Blackpool taking measures to protect Bloomfield Road pitch for Birmingham City clash amid plummeting temperatures

After a month-long break, Michael Appleton’s side resume their Championship campaign this weekend with a game against the Blues at Bloomfield Road.

Supporters attending the game should wrap up warm as it looks set to be a cold one, with the forecast predicting temperatures to reach no higher than 3℃ on Saturday.

It comes as an arctic blast hits the UK, with temperatures plummeting to as low as -2℃ overnight on both Wednesday night and Thursday.

With that in mind, Blackpool’s head groundsman Paul Flynn has already put plans in place to help protect the Bloomfield Road pitch ahead of the weekend’s game.

Covers have been put on while heat lamps have been put in place near the goalmouth in the South Stand.

“They're on,” Flynn wrote on Twitter. “Here we go for Saturday.”

After enjoying a month off to recharge the batteries, the Seasiders will be desperate to get back to winning ways after suffering four straight defeats before the World Cup break.

Another defeat on their return would mean a fifth straight loss, a run Blackpool haven’t endured for seven years when they lost seven games in a row during their League One relegation campaign, albeit two were in cup competitions.

A 2-0 defeat to Port Vale on November 24, 2015 was the last time they suffered a fifth straight league defeat.

But there will be renewed optimism among Appleton’s squad that they can return with a bang against Birmingham to lift themselves out of the relegation zone.