Mighty Blackpool

Football club infobox
clubname = Mighty Blackpool


fullname = Mighty Blackpool
nickname = The Tis-Tas Boys
founded = 1923
ground = National Stadium
Freetown, Sierra Leone
capacity = 45,000
chairman = flagicon|Sierra Leone Mohamed Bah
manager = flagicon|Sierra Leone Christian Cole
league = Sierra Leone National Premier League
season = 2007/2008
position = 3rd out of 14 teams
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=F28500|body1=F28500|rightarm1=F28500|shorts1=000000|socks1=000000
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=000000|body2=000000|rightarm2=0000000|shorts2=000000|socks2=00000

Mighty Blackpool is a Sierra Leonean football club from the capital Freetown. They play in the Sierra Leone National Premier League, the top football league in the country. The club was founded in 1923 under the name Socro United and they are the oldest and most successful football club in Sierra Leone, having won the Premier League eleven times and the FA Cup four times. They have an intense rivalry with city rivals, East End Lions.

History

Although Mighty Blackpool have won the league title eleven times, the last time they were league champions was in the 2001 season after a dramatic finish to the season saw them finish one point ahead of Old Edwardians.cite news |title=Blackpool win new Leone league|publisher=BBC Sport |date=2001-08-07 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/1477677.stm|accessdate=2007-07-18]

In 1989 Mighty Blackpool reached the quarter-final stages of the African Cup of Champions Clubs; the first time a club from Sierra Leone had reached that stage. In the first round they beat reigning champions ES Sétif from Algeria and on the second round beat Djoliba Athletic Club from Mali, before losing to Tonnerre Yaounde from Cameroon in the quarter finals.

In the 2007 league campaign, a 2-0 win over Golf Leopards on 15 July meant that Blackpool were on 24 points from 12 games.cite news |title=Blackpool wallops Golf Leopard 2-0 |publisher=The New Citizen |date=2007-07-17|url=http://www.christiantrede.com/webdesign/clients/newcitizen/sportpage.php?subaction=showfull&id=1184673196&archive=&start_from=&ucat=9 |accessdate=2007-01-22]

Mighty Blackpool's record in the African Cup of Champions Clubs has mostly seen them elinated in the early rounds. In 1968 they were due to play Congolese club, Étoile du Congo in the Preliminary round but withdrew from the competition before the matches were played handing Étoile du Congo a walkover, and in 1975 they lost 3-0 on aggregate to Djoliba Athletic Club of Mali in the First round. In 1979 they again lost in the First round, drawing 4-4 with Accra Hearts of Oak SC of Ghana on aggregate but losing out on penalties 4-2. And in 1980 they lost to ASF Police of Senegal 4-1 on aggregate in the First round.

In 1989 they reached the Quarter-Final stage of the African Cup of Champions Clubs. In the Preliminary round they had a walkover, when Benfica withdrew from the competition. In the First round they beat Algerian club ES Sétif 5-3 on penalties after the two matches ended all square at 1-1. In the Second round they met Djoliba Athletic Club again, this time winning 2-1 on aggregate. They went out of the competition in the Quarter Final stage losing 4-1 to Cameroon club, Tonnerre Yaoundé.cite web
title = African Club Competitions 1989
publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
date = 2002-05-18
url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/afcup89.html
accessdate = 2008-03-18] In 1992 they were again eliminated in the First round, this time by Canon Yaoundé of Cameroon after beating LPRC Oilers of Liberia in the Preliminary round.cite web
title = African Club Competitions 1992
publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
date = 2003-01-06
url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/afcup92.html
accessdate = 2008-03-18] In 2006 they played in the CAF Confederation Cup, losing to CSS Richard-Toll of Senegal in the Preliminary roundcite web
title = African Club Competitions 2006
publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
date = 2007-09-07
url = http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/afcup06.html
accessdate = 2008-03-18]

Honours

League

*Sierra Leone National Premier League champions: 11 :: 1967, 1974, 1978, 1979, 1988, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001

Cups

*Sierra Leonean FA Cup winners: 4 :: 1983, 1988, 1994, 2000

Performance in CAF Competitions

* African Cup of Champions Clubs: Six appearances::1968: withdrew in Preliminary Round::1975: First Round::1979: First Round::1980: First Round::1989: Quarter-Final::1992: First Round
*CAF Confederation Cup: 1 appearance::2006 - Preliminary Round
*CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 2 appearances::1984 - First Round::1994 - Second Round

Notable former players

*flagicon|Sierra Leone Mohamed Kanu
*flagicon|Sierra Leone Michael Tommy
*flagicon|Sierra Leone Kabba Samura
*flagicon|Sierra Leone Alhassan Bangura
*flagicon|Sierra Leone Obi Metzger
*flagicon|Sierra Leone Albert Cole

Notes