Blackpool's bid to stay up takes them to Bristol City after a devastating week off the field

Fans, players, management and club staff came together in a moving display of unity on Monday afternoon to mark the tragic death of Tony Johnson.

Johnson, who was 55, had passed away in the early hours of the morning as a result of senseless violence two days previous following the Lancashire derby against Burnley.

The club manoeuvred a fast-moving and tricky situation well, giving up space within Bloomfield Road to allow supporters to mourn and pay their respects.

Flowers were then laid at a memorial by Stan Mortensen’s statue, where a large congregation stood in sombre silence to remember a lifelong Seasider.

A fundraiser for Tony’s family was also quickly launched to help with funeral costs which, at the time of writing, is almost at the £13,000 mark, exceeding the £10,000 goal within a couple of days.

Blackpool fans certainly know how to look after their own.

As a partner, a father and grandfather, our thoughts must remain with the family Tony has tragically left behind.

Blackpool and their rivals Preston North End wore black armbands on Tuesday for their Central League fixture, which was played at the home of Bamber Bridge. A Union Jack flag was also flown at half mast at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium.

Further tributes are expected at Ashton Gate on Saturday, where Blackpool face Bristol City in a clash that had already been chosen for Sky Sports coverage.

It is moments like this where the football community, often too tribal for its own good, is at its best. But it’s a crying shame it’s taken such a devastating incident for people to be united.

This is the first death of a football fan as a result of violence since Cambridge United supporter Simon Dobbin passed away in 2020 after suffering brain damage following an incident away to Southend United five years prior.

As much as we all love football, a sport that dominates many of our lives, there is simply no excuse for that passion to boil over to such an unacceptable level, so let’s hope this acts as a watershed moment.

The task ahead

Mick McCarthy, who was among those to lay a wreath on Monday afternoon, now has the difficult task of ensuring his players are focused on Saturday’s game.

The Seasiders head to the South West, which has been hit by heavy snowfall over the last 24 hours, looking to build on last weekend’s impressive draw against Burnley.

Given Blackpool’s perilous position inside the bottom three, draws won’t do them much good at the moment. Wins are the order of the day.

But given who their opponents were, Vincent Kompany’s runaway leaders, no less, no-one grumbled at what was a hard-earned and deserved point.

It’s a cliché we’ve heard plenty of over the last week or so, but McCarthy’s side must build on this result and use it as a platform during the final 11 games of the campaign.

While the gap to safety remains at six points, Blackpool will have been comforted by the midweek results going their way, with Wigan and Reading – who could still be hit with a points deduction – both losing, while Huddersfield were held to a goalless draw at home to Blackpool’s next opponents Bristol City.

QPR are another team that have dropped into the equation in recent weeks following a miserable run of form, failing to win any of their last 12 games.

Gareth Ainsworth’s side now sit 20th, seven points ahead of Blackpool in 22nd place. This weekend they play Watford, who predictably dispensed of another manager this week with Chris Wilder replacing Slaven Billic in the revolving door, before making the trip to Bloomfield Road on Tuesday night.

In a dream scenario the Seasiders will take six points from the two games, which will really make things interesting at the bottom end of the Championship.

But even if they draw with Bristol City this weekend and beat QPR, those four points will still keep them in the hunt so to speak and drag down a side that looks to be dropping like a stone.

Timely return

Let’s hope they’re boosted by the return of Keshi Anderson for the final run-in, because he’s a player they’ve badly missed this season: a creative type with a real eye for a defence-splitting pass in the final third.

He got 60 invaluable minutes under his belt on Tuesday for the development squad and looked pretty tidy. He certainly didn’t look off the pace for the time he was on the pitch and engaged in some pretty robust challenges.

He also looked a little rusty at times, but that’s to be expected given the amount of time he’s spent on the sidelines this season.

In fact, the 27-year-old has seen just 35 minutes of football this season. Kevin Stewart, meanwhile, has yet to play a single minute.

Can you imagine how different things could be if those two had been anywhere near fit for the majority of the campaign? And that’s without mentioning all the other injuries we’ve witnessed.

Fingers crossed for a clean bill of health between now and the end of the season, because it’s going to be all hands on deck for the final 11 games.

Staying up is still do-able, we’re not in the last chance saloon just yet. But the Seasiders have got to get moving and moving fast.