2025–26 Blackpool F.C. season

Blackpool
2025–26 season
OwnerSimon Sadler
Head coachSteve Bruce
StadiumBloomfield Road
League One18th
EFL CupFirst round
Top goalscorerLeague: Niall Ennis (3)
All: Niall Ennis (3)

The 2025–26 season is the 117th season in the history of Blackpool Football Club, and their third-consecutive season in League One, the third tier of English professional football. They will also participate in three cup competitions: the FA Cup, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy.[1]

It is Steve Bruce's first full season as head coach, having been appointed on 3 September 2024, during the previous season.[2]

Pre-season

Transfers which were announced in June and became official on 1 July:

On 25 June, forward Jake Beesley joined Burton Albion and defender Matthew Pennington signed for Bradford City, both for an undisclosed fee. The same day, forward Niall Ennis, who had been on loan with the club the previous season, signed from Stoke City for an undisclosed fee on a two-year contract.

Midfielder Jordan Brown joined from Leyton Orient on 8 July, again for an undisclosed amount.[3]

On 15 July, defender Danny Imray joined on a season-long loan from Crystal Palace.

Another midfielder, Rob Apter, signed for Charlton Athletic on 17 July for an undisclosed fee.[4]

On 18 July, Birmingham City goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell joined on loan until the end of the campaign.

Josh Miles joined Irish club Waterford for an undisclosed fee on 25 July.[5]

On 1 August, Birmingham City winger Emil Hansson signed on loan until the end of the season.

Fixtures

The first two pre-season friendlies to be announced was against Squires Gate and AFC Fylde on 12 July.[6] On 5 June, Blackpool announced a home friendly with West Bromwich Albion had been arranged for 19 July.[7] A friendly against Salford City at the Manchester club's Peninsula Stadium was scheduled for 22 July.[8] On 20 June, a fifth friendly was announced against Doncaster Rovers.[9]

A behind-closed-doors friendly against Accrington Stanley was also announced.[10]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

5 July 2025 Friendly Squires Gate 1–0 Blackpool XI Squires Gate
15:00 BST Report Stadium: The Brian Addison Stadium
8 July 2025 Friendly Blackpool 0–1 Accrington Stanley Squires Gate
12:30 BST Report
  • Woods
Stadium: Blackpool's training ground
Attendance: 0 (behind-closed-doors)
12 July 2025 Friendly AFC Fylde 3–4 Blackpool Medlar-with-Wesham
15:00 BST
  • Ustabaşı 6'
  • Ormerod 30'
  • Mohammed 70'
 Report
Stadium: Mill Farm Sports Village
15 July 2025 Friendly Fleetwood Town 3–0 Blackpool Thornton-Cleveleys
11:00 BST
Report Stadium: Poolfoot Farm
Attendance: 0 (behind-closed-doors)
19 July 2025 Friendly Blackpool 2–1 West Bromwich Albion Blackpool
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Bloomfield Road
22 July 2025 Friendly Salford City 0–0 Blackpool Salford
19:30 BST Report Stadium: Peninsula Stadium
26 July 2025 Friendly Doncaster Rovers 1–1 Blackpool Doncaster
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Eco-Power Stadium

Season proper

August

On 1 August, Swedish winger Emil Hansson joined Blackpool on a season-long loan from Birmingham City.[11] The following day, Blackpool began the League One season with a 3–2 home defeat to Stevenage. George Honeyman (on his debut) and Niall Ennis scored the goals for the hosts.[12]

Four days later, the club signed forward Malcolm Ebiowei from Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee.[13]

On 7 August, Blackpool signed Northern Ireland forward Dale Taylor from Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to have broken the club’s incoming transfer record.[14]

Two days later, Blackpool made it two defeats in as many fixtures, after a 4–1 scoreline at Exeter City. Ashley Fletcher scored his first goal of the season for the visitors, who dropped to 22nd place.[15] Due to a clerical error, resulting in an issue with his registration with the Football League, Dale Taylor was unable to make his debut.[16]

On 12 August, Blackpool exited the EFL Cup at the first hurdle. They lost 1–0 to Port Vale at Bloomfield Road.[17]

