Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Ultimate Bucket List, and on today's show I show you
around one of the most bitter football rivalries that nobody really talks about.
In the UK there's lots of bloodthirsty and violent football rivalries.
Arsenal-Tottenham. Manchester United – Liverpool. Rangers-Celtic. Newcastle and Sunderland.
But there's one derby that nobody really talks about and the media doesn't really report on,
but if you're from around these parts this game is literally everything. Yes, it's the West
Lancashire derby between Blackpool Football Club and Preston North End. This is the biggest game
of the season for these two teams and it turns ordinary kind Lancashire folk into violent thugs.
Trouble between these two sets of fans is never usually well documented but it definitely happens.
It all started in the 1950’s where both sets of fans bickered about which club legend was better:
Sir Stanley Matthews or Sir Tom Finney. Both of these two players were the best in their day and
the bickering in the 50s eventually turned into violence in the 70s and has never really let up
since. Violence between these two sets of fans is pretty much expected although you never really
hear about it. And not only is it violent the fans are always trying to get one over another.
Whether it's Preston fans hanging banners over the motorway, to Blackpool fans flying banners
over the opposing stadium. To Preston fans invading the pitch … doesn't matter
which pitch it is they'll invade anything. To Blackpool fans hijacking episodes of Countdown.
There's definitely no love lost between these two sets of fans
and between the teams well it can get quite petty as well … more on that later.
Okay guys so you're going to need tickets to attend this fixture, as a precautionary measure
each teams require you to have a purchasing history prior to buying tickets. This prevents
day-trippers and chances buying tickets just to cause trouble. To buy the tickets, all you need
to do is just go on each team's official website and just buy them there it's pretty simple.
If you don't have a prior purchasing history ask somebody who does, it's literally that easy.
Okay so you've got your tickets and now you need to get here. And on derby day the towns go
eerily quiet because the residents of each town know what's coming next. You'll notice that the
police are literally everywhere, there's literally a small military convoy between the train station
and the stadium. As you know it's derby day when the police are even guarding the pubs.
The amount of police presence here is certainly overkill,
but given the violent history between these two sets of fans; it's definitely a worthy precaution.
They make sure that both sets of fans don't mix and there are certain areas of each stadium that
you cannot actually access if you're a home fan. If you're an away fan, you only have access to
one or two streets and one or two entrances, and this is to prevent you from mixing with the crowd.
But if you're supporting the home crowd you've got access to various pubs around the stadiums.
And if you're a cheap ass, there’s various supermarkets to buy cheap beers.
Outside each stadium there's not really all that much to do. And the dining options aren't really
that gourmet. But we're simple Lancashire folk, that'll do. If you're really bored feel free to
check out each team's club shop. I got to admit; Preston North End have very nice kits this season.
I particularly like this one in this lovely United shade of red. Hey look guys, it's the boss it's
Peter Ridsdale, let's see what he has to say. “What do you reckon today Mr Ridsdale? Two-nil?
Two-nil to North End? “I JUST WANT TO WIN!” Yes absolutely!”
So now it's time to go inside and before you do you'll probably be security checked,
just like this chap here. Once you've done that feel free to post your ticket into the turnstile
and walk all the way through. The concourses at each stadium aren't too bad there's plenty of room
and the food prices aren't too bad. If you look around carefully you'll see some very interesting
bits of history and a lot of people don't realize that David Beckham, yes that David Beckham,
used to be a Preston North End player so there's a bit about him on this wall. Once you've got your
cheap food and drink, it's now time to walk out onto the pitch. And especially here at Deepdale,
there's no bad view anywhere in the stadium, so just buy a ticket any ticket it's fine.
Let me show you around the place. That over there is the Bill Shankly Kop.
This is generally where the away supporters sit and it can get quite loud and boisterous.
Over there where the clock is that's the Invincibles Pavilion.
This is the newest part of the stadium and if you take corporate hospitality
that's where you'll be sitting. Over there is the Alan Kelly Town End. It's called the “Town End”
because it's the end closest to town, and this is where all the hardened bloodthirsty PNE fans sit.
We're sat right here in the Sir Tom Finney stand. This is the largest stand here at Deepdale it's
also the family stand so this is where you take your kids away from all the hooligan types.
And today I’m sat at roughly the halfway line exactly where I like to sit, and to be honest
not a bad view. When the teams come out to warm up usually about 30 minutes before kick-off
you're free to walk around the edge of the pitch to try and get photos and videos of them. But
don't expect them to come by and sign autographs and pose for pictures because they're currently
warming up and they'll blatantly just ignore you, like every other football club out there.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of Sir Tom Finney’s birth, and it's a special occasion
here with banners flying high to commemorate arguably the greatest player to ever play for
Preston North End. If you are in the Sir Tom Finney stand don't be surprised if you're sat
right next to the directors. As the teams come out onto the pitch the volume of both sets of
fans increases dramatically. Blackpool fans are already tossing coins and flares onto the field
and the game hasn't even started yet. Stay classy Blackpool fans, stay classy. Even
though I’m a former employee of the lilywhites, I never understood why the club mascot is a duck
and not a sheep. If anyone knows the answer please tell me in the comments section below.
As soon as it kicks off it really kicks off, and both sets of fans are in full voice. In typical
derby fashion both sets of teams try and attack each other from the outset. It's pretty much end
to end at this point. It doesn't look like either team has any intention of defending.
