Blackpool SLO column: January is gearing up to be a key month

We’ve become a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde outfit lately, with the majority of our points being picked up at home – our fortunes away from Bloomfield Road need to improve.

January may be a pivotal month with the transfer window now open.

If we can hang on to our loan players for the second half of the season, that will help the cause and there is an opportunity for us to strengthen the squad if the right deals can be done.

With 20 league games left, there is everything to play for. As a fanbase, I’d say we need to keep believing and supporting the team.

The difference that encouragement and positivity from the stands makes just cannot be underestimated.

However, our next couple of games are cup matches.

On Sunday, we face Premier League opposition in the third round of the FA Cup with a trip to Nottingham Forest – and there are still spaces left on the club’s supporters’ coach.

What are the chances we can knock them out just like we did on the corresponding day a year ago? Good luck to Neil Critchley and the team.

Then, on Wednesday, the Seasiders are in Bristol Street Motors Trophy action at Bloomfield Road with a last-16 tie against Burton Albion.

Kick-off is at 7pm and tickets are £10 for adults, £5 for young adults and £1 for under-18s, all available from the club ticket office right up until kick-off. Who knows, we may be three games away from another day at Wembley.

Off the field, the club will be holding the first Structured Dialogue meeting of the season with supporters’ groups representatives in a few weeks’ time and I’ll be contacting supporters’ group secretaries shortly about this.

I did promise you an update on progress towards the new supporter engagement strategy that the club is developing.

It’s my understanding the draft is nearing completion and may well feature at the Structured Dialogue meeting.

I’d like to give feedback on one other item about which I’ve received a lot of messages recently.

It’s a reminder that Blackpool FC – in common with the majority of sporting and entertainment venues – does not permit hot food to be taken into the ground.

It’s caught quite a few fans by surprise that stewards have asked them to either finish eating it or bin it before entering the turnstiles.

If you do support the food franchises in the surrounding area, please allow time to finish your hot food before joining the turnstile queues.

I should add one more reminder which is that the concourse concessions are all cashless nowadays.

Finally, if any fan wishes to contact me for any reason at all, my email is [email protected] and you might also like to follow @bfcslo on Facebook and X.

UTMP!