Burscough - Ian Holloway's first game in charge

Blackpool's opening pre-season friendly away at Burscough is Ian Holloway's first game in charge of the Seasiders.

And so it begins! On Saturday, Blackpool take on Burscoough FC at Victoria Park in Burscough. Last season, the Linnets finished 21st in the Conference North and were relegated. So they will compete in the UniBond League Premier Division in the 2009-10 season.

Ian Holloway has confirmed that he will be taking the full first team squad (apart from striker Stehen McPhee), and he will use every available player. Though he has confirmed that no-one will play more than one half of the match, saying,

'You can't really play more than 45 minutes at the moment with the heavy load of training we're doing. It's a very difficult situation because people judge you on games but they're just an extension.

45 minutes is all they'll be ready to do on Saturday so I shall use everybody I've got and change the whole team at half-time.'

With 19 players, including three keepers to choose from, it seems likely the squad will be boosted by triallists and maybe a couple of youth team players. It will also be the first outing for Burscough manager Andy Gray's new look squad.

Roy Keane found out this week that games against lower league opposition can be tricky, when his Ipswich Town side lost 2-1 to Irish semi-pro team Finn Harps.

Kick-off at Victoria Park is 3:00pm and with Burscough expecting a large crowd they have