As a West Ham fan, then to be in the away end at Blackpool v Charlton probably has you scratching your chin? However, the chances to visit Bloomfield Road really won’t pop up often on West Ham’s radar. Plus cold weekends away in places like Blackpool with nothing to protect you from the elements is what being a football fan’s all about, right?  

The night before the game I was at my works Christmas party and got a little worse for wear shall we say – What made it worse was the fact that I had to be in south London waiting for the coach at silly o’clock in the morning, which I just made thanks to my mate (a Charlton journalist & fan) and his wonderful girlfriend for picking me up at Cutty Sark DLR station. 

I wasn’t looking forward to the expected 6 hour coach trip to Blackpool, especially as I was running on adrenalin as I also decided not to sleep once I’d arrived home from the Christmas party because I probably wouldn’t have made the coach! Plus I could sleep on the journey up to the North West. A turn up for the books was the journey which was fairly comfortable despite an early rumble in my stomach of an impending cocktail burst of various different alcoholic beverages, Turkey and Jagerbombs! I’m happy to say that we arrived without incident, although I did look like a rougher/fatter version of Danny Dyer (Although I’m much better looking!)

Blackpool itself isn’t the nicest of places on the earth (sorry natives, it’s a bit of s tip), although the strip with the sea view was picturesque and I can imagine how nice is looks at night when all lit up, especially around the Christmas period. However I found that away from the seafront, it seemed like every alley, street and walkway was covered with an obstacle course of dog shit! I had to duck and dive, bob and weave just to keep my trainers clean.

After something to eat, it was off to the ground and the reason I came in the first place; Bloomfield Road.

If you were to look at Bloomfield Road from behind the North Stand, you’d think it was your typical modern British stadium, however once you work your way to the away end it’s a bit of a shock. I knew I was going to be seated in an area with no cover, what I didn’t realise is that the stand was knocked up with scaffolding and rotting wood. One Charlton fan remarked about the holes in the stand.

Another disappointing aspect of Bloomfield Road was that because there’s no South Stand, you get the sun in your eyes, which made viewing pretty hard. When the new stand is built, the view will be excellent as none of the stands in the home end look two high up and there’s no supporting pillars blocking your view. The away section had plenty of leg room and because there’s no seating plan you can sit/stand where you like and this makes viewing the game comfortable (other then shivering from the freezing cold whether and blinding sunlight).

The home fans were very disappointing only making noise when they scored and to chant Liam Dickinson’s name now and again. Their drummer tried to get them going, but it fell of deaf ears at times. Personally that was a plus as drummers at games (especially England) tend to play generic songs and all originality is thrown out of the window because of some plank who wants some attention.

The away facilities at Bloomfield Road are also to be expected considering they haven’t finished the ground. The prices for a pie and quality are typical of football, but I was greeted with a smile and a thank you, which to me makes all the difference. The toilets were clean when I entered them and to be honest I was expecting a portaloo to squeeze into rather then a hut with decent/clean facilities.

The stewards were first class as well. Despite my criticism of the city and the ground, I found the stewards and people working within/with the club to be very helpful and they would also greet you with a smile. These touches from the people working for the club go a long way and as a fan following West Ham, I’ve been to many a ground getting treated like cattle (maybe that says more about West Ham’s reputation then it does about the people who work for the clubs, I don’t know.)

The game was woeful, especially from a neutral perspective. Charlton and Blackpool both had early chances and Charlton were unlucky not to take an early lead, but after a brief spell of possession, the games passed the Addicks by and Blackpool run away with a deserved win. I think Liam Dickinson could be a very nice addition to their squad and Kyle Reid put in a good performance, so that’s encouraging from mine and I’m sure Blackpool fans perspective.

The journey home was again nice and easy and the well made and insightful programme made the long trip back quite enjoyable.

Overall I’d give Bloomfield Road a 6/10, but more on the basis that the employees of Blackpool FC were first class.