West Lancashire derby
| Other names | M55 derby |
|---|---|
| Locale | Lancashire, England |
| Teams | |
| First meeting | 23 November 1901 (League) Blackpool 1–4 Preston |
| Latest meeting | 5 August 2013 (League Cup) Preston 1–0 Blackpool |
| Stadiums |
Bloomfield Road (Blackpool) Deepdale (Preston) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 95 |
| Most wins | Preston North End (45) |
| All-time series | Blackpool (30) Drawn (20) Preston North End (45) |
| Largest victory | 1 May 1948 (League) Preston 0–7 Blackpool |
The West Lancashire derby (sometimes also known as the M55 derby) is a local rivalry in English football between Lancashire clubs Blackpool and Preston North End. The derby has taken place across all three tiers of the Football League, but not yet in the Premier League. Blackpool were promoted to the Premier League in 2010; Preston North End have yet to reach it. They have not met in the League since February 2010. In 2015, Preston moved above Blackpool in the Football League pyramid for the first time since 2004–05, when they were in the Championship and Blackpool were in League One. This will be repeated for the 2015–16 campaign.
The first West Lancashire derby took place on 23 November 1901 at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road. In front of a crowd of 6,000, Preston won 4–1. There have been 94 meetings between the two clubs in all competitions, with North End winning 45 to Blackpool's 30. The remaining 19 matches have been draws.
The derby is also known as the M55 derby because the town of Blackpool and city of Preston are at either end of the M55 motorway. The clubs' stadiums – Bloomfield Road and Deepdale, respectively – are seventeen miles apart. In the 2003 The Football Fans Census, fans of both clubs listed the derby as being the main derby, with both sets of fans agreeing that the other club is their main rival. It is one of only 44 such rivalries in England.
Preston player Tom Finney, who played for the Lilywhites from 1946 to 1960, said: "We always saw Blackpool as our main rivals and we had some great matches against them. But there was none of the current nastiness from some fans." While Blackpool player Jimmy Armfield, who played for the Seasiders from 1954 to 1971, said: "The rivalry is mainly between the fans. It started with arguments over whether Stanley Matthews was better than Tom Finney in the '50s."
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