By Chris Wright
As if the club weren’t enough of a laughing stock anyway, a slapstick kit blunder meant that Blackpool ‘keeper Joe Lewis had to turn out in a Championship game while wearing a shirt he’d previously autographed for a fan.
Lewis was forced to wear the besquiggled shirt for Blackpool’s home league game against Reading last Tuesday evening after the ailing club ran out of fresh goalkeeper jerseys before the match.
It should be noted that the Tangerines, who had their relegation to League One confirmed following Rotherham’s 1-0 win over Brighton the previous weekend, do not currently employ a kitman due to monetary constraints, hence the error.
The embarrassing cock-up was revealed by midfielder Andrea Orlandi in his weekly column for the Blackpool Gazette.
The Spaniard explained that, as the team arrived at Bloomfield Road and began changing into their kit, Lewis noticed there was a distinct shortage of ‘keeper tops.
Therefore the stopper was left with no option but to start the game wearing a shirt he had autographed to be presented to a club sponsor later that night.
Orlandi wrote:
“When Joe tried to get another (shirt) he was told there were none left.
“It was funny because he tried to put a plaster over the writing to cover it, and it looked even more funny.
“However, things like that – details without apparent importance – make a difference in a club.
“A small thing? Probably, but still not normal for a Championship club.”
Not normal for a Championship/professional football club. That motto should be stitched on the Blackpool crest.