Morning folks, another Blackpool fan here but one with a big soft spot for you guys as I spend a few years in the early 80s watching Oxford as part of the Junior Supporters club.
I grew up in Aylesbury which meant a 400+ mile round trip to Blackpool every other week as a kid wasn't really feasible at the time, so my dad (a lifelong Blackpool fan himself) and I adopted you as our local team so we could watch some football on a Saturday (and a 45 minute each way drive as opposed to 4 hours or so!). This meant a good few years at the Manor Ground (probably 80-84 or so), of which I still have very fond memories, watching the likes of Shotton, Briggs (later to be a favourite of mine at Blackpool), Chicken George, Hebberd etc. My love of Oxford was only every going to be a temporary affair as Blackpool always had my heart (despite us being utterly rubbish back then) but I really enjoyed my time watching you, still look out for you now and relish the games against you (they feel like some sort of weird derby just for me!)
I miss the Manor Ground, it was a great place to watch football, although I still question the wisdom of putting the families in that terrace in the corner next to the away fans - I can remember at least one occasion when me, my dad and my grandad had to avoid coins and other missiles coming the the Cuckoo Lane stand aimed at the fans beyond where we stood! I also learnt a lot of new words from listening to the away support too back then. The only thing I probably didn't really enjoy was the pissy stench of that tunnel under the stand when going to the toilet or snack bar.
My last visit to the Manor Ground was 1996 and that Joey Beauchamp wonder-strike that killed our hopes of automatic. It was inevitable that he would score as I'd brought a couple of mates with me that day, one of which was a West Ham fan who had been slagging him off all morning. We had a great laugh with some of your fans before the game, and agreed that we'd meet up after the game whatever the result in a pub just around the corner (maybe on Stephen Road or the Old High street?). I was a bit apprehensive about walking into a pub full of home fans wearing my Blackpool colours but we stuck to the plan and ended up having a cracking night - no aggro from potential promotion rivals, just some lads buying me drinks for making up for beating us! It's stuck with me ever since - you are a decent set of supporters.
I obviously hope that Friday should be a formality now, but any Blackpool fan will have Bradford 1996 in my mind when we threw away a two goal away lead in the play offs to lose 3 nil so I'm taking nothing for granted. Whatever happens I'll continue to look out for you and all the best for next season (apart from if you are playing us obviously).
We should of played last night at Wycombe we may have got a better result there.
