Gazette opinion: The photo I just can't wait to take

Well, this is it – the game you’ve all been waiting for; the game many of you probably thought may never come. May I be the first to say, ‘Welcome home’.
By Matt Scrafton
Published 8th Mar 2019, 07:43 BST
Updated 8th Mar 2019, 08:48 BST
Blackpool FC writer Matt Scrafton has become accustomed to taking pictures of an empty shell of a stadium - that won't be the case tomorrowBlackpool FC writer Matt Scrafton has become accustomed to taking pictures of an empty shell of a stadium - that won't be the case tomorrow
Blackpool FC writer Matt Scrafton has become accustomed to taking pictures of an empty shell of a stadium - that won't be the case tomorrow
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After years of tireless campaigning, years of heart-wrenching boycotts, years of mindless legal wranglings, the fans will finally have their day in the sun.

While three points to boost Pool’s play-off challenge would be huge, Saturday isn’t really about the 90 minutes of football.

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It’s about those fans being back where they should be, supporting their team and bringing the club right back to the heart of the community. The fact that hasn’t been the case for four or five years a disgrace, but now is not the time to dwell on the past because the club finally has a bright future.

No doubt there will be few dry faces among those 14,000 or so crammed inside Bloomfield Road, especially those who will be reflecting on the fans who have passed away and never managed to witness this momentous occasion.

It will also be a surreal, emotional moment for myself. Having only started this job at the back end of 2016, I’ve only ever seen Bloomfield Road virtually empty – except when it was taken over by Sunderland fans on New Year’s Day.

The photo I regularly post on Twitter at 2.59pm on a match day depicts a depressingly empty skeleton of a football stadium. Tomorrow the shot I take will be of a vibrant sea of tangerine.

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It’s the picture I’ve wanted to take ever since I started this job and that special Bloomfield Road atmosphere is something I can’t wait to witness.

There is absolutely no limit to where this club can go, not with everyone on board and heading in the same direction. Win, lose or draw tomorrow, Blackpool are back and mighty again.