Poolie Kev samples the fresh sea air of Blackpool

By Poolie Kev
September 14 2005

After battling through crowds of Stag and Hen parties and finally finding his Seafront Hotel, Poolie Kev was able to bring us his reflections on Hartlepool United's win at Blackpool. No mention of Donkeys either!

Funny one Blackpool.I might be a little bit prejudiced here but then again I met the ex-wife in Blackpool so I don’t really associate it with enjoyment. Bit of a trek even though from down here in North Nottinghamshire it’s only 145miles. It still took almost two and a half hours to get there and here’s the first salutary warning, kids. Unless you know exactly where your hotel is, don’t try and busk it even though it says ‘seafront.’ There’s a shedload of seafront at Blackpool. Miles of it. Most of it spotted with hotels…

So into the Carlton, very nice and a snip at the price, quick shake up, into the shirt and taxi bound for the south end of town. Isn’t it funny going North with the sea on your left?? A bit like watching the water go the wrong way down the plug hole in the Southern hemisphere. There was a generous helping of the chosen along the seafront in various states of rock purchase, chip eating, inebriation and, frankly, insouciance. It’s been a long time since I’ve been among a crowd of Poolies in so blatantly UN-party mood at an away game. 696 of us and not a song until 75 mins.

For some reason I was allowed into the Old Bridge Hotel when no other away fans were, quite why continues to baffle me. Last season it was closed for the game and the season before it was most pleasant in there but doormen and police officers have their own prejudices and it seemed the Poolies were on the end of them this week. It did mean a bout of solitary drinking, which I’m told leads to solo home drinking and from thence to a place called The Priory. However I’ll deal with that when it happens.

Now Blackpool’s ground is a dump. At least the bit they let us into is. I wouldn’t keep pigeons in it and yet the temporary seats have been there three years to my knowledge since the legendary day we lost 4-0, Neale Cooper sacked half the squad and we never looked back. I know we all have cash restraints these days down in the third division because all the £70,000 a week show ponies are scoffing caviare and doing their ‘let them eat cake’ routines up in the ivory towers but that’s almost third world and inexcusable. Is it going to take those plyboard stands to collapse and hurt someone before they’re forced to improve it??

But hey, never mind. RESULT!!! It wasn’t pretty, it was absolutely dire in places and I enjoyed the illuminations and even Boro beating the Arse with a satisfied smirk among the carousing hen and stag parties busily vomiting their way around town. It has to be said if the groom were to spot his beloved and intended out on some of these affairs I’m sure he’d bolt for the hills. I would.

It’s not somewhere I’d go if Pools weren’t playing there, much the same as South East London on a Tuesday night but these are in the nature of the beast. Bring on Swansea!!