athletic (R) | 46 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 39 | 64 | −25 | 39 | |
| 24 | Blackpool (R) | 46 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 36 | 91 | −55 | 26 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(R) Relegated
Notes:
Transfers
Blackpool released 17 players at the start of the season, while eight more rejected the offers of new contracts. Their contracted players at the start of pre-season were Tom Barkhuizen, Steven Davies, Charles Dunne, Bobby Grant, Gary MacKenzie, Tony McMahon and David Perkins. Blackpool signed 42 players over the course of the season, 26 as contracted players and 16 on loan. Of those signed to contracts, seven would depart permanently before the end of the season.
In
| Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FW | Sergei Zenjov | Karpaty Lviv | Free | 3 July 2014 | [7] |
| MF | Jacob Mellis | Unattached | Free | 28 July 2014 | [21] |
| MF | Tomasz Cywka | Unattached | Free | 28 July 2014 | [22] |
| DF | Peter Clarke | Unattached | Free | 28 July 2014 | [23] |
| FW | Nathan Delfouneso | Unattached | Free | 29 July 2014 | [24] |
| MF | José Miguel Cubero | Herediano | Undisclosed | 31 July 2014 | [25] |
| DF | Donervon Daniels | West Bromwich Albion | Loan | 1 August 2014 | [26] |
| DF | Joan Oriol | Osasuna | Undisclosed | 3 August 2014 | [27] |
| GK | Joe Lewis | Cardiff City | Loan | 5 August 2014 | [28] |
| MF | John Lundstram | Everton | Loan | 6 August 2014 | [29] |
| FW | Ishmael Miller | Unattached | Free | 6 August 2014 | [30] |
| GK | Ell Parish | Bristol City | Free | 7 August 2014 | [31] |
| MF | Andrea Orlandi | Unattached | Free | 8 August 2014 | [32] |
| DF | Jeffrey Rentmeister | Westerlo | Undisclosed | 12 August 2014 | [33] |
| MF | Joël Dielna | Unattached | Free | 12 August 2014 | [33] |
| MF | François Zoko | Unattached | Free | 15 August 2014 | [34] |
| MF | Nile Ranger | Unattached | Free | 16 August 2014 | |
| MF | Edu Oriol | Unattached | Free | 16 August 2014 | |
| DF | Andre Blackman | Unattached | Free | 29 September 2014 | [35] |
| MF | Formose Mendy | Unattached | Free | 29 September 2014 | [35] |
| MF | Jacob Murphy | Norwich City | Loan | 3 November 2014 | [36] |
| MF | Jonathan Legear | Unattached | Undisclosed | 4 November 2014 | [37] |
| MF | Jamie O'Hara | Unattached | Short-term deal until January, later extended until end of season | 5 November 2014 | [38] |
| DF | Brian Lenihan | Hull City | Loan | 7 November 2014 | |
| MF | Chris Eagles | Unattached | Free | 18 November 2014 | [39] |
| DF | Nyron Nosworthy | Unattached | Free | 21 November 2014 | [40] |
| DF | Tom Kennedy | Rochdale | Loan | 22 November 2014 | |
| DF | Kevin Foley | Wolves | Loan | 27 November 2014 | [41] |
| MF | Stuart O'Keefe | Crystal Palace | Loan | 27 November 2014 | [42] |
| DF | Darren O'Dea | Unattached | Short-term deal until January, later extended until end of season | 4 December 2014 | [43] |
| DF | Grant Hall | Tottenham Hotspur | Loan | 8 January 2015 | |
| FW | Saër Sène | Unattached | Short-term deal until end of season | 9 January 2015 | |
| DF | David Ferguson | Sunderland | 18-month contract | 9 January 2015 | |
| MF | Connor Oliver | Sunderland | 18-month contract | 9 January 2015 | |
| MF | Alex Henshall | Ipswich Town | One-month loan | 9 January 2015 | |
| FW | Islam Feruz | Chelsea | Loan | 16 January 2015 | [44] |
| DF | Niall Maher | Bolton Wanderers | Loan | 22 January 2015 | |
| MF | Joe Rothwell | Manchester United | Loan | 27 January 2015 | [45] |
| DF | Tom Aldred | Accrington Stanley | Undisclosed (initially joined on 3 day loan from 31 January) | 2 February 2015 | |
| FW | Gary Madine | Sheffield Wednesday | Loan | 10 February 2015 | |
| DF | Miles Addison | Bournemouth | Loan | 3 March 2015 | |
| MF | Michael Jacobs | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Loan | 12 March 2015 |
Out
| Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DF | Louis Almond | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| FW | Anderson Banvo | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| DF | Kirk Broadfoot | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| DF | Jake Caprice | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| MF | James Caton | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| FW | Michael Chopra | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| MF | Adam Dodd | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| FW |  Robert Earnshaw | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| FW | Nathan Eccleston | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| MF | Barry Ferguson | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| MF | Elliot Grandin | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| GK | Mark Halstead | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| MF | Faris Haroun | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| GK | Chris Kettings | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| MF | Liam Tomsett | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| FW | Nathan Tyson | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| GK |  Tony Warner | Released | 16 May 2014 | [3] | |
| DF | Chris Basham | Sheffield United | Free | 5 June 2014 | [46] |
| MF | Neal Bishop | Scunthorpe United | Free | 19 June 2014 | [47] |
| DF |  Craig Cathcart | Watford | Free | 24 June 2014 | [48] |
| MF | Ángel Martínez | Unattached | 30 June 2014 | ||
| DF | Isaiah Osbourne | Unattached | 30 June 2014 | ||
| GK | Matt Gilks | Burnley | Free | 2 July 2014 | [49] |
| FW | Tom Ince | Hull City | Tribunal-set fee | 7 July 2014 | [5] |
| FW | Ricardo Fuller | Millwall | Free | 16 July 2014 | [9] |
| DF | Harrison McGahey | Sheffield United | Tribunal-set fee | 18 July 2014 | [6] |
| FW | Bobby Grant | Shrewsbury Town | Loan | 9 October 2014 | [50] |
| FW | Tom Barkhuizen | Morecambe | Loan | 17 October 2014 | [51] |
| FW | François Zoko | Bradford City | Loan until 17 January 2015 | 22 November 2014 | [52] |
| MF | Tomasz Cywka | Rochdale | Loan until 6 January 2015 | 26 November 2014 | [53] |
| FW | Sergei Zenjov | Unattached | Mutual consent | 2 December 2014 | [54] |
| DF | Joan Oriol | Unattached | Mutual consent | 12 January 2015 | [54] |
| MF | Edu Oriol | Unattached | Mutual consent | 12 January 2015 | [54] |
| MF | Chris Eagles | Unattached | End of contract | 19 January 2015 | [55] |
| MF | Jacob Mellis | Oldham Athletic | Loan | 22 January 2015 | [56] |
| MF | Jonathan Legear | Unattached | Mutual consent | 28 January 2015 | |
| FW | Ishmael Miller | Huddersfield Town | Undisclosed | 2 February 2015 | [57] |
| DF | Gary MacKenzie | Bradford City | Loan | 2 February 2015 | |
| FW | Steven Davies | Sheffield United | Loan | 6 March 2015 | |
| DF | Nyron Nosworthy | Portsmouth | Loan | 19 March 2015 | [58] |
| DF | Tony McMahon | Bradford City | Loan | 27 March 2015 | |
| MF | Formose Mendy | HJK Helsinki | Free | 23 April 2015 |
Academy
Blackpool gave debuts to academy scholars Henry Cameron, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Dom Telford and Mark Waddington over the course of the season, with Cameron signing a professional deal in January.[59] Fellow youth-team players Miles Boney, Luke Higham and Daniel Milton were unused substitutes for the first-team.