 Wednesday, 7th Dec 2011 10:38 Blackpool visiting Southampton hasnt been a regular fixture on the calendar at least in recent years. Saints and Blackpool have only shared a division for 20 seasons and only eight of those seasons has been in the last 75 years. We first came into competition with the Lancashire club in 1922/23 after we had been promoted to Division 2 and we drew 1-1 at the Dell and we then played them pretty much every season, apart from when they had a brief sojourn in division one up until 1937 when they gained promotion to the top flight a division they would stay in for another 30 years whilst we languished in the divisions below. We resumed League hostilities in 66/67 in our innaugral year in the top flight, it would not be a good year for them, they would finish rock bottom winning only 6 games, sadly for us one of them would be at the Dell on New Years Eve 1966, when they walloped us 5-1. They returned to the top flight for a season in 70/71, but they would fare even worse than their last attempt, still finishing rock bottom but only winning four games this time, one of them wasnt at the Dell but only a 79th minute equaliser from Ron Davies in a 1-1 draw saved our blushes. We joined them in Division 2 for 74/75 and again it was 1-1, Bobby Stokes popping up in the 89th minute to rescue us this time out, the following year we beat them 3-1 to kick start probably our best period against them, although 3-3 in December 1976 was a classic game that saw the debut of Saints keeper Peter Wells and a see saw game wherre Mickey Walsh equalised with 3 mins to go for the visitors. 1977/78 was another victory as we powered to promotion and towards another 20 year period when the two clubs would not meet again, in 07/08 Saints would win 1-0 in controversial circunstances and would even miss a penalty in a game that was famous for the Blackpool drummer's drum being removed from the ground. 08/09 would not be a good fixture, like this weekend's game it was a televised Saturday lunchtime kick off, but it would be 1-0 to the visitors this time. In the cup we have met them on several occasions, most notably in 1976 when we beat them 3-1 in the 4th round and last year when we turned them over 2-0 in a game of two reserve sides that very much annoyed Ian Holloway. Strangely though although we have been drawn against them 6 times in the FA Cup we have never met them in the League Cup Competition. In the league we have met them 20 times at home, winning 13, drawing 5 and losing only 2, its been a high scoring fixture usually as we have netted 50 goals in those games and conceded 29. In the Cup we have met them 6 times at home, won 4 and lost 2. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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