Blackpool friendly added to pre-season programme

Photo: Jon Coluccio

Current Shrewsbury Town boss Paul Simpson scored a stunning goal the last time Dale faced Blackpool.

Rochdale have added another friendly to their pre-season programme. Championship side Blackpool will visit Spotland on Saturday 25 July.

Dale last faced the Seasiders in an FA Cup second round game at Bloomfield Road in 2001, when Paul Simpson, who would go on to sign for Dale the following season, scored a stunning second goal to seal the tie for the home side.

The last league meetings between the two sides came the previous season. Dale recorded a victory in the home game after current club captain Gary Jones scored the only goal of the match but Dale went down 3-1 at Bloomfield Road in a result that would prove crucial to both sides play-off aspirations.

By the final game of that 2000/2001 season Dale only had to match or better the Seasiders' result to reach the play-offs but Dale's goalless draw at Plymouth was not enough as Blackpool ran out 3-1 winners at Darlinton to pip Dale to the post. Blackpool carried their end of season form into the play-off games and were promoted when they beat Leyton Orient in the final.

A home friendly against Manchester United is the highlight of Rochdale's other pre-season fixtures.

A select eleven from the Champions League finalists will visit Spotland on Monday 20 July, kick off 7.30pm.

The United team is likely to be made up of a mixture of fringe first team players and youngsters.

Before the showpiece pre-season game, the Dale squad will spend a week at a training camp in Marbella, which has become an annual event under Keith Hill's tenure.

That trip will include a behind closed doors friendly against Peterborough before Dale travel to Radcliffe Borough on Wednesday 15 July, 7.30pm kick off, for their first friendly in this country.

The team then takes on Rossendale United on the Saturday before the United game and then round off their pre-season with trips to Leigh Genesis on Wednesday 29 July and Southport on Saturday 1 August.