Blackpool friendly abandoned after pitch invasion
A pitch invasion marred the start of troubled Blackpool's pre-season preparations at the weekend.
Blackpool's pre-season friendly at Lancaster City on Saturday was abandoned after a section of the club's supporters again invaded the pitch in protest against controversial chairman Karl Oyston.
The beleaguered League One club led 3-1 against the local non-League side when a small group of fans walked on to field and refused to leave, forcing both sets of players to depart and the match to be cut short.
Similar scenes brought a premature halt to relegated Blackpool's final Championship fixture against Huddersfield Town at Bloomfield Road in May - a move that saw the Lancashire club charged by the Football Association (FA).
The FA also took action against Oyston last month after he sent abusive and insulting messages to a fan, resulting in a six-week ban.
Oyston admitted five breaches of aggravated misconduct following the exchange with a supporter in November 2014, in which the Blackpool owner made references to disability having been heavily criticised for his running of the club.
It is the second season running that Blackpool's pre-season preparations have lurched into chaos, with the club forced to cancel a close-season tour last year due to their threadbare squad.
It set the tone for the following campaign, as managers Jose Riga and Lee Clark came and went, with the club eventually dropping into the third tier after amassing just 26 points.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
‘Managing Leeds? It was an option that appeared, but it wasn’t the right timing. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to leave the club I was at mid-season’: Premier League boss admits to turning down opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch in 2023
‘Ruben Amorim could have waited for Real Madrid and had a better chance to be successful – to have joined Manchester United, he must be convinced in his own ability’ Former Old Trafford coach’s verdict on new boss