A look ahead to Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship trip to Bloomfield Road.
Peterborough United make the trip north to face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Saturday (3pm) in one of only a handful of Sky Bet Championship fixtures currently taking place with a raft of postponements due to Covid-19.
Darren Ferguson confirmed in his pre-match press conferences that this week has been a ‘challenge’ but is looking for his side to back up the performance and victory against Millwall at the Weston Homes Stadium last time out.
Blackpool have had an inconsistent run of form of late following an excellent start to life in the Championship following promotion alongside Posh last term from Sky Bet League One. The Tangerines beat Posh twice last season, one of a few clubs to be successful in PE2.
TEAM NEWS
Posh are without the services of left-back Daniel Butler, who has had a scan, which has confirmed significant damage to his ankle in the challenge that forced him off inside the opening 10 minutes against Millwall. He is set to be out for ‘months’ not weeks according to the Posh boss.
Ricky-Jade Jones is due to return to training next week after overcoming a hip injury while Jack Marriott is running on the grass, although there is no specified time for his return at this moment in time.
Blackpool goalkeeper Chris Maxwell faces another stint on the sidelines with the quadricep problem that forced him to miss nine matches recently. The Seasiders’ captain picked up the issue late on in last weekend’s match at Derby County, with scan results this week ruling him out of action again.
FROM THE GAFFER
“Blackpool are a good side, they were of the best teams in League One last term and obviously beat us twice so we know what they are about. They started the season really well, have a had a bit of a dip of late, but that can happen in this league. It has been a challenging week for us with Covid-19 protocols and everything that goes with it, but we have a game to look forward too and we are determined to build on the positive performance and result last week,” Ferguson said.
TICKET NEWS
Tickets are now off sale in advance for the game, but fans can purchase tickets at Bloomfield Road. Around 250 tickets were sold in advance of the game.
COVID-19 CERTIFICATION
COVID-19 Certification is now mandatory for entry into settings where large crowds gather – including unseated indoor events with 500 or more attendees, unseated outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees and any event with 10,000 or more attendees.
As a result, supporters aged 18 and over will need to be prepared to show evidence of COVID-19 Certification – either a COVID Pass or negative lateral flow test result – to enter stadiums where this applies.
Proof of Vaccination:
Supporters are required to have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to attending a match in order to be eligible for a COVID pass. The booster jab is not a current requirement for proof at this time.
The easiest way to provide proof of vaccination is by using the NHS COVID Pass on your mobile phone, accessed via the NHS App, which can be downloaded on Apple Store or Google Play .
The Club is strongly advising fans to save the COVID pass to your digital wallet, download a PDF copy to your phone or print a hard copy before you head to the game. Please note that this will need to be updated every 30 days*
ID will also be required to match the name on your COVID pass. This can be your season card or match ticket. If you do not have access to a mobile device, you can request a printed version from the NHS.
*If you have not confirmed your ID on the NHS app, this will only be valid for 2 days.
Lateral Flow Testing:
A negative lateral flow test result will be permissible should you be unable to provide a COVID pass.
The lateral flow test must be taken within 48 hours of kick-off (ideally 12 hours before) and the result must have been submitted via the NHS reporting procedures inside the test kit. A text message or email confirmation of a negative test result must be presented on entry to the stadium as evidence. The physical test itself will not be accepted.
If the test returns a positive result, then you must NOT attend and follow the correct procedures as advised by the Government and NHS.
KIT COLOURS
Posh will be in the black away kit for the game.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
The match official is David Webb.