And at the seventh minute all PNE fans rise to their feet and give a rousing
applause to the life of the great Sir Tom Finney which Blackpool promptly boos. Oh,
it looks like the goalkeeper's been kicked in the head that looked like a pretty nasty challenge.
The game actually stopped for a significant period of time at this point
because this was a very serious injury, which required the goalkeeper to be stretched off.
Even Mr Ridsdale didn't particularly like this and he was very concerned for the opposing goalkeeper.
Blackpool then replaced him with none other than former Preston North End goalkeeper; Chris Maxwell
which prompted the home crowd to give Chris warm and humble greetings on his return to Deepdale.
One of the things that strikes me about this derby is how loud both sets of fans are. And yes you'd
definitely expect that from a derby game but given that this stadium only holds about 23,000 fans
you'd think it'd hold more than double that, given the amount of noise they were making.
Preston played really well and they should have been at least 2-0 up at the half.
It took more than three minutes of injury time for PNE to rightly draw
first blood.
And both sets of fans are throwing fireworks at each other,
yay! Now you'll probably notice at this point that there's not many Blackpool fans in attendance,
and it's not because they don't have any fans. But this is a result of both teams pettiness.
Earlier in the season at the fixture between both of these two teams at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool
reduced the ticket allocation for Preston fans by about a thousand, which left Preston North End
fuming that they weren't being treated fairly like every other team. So in retaliation Preston
North End did the same. They reduced their ticket allocation to just 2,000 fans to match
what they received earlier in the season. And even though the Bill Shankly Kop can hold in excess of
6,000 fans, Preston decided - nah to hell with you guys! So when I said that the two teams are petty
with each other, I really wasn't joking about that. This is why you see the rarity of home fans
being in the Bill Shankly Kop, even though this stand is generally designated as the away stand.
And notice the big barrier in between each sets of fans to try and keep them apart.
In the second half it's more of the same. It's pretty much end to end at this point
and both teams are actually playing very well. Blackpool dominated possession of the ball,
particularly in the middle of the pitch. Whilst Preston was significantly faster on the counter.
I think either team could have had an extra two goals apiece but they seem to have cancelled
each other out. Both sets of fans give as good as they get and even though everyone
knows that I’m a United season ticket holder, I’ve got to admit that the atmosphere at this
game beats most of the games I’ve seen at Old Trafford this season. Which is surprising given
that Old Trafford is three times the size of this place. In the closing stages of this game Preston
come agonisingly close several times and Blackpool give the hosts a bit of a scare at the other end.
And nobody's more relieved than the people sat next to me when the final whistle eventually goes
Preston North End 1, Scumsiders 0. And here come the Preston pitch invaders!
It's fun to see the security guards rugby tackle them to the ground. This particular one managed
to get Cameron Archer's shirt. Here you go son here's a shirt, enjoy your night in jail.
And even though the match ended five minutes ago nobody's actually going home,
the fans very happy with the team's performance this evening are more than happy to stay behind
and clap them off the field. And one of the things that makes me laugh is the Blackpool fans trying
to climb over the tarps to try and attack the Preston fans. I mean come on, you're going to go
through two lines of police and a whole bunch of Preston fans. Are you guys for real?!
So outside the stadium, you'll be corralled by police to try and disperse as fast as possible.
They'll usually keep the away fans in from anywhere between 10 minutes to half an hour
to wait for the home crowd to disappear. If you are an away fan,
expect the police to escort you back to the train station or to the bus station they generally don't
want you to mix with the home team's fans. As much as I would love to show you footage
of fans fighting, I’m not stupid enough to stick around to get caught in the crossfire
or to be trampled by police horses. And if you park anywhere near the stadium,
good luck trying to get home! Because you'll be stuck in mile long traffic which is why I always
park about a mile away from the stadium, so that I can get out of there without too much hassle.
And on my drive home I actually managed to see the police convoy escorting the Blackpool fans
back to Blackpool. This is how seriously they take security here.
Overall guys I highly recommend that you come to a west Lancashire derby game once in your life,
especially if you like football - but also if you're a fan of another team. It's interesting
to see from an outsider's point of view what hatred looks like here in west Lancashire.
Okay Ninh, I’m sold what do I need to do? Well you'll need to get to either Deepdale Stadium
or Bloomfield Road. Tickets are available at each team's website and you'll need a
prior purchasing history with both clubs in order to buy tickets. If you don't have one
either try your chances at the ticket office or ask somebody to purchase the tickets for you.
The cost? Well the cost of both teams are actually fairly reasonable and prices start from about
“24. The maximum you'll pay is £30 for a ticket unless you're going for corporate hospitality.
Getting to both stadiums on a match day is pretty hard work especially with the police cordons,
so plan your trip accordingly. And if you are driving, park about a mile from each
teams stadium. If you're an away fan please check your official team's website as they'll tell you
exactly what streets that you'll need to go down for access to your part of the stadium.
Is there anything else I need to know? Yes, because of the violent nature of both sets of fans
I would highly recommend that you don't hang around after the game.
If you're there to cause trouble just know that there's a police officer literally every 10 yards
from here to the train station, so it's very rare that you'll actually get away with stuff.
Guys if you've enjoyed this episode please, be sure to like share and subscribe.
Comment on the comment section below and if you've got any other bucket list ideas,
you know what to do. If I get enough suggestions; I’ll go ahead and do that.
So guys thank you very much for watching and we'll see you in the next episode