Blackpool recorded their first victory on 16 August, a 3–2 scoreline against Huddersfield Town at Bloomfield Road. Niall Ennis, who scored two of the hosts' goals, was sent off late in the first half. Lee Evans scored the other goal for Blackpool, who climbed five places to 17th with the three points.[18]

A third defeat for Blackpool in their opening four league games followed at Mansfield Town on 19 August. Mansfield scored twice in the first ten minutes of the second half to take all three points.[19]

Competitions

League One

Main article: 2025–26 EFL League One
League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
16 Burton Albion 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
17 Rotherham United 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 3
18 Blackpool 4 1 0 3 6 11 −5 3
19 Port Vale 4 0 2 2 2 4 −2 2
20 Wycombe Wanderers 4 0 1 3 3 6 −3 1
Updated to match(es) played on 20 August 2025. Source: EFL Official Website
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Head-to-head results; 5) Wins; 6) Away goals; 7) Penalty points (sec 9.5); 8) 12-point sending off offences[20]
Results summary
Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
4 1 0 3 6 12  −6 3 1 0 1 5 5  0 0 0 2 1 7  −6

Last updated: 19 August 2025.
Source: Soccerway

Matches

On 26 June, the League One fixtures were released, with Blackpool hosting Stevenage on the opening weekend.[21]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

2 August 2025 1 Blackpool 2–3 Stevenage Blackpool
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 10,090
Referee: Matthew Corlett
9 August 2025 2 Exeter City 4–1 Blackpool Exeter
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: St James Park
Attendance: 6,852
Referee: Carl Brook
16 August 2025 3 Blackpool 3–2 Huddersfield Town Blackpool
15:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 10,922
Referee: Elliot Bell
19 August 2025 4 Mansfield Town 2–0 Blackpool Mansfield
19:45 BST Report Stadium: Field Mill
Attendance: 7,574
Referee: Ben Toner
23 August 2025 5 Plymouth Argyle v Blackpool Plymouth
15:00 BST Stadium: Home Park
30 August 2025 6 Blackpool v Bolton Wanderers Blackpool
15:00 BST Stadium: Bloomfield Road
6 September 2025 7 Blackpool Postponed Luton Town Blackpool
15:00 BST Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Note: Fixture was postponed due to international call-ups in the Luton squad.[22]
13 September 2025 8 Northampton Town v Blackpool Sixfields
12:30 BST Stadium: Sixfields Stadium
Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved live Sky Sports broadcasting.[23]
20 September 2025 9 Blackpool v Barnsley Blackpool
12:30 BST Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Note: Fixture was originally scheduled for a 15:00 kick-off, but was moved live Sky Sports broadcasting.[23]

FA Cup

Main article: 2025–26 FA Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

EFL Cup

Main article: 2025–26 EFL Cup

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

12 August 2025 1 Blackpool 0–1 Port Vale Blackpool
19:40 BST Report
Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Attendance: 2,606
Referee: Simon Mather

EFL Trophy

Main article: 2025–26 EFL Trophy

Blackpool were drawn against Barrow, Tranmere Rovers and Nottingham Forest U21 in the group stage.[24]

Pos Div Team Pld W PW PL L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 L2 Barrow 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to Round 2
2 L1 Blackpool 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 L2 Tranmere Rovers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 ACA Nottingham Forest U21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: EFL

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixtures

16 September 2025 North Group B Blackpool v Barrow Blackpool
19:00 BST Stadium: Bloomfield Road
14 October 2025 North Group B Blackpool v Nottingham Forest U21 Blackpool
19:00 BST Stadium: Bloomfield Road
11 November 2025 North Group B Tranmere Rovers v Blackpool Birkenhead
19:00 GMT Stadium: Prenton Park

Transfers and contracts

In

Date Pos. Player From Fee Ref.
25 June 2025 CF  Niall Ennis (ENG)  Stoke City (ENG) Undisclosed [25]
1 July 2025[a] CB  Fraser Horsfall (ENG)  Stockport County (ENG) Free [26]
1 July 2025[b] CB  Michael Ihiekwe (ENG)  Sheffield Wednesday (ENG) [27]
1 July 2025[c] CM  George Honeyman (ENG)  Millwall (ENG) [28]
1 July 2025[d] GK  Franco Ravizzoli (ARG)  Wycombe Wanderers (ENG) [29]
8 July 2025 DM  Jordan Brown (ENG)  Leyton Orient (ENG) Undisclosed [30]
5 August 2025 RW  Malcolm Ebiowei (ENG)  Crystal Palace (ENG) [31]
7 August 2025 CF  Dale Taylor (NIR)  Nottingham Forest (ENG) [32]
  1. ^ The transfer was announced on 3 June, and would become official on 1 July once his contract at Stockport had expired
  2. ^ The transfer was announced on 4 June, and would become official on 1 July once his contract at Sheffield Wednesday had expired
  3. ^ The transfer was announced on 24 June, and would become official on 1 July once his contract at Millwall had expired
  4. ^ The transfer was announced on 27 June, and would become official on 1 July once his contract at Wycombe Wanderers had expired

Out

Date Pos. Player To Fee Ref.
25 June 2025 CF  Jake Beesley (ENG)  Burton Albion (ENG) Undisclosed [33]
CB  Matthew Pennington (ENG)  Bradford City (ENG) [34]
17 July 2025 RW  Rob Apter (SCO)  Charlton Athletic (ENG) Undisclosed [35]
25 July 2025 CM England Josh Miles  Waterford (IRL) Undisclosed [36]

Loaned in

Date Pos. Player From Until Ref.
15 July 2025 RWB England Danny Imray England Crystal Palace 31 May 2026 [37]
18 July 2025 GK Northern Ireland Bailey Peacock-Farrell England Birmingham City [38]
1 August 2025 LW Sweden Emil Hansson [39]

Loaned out

Date Pos. Player To Until Ref.
8 August 2025 CB England Dan Sassi England Altrincham 1 January 2026 [40]
18 August 2025 CM England Ryan Finnigan England Walsall 31 May 2026 [41]
CF England Kylian Kouassi England Cambridge United [42]

Released / out of contract

Date Pos. Player Subsequent club Join date Ref.
30 June 2025 CM  Sonny Carey (ENG)  Charlton Athletic (ENG) 1 July 2025 [43]
RB  Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel (ENG)  Port Vale (ENG) [44][45]
CM Grenada Oliver Norburn  Notts County (ENG) [44][46]
GK England Richard O'Donnell  Derby County (ENG) [44][47]
GK England Mackenzie Chapman None by 1 July 2025 [44]
LW England Jake Daniels [44]
RB England Kwaku Donkor [44]
CB England Tyler Hill [44]
CM England Jaden Jones [44]
LB England Alex Lankshear [44]
RB England Jack Moore [44]
CM England Josh Onomah [44]
CF Scotland Jordan Rhodes [44]

Statistics

Appearances and goals

As of match played 19 August 2025

Only players with appearances are included in the list

No. Pos Nat Player Total League One FA Cup EFL Cup EFL Trophy
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Northern Ireland NIR Bailey Peacock-Farrell 5 0 4+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
2 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Andy Lyons 4 0 2+1 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 0+0 0
4 DF England ENG Oliver Casey 5 0 4+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
5 DF England ENG Fraser Horsfall 1 0 1+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
6 MF England ENG Jordan Brown 5 0 4+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
7 MF Wales WAL Lee Evans 5 1 4+0 1 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
8 MF England ENG Albie Morgan 2 0 1+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
9 FW England ENG Niall Ennis 4 3 3+0 3 0+0 0 0+1 0 0+0 0
10 MF England ENG George Honeyman 5 1 4+0 1 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
11 FW England ENG Ashley Fletcher 4 1 3+0 1 0+0 0 0+1 0 0+0 0
14 FW England ENG Tom Bloxham 4 0 2+1 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
15 DF England ENG Hayden Coulson 5 0 4+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
17 MF England ENG Malcolm Ebiowei 3 0 0+2 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 0+0 0
18 FW England ENG Dale Taylor 2 0 1+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
20 DF England ENG Michael Ihiekwe 5 0 4+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
22 MF Republic of Ireland IRL CJ Hamilton 4 0 2+1 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0
26 DF Wales WAL Zac Ashworth 2 0 0+2 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0
28 MF England ENG Ryan Finnigan 3 0 0+2 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 0+0 0
29 MF Sweden SWE Emil Hansson 4 0 1+2 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 0+0 0

References

  1. ^ FC, Blackpool (3 April 2025). "2025/26 EFL Schedule Confirmed". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Steve Bruce Appointed As Head Coach". www.blackpoolfc.co.uk. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Jordan Brown: Blackpool sign midfielder from Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Rob Apter joins the Addicks | Charlton Athletic Football Club". www.charltonafc.com. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  5. ^ FC, Waterford (25 July 2025). "Josh Miles is a Blue!". Waterford FC. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Fylde Coast Double Header To Kick-Off Pre-Season". Blackpool FC. 4 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  7. ^ FC, Blackpool (5 June 2025). "Blackpool To Host West Brom In Pre-Season". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  8. ^ FC, Blackpool (12 June 2025). "Blackpool To Take On Salford City In Pre-Season". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Blackpool To Face Doncaster In Pre-Season". Blackpool FC. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  10. ^ @BlackpoolFC (8 July 2025). "We will take on Accrington Stanley in a behind-closed-doors friendly this afternoon, kick-off 12:30pm" (Tweet). Retrieved 8 July 2025 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ FC, Blackpool. "Blackpool FC". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Blackpool 2-3 Stevenage". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  13. ^ FC, Blackpool. "Blackpool FC". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  14. ^ "Dale Taylor: Blackpool sign Nottingham Forest forward for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  15. ^ "Exeter City vs Blackpool: League One stats & head-to-head". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  16. ^ FC, Blackpool. "Blackpool FC". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Blackpool 0-1 Port Vale". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Blackpool - Huddersfield 3:2". www.flashscore.com. Retrieved 16 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Mansfield Town 2-0 Blackpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  20. ^ "EFL Regulations Section 3 – The League; subsection 9 – Method of Determining League Positions". English Football League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  21. ^ "League One 2025/26 fixtures, dates, schedule & how to watch: Luton Town vs AFC Wimbledon season opener live on Sky Sports". Sky Sports. 26 June 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  22. ^ "Luton Game Postponed". Blackpool FC. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  23. ^ a b "Northampton And Barnsley Fixtures Selected For Sky Coverage". Blackpool FC. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  24. ^ "Under-21 teams and Group Stage draw confirmed for 2025/26 Vertu Trophy". English Football League. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  25. ^ "Seasiders Sign Niall Ennis On Permanent Deal". Blackpool FC. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  26. ^ "Seasiders Sign Fraser Horsfall". Blackpool FC. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  27. ^ FC, Blackpool (4 June 2025). "Seasiders Bring In Michael Ihiekwe". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  28. ^ FC, Blackpool (24 June 2025). "Seasiders Sign George Honeyman". Blackpool FC. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  29. ^ "Franco Ravizzoli signs for Pool". Blackpool FC. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  30. ^ "Jordan Brown Signs For Pool!". Blackpool FC. 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  31. ^ "Seasiders Sign Malcolm Ebiowei". Blackpool FC. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  32. ^ "Dale Taylor Joins Pool". Blackpool FC. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  33. ^ "Beesley Joins Brewers". Blackpool FC. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  34. ^ "Easy decision for Pennington to be a Bantam". Bradford City AFC. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  35. ^ "Rob Apter Completes Charlton Athletic Transfer". Blackpool FC. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  36. ^ "Josh Miles Joins Waterford". Blackpool FC. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  37. ^ "Danny Imray Joins On Loan". Blackpool FC. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  38. ^ "Bailey Peacock-Farrell Joins On Loan". Blackpool FC. 18 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  39. ^ "Blackpool Bring In Hansson". Blackpool FC. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  40. ^ "Dan Sassi Joins Altrincham On Loan". Blackpool FC. 8 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  41. ^ "Ryan Finnigan Joins Walsall On Loan". Blackpool FC. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  42. ^ "Kylian Kouassi Joins Cambridge United On Loan". Blackpool FC. 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  43. ^ FC, Charlton Athletic (6 June 2025). "Sonny Carey Joins the Addicks!". Charlton Athletic FC. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  44. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Retained List Confirmed". Blackpool FC. 5 May 2025. Retrieved 6 May 2025.
  45. ^ "Jordan Gabriel is a Valiant!". Port Vale FC. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  46. ^ "Signing: Ollie Norburn". Notts County FC. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  47. ^ "Goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell signs for Derby County". Derby County FC. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
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