Saturday 28th February 2026 ko 19:30

North West Counties League First Division North

AFC BLACKPOOL 3 (Smith 1 Robinson 16 Bury 74)

HOLKER OLD BOYS 0

Att 405

Entry £6

Programme £2

Is it wrong that I still think of AFC Blackpool as their former selves at Blackpool Mechanics? The club started out in 1947 as Blackpool Metal Mechanics before changing their name to Blackpool Mechanics soon after. They initially played at part of Stanley Park in the town before moving to Jepson Way in 1949.

They were founder members of the North West Counties in 1982 and were re-named AFC Blackpool in May 2008 when Mechanics and Squires Gate Junior FC agreed to merge. If you want to know why the ground is called the “Mechanics Ground” you now know!

As the 4th game of our day I found myself thinking of the Neil Young song “Rockin’ in the Free World,” people really were shuffling their feet, although there wasn’t a thousand points of light as the illuminations aren’t on this time of year! There was a long queue to get in, trying to get 400 people through one turnstile really doesn’t work. Here though, they did have a reasonable excuse that there is only one turnstile! Thankfully I managed to get a door opened to let those with prepaid tickets in quickly. I want people in the ground and spending money.

It was good to see the place dry too. I think many of us remembered here 2 years previously when we’d lost the game to a very waterlogged pitch. I’ll never forget the club using a leaf blower to try to clear water off the grass. All credit for them for trying though, and I hope the experience stood them in some sort of stead for this; their second attempt at hosting.

I winced though when I saw the club serving their food through a hatch. It’s something that’s become a bugbear of mine over the years, as you see queues building as everything gets crammed through a confined space. The catch is that while 99% of the time it doesn’t work there are those glorious 1% of times when it does. I remember Dunipace making it work, and Mechanics did here, but that is 2 host clubs out of 709 games GroundhopUK have organised. It is the classic case of the exceptions proving the rule!

What was a real surprise was the ground which. For a side so connected to the North West Counties League the ground is superbly appointed and it felt the least busy of the 4 we’d visited that day when only Fulwood had more through the gate! Also impressive were Mechanics on the pitch, they were good value for this win.

A word to finish on Holker Old Boys. Thanks to all there for travelling for this fixture, and yes, you are very much in our thoughts for the future.