Blackpool F.C. season 1918–19

Lancashire Senior Cup

Blackpool met Liverpool in the sem-finals at Bloomfield Road on 24 May, with Liverpool winning 1-0. However, the game was overshadowed by controversy as many in the crowd of 7,000 felt that Blackpool had been "over-refereed", with claims that the referee, Mr J A Alderston of Earlstown, distinctly favoured Liverpool, in particular when in the last few minutes of the game he denied what many thought was a clear penalty for Blackpool. At the final whistle supporters demonstrated against the referee who had to be escorted off the pitch by police officers, as fans hurled sand and pieces of the turf at him. What was described as "a large number of people" stood outside the stand after the match and it took an appeal by the club's directors "to disperse in the interests of the club" before they left the ground. An Official Enquiry was launched, and the Lancashire County Football Association (LFA) appointed their president to chair it. The final hearing was held on 3 July when the referee, Mr Alderson was "lightly reprimanded" for not originally reporting the incident. He had not done so until instructed to by members of the LFA who had been at the match. However no action was taken against the club as the demonstration was deemed "not to be of so serious a nature." Club director Albert Hargreaves was cautioned though for "making indscreet remarks" about the official's in the referee's dressing room after the game.

ummary

A mixed season saw Blackpool struggle in the Principal Competition where they only climbed off the foot of the table toward the end of the season to finish in 11th place, but win Group A of the Subsidiary Competition and so qualify for the Lancashire Senior Cup sem-finals where the defeat to Liverpool, which caused controversy, saw the four-year period of wartime football draw to a close for the club. Harold Keenan made the most appearances, with 34 (28 in the Principal Competition and six in the Subsidiary Competition). Thomas Hunter was next with 33 league appearances (27 in the Principal Competition and six in the Subsidiary Competition), followed by Bobby Booth with 29 (23 in the Principal Competition and six in the Subsidiary Competitition) and Eugene O'Doherty with 27 (21 in the Principal Competition and six in the Subsidiary Competitition).

Over the four wartime seasons Blackpool had used a total of 153 different players in the 145 official wartime games, plus at least another 21 in friendly games. Booby Booth made the most appearances, playing in 88 official plus six other games. Jack Connor played in 76 official plus eight other games, Joe Bainbridge 73 plus four and Jimmy Jones 68 plus four. Of the soldiers who appeared, Dunn played in the most games, 59 plus five. Seven of the solders who had played for Blackpool in the wartime seasons went on to sign professional terms with the club - Edmund Berry, Horace Fairhurst, James (Jimmy) Heathcote, Thomas Hunter, Henry Mingay, Albert Moorcroft and Eugene O'Doherty.

Notes

References

*cite book | first=Roy | last=Calley| coauthors= | title=Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887-1992 | publisher=Breedon Books Sport | location= | year=1992 | editor= | id=ISBN 1-873626-07-X