Ex-Blackpool forward makes clear what makes Bloomfield Road special - as he reflects on promotion and homecoming goal

Former Blackpool striker Armand Gnanduillet admits the Fylde Coast provided the home he needed - and helped him to appreciate the importance of the team.

The 34-year-old, who now plays for Stade Malherbe Caen in Ligue 3, was with the Seasiders between 2016 and 2020.

During his time in Tangerine, he bagged 43 goals and 11 assists in 145 appearances, alongside picking up a promotion to League One.

Gnanduillet first came over to England to join Chesterfield in 2013, but soon found himself representing a number of clubs up and down the country - appearing for Tranmere Rovers, Oxford United and Stevenage on loan, before making a permanent move to Leyton Orient.

“All French players want to play in England - we’ve seen the Arsenal Invincibles and we’ve seen (Eric) Cantona play there, so I always dreamt of it,” he said.

“When I had the opportunity to join Chesterfield, I just took it.

“When you see it on TV, everything is good and everything is fine, but when I came I realised you have to work to achieve your dreams.

“It took a bit of time for me, which is why I moved a lot. My work ethic at the beginning wasn’t that good. I was young as well on my own, so it was difficult at that time, especially coming from France and not speaking good English.

“Back in the day I was a little bit stubborn, and I wasn’t ready for the style of play because it’s always 100 percent.

“I just said to myself: ‘You’ve got to change a bit and let’s see what’s going on.’

“I just tried to do my best, I realised I was capable of doing some good stuff on the field.”

Gnanduillet arrived at Bloomfield Road for the first time in 2016, joining the club under Gary Bowyer.

At this time, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the Seasiders, with fans boycotting games in protest of the Oyston ownership - which had just overseen a relegation to League Two.

“I knew it was a bad time, but I just remembered when Blackpool were in the Premier League,” the forward added.

“For me, it was a good opportunity. Jamille Matt was there, and we’d been on loan together at Stevenage, so at least I knew one player, but the lads gave me a good welcome.

“It was very tough, but we did what we had to do, and we got promoted in my first year, so it wasn’t a bad choice to move.

“Obviously, collectively it went well because we went back to League One, but personally I wasn’t that happy because I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted.

“The team did well, so sometimes you have to realise no one is bigger than the club. If you have to sit on the bench, then you have to give 100 percent.

“The second year was similar, but after that I had two great seasons because I had more experience.

“Blackpool is the club where I spent the most time. I’ve moved loads in my career, so staying four-years was a blessing, and until this day I keep good memories from this time.

“Sometimes you’ve got things you can’t control; as a player you’ve just got to give your best.

“We had a lot of meetings between the players, and we just said: ‘That’s the way it is, so let’s try to do our best to get the club to the right place.’

“We had such a good squad in terms of human beings. There wasn’t any fighting between the players, everyone would give 100 percent, and if they didn’t then they’d get left out.”

While Gnanduillet was part of the squad that enjoyed promotion from League Two, there was disappointment on a personal level after being an unused substitute in the play-off final against Exeter City - which ended in a 2-1 victory for the Seasiders.

“It was my second time at Wembley,” he stated.

“The first one was at Chesterfield and I was left out of the squad. This time, I was in the squad but on the bench.

“For me, it was a step up, I went to Wembley. Sometimes you need to see the good side rather than the bad side.

“My family was there, so I was hoping I’d come on, but unfortunately someone got injured, so the manager has to think about who would have a better impact, and it wasn’t me, but we won the game.

“I know I played a good part during the play-offs. I was disappointed not to play, but we won, so I couldn’t cry; I’m not selfish and I know the team comes first.”

One big occasion Gnanduillet did feature in was the 2019 homecoming fixture against Southend United - as fans made their way back to the ground following the end of the Oyston ownership.

The striker was on the scoresheet for the Seasiders that day, as the game ended in a dramatic 2-2 draw.

“After being at Blackpool when nobody was at Bloomfield, being there for the homecoming was what I was dreaming of,” he admitted.

“Every player wants to play in front of 20,000 people. When I came onto the field, I said to myself: ‘This is a game where you’re going to score.’

“Still to this day, I receive messages from fans who remember me scoring. It’s like giving back what the fans gave to me, with the welcome and how they sang my name.

“It was about seeing the people from the town being happy, for me it was something very satisfying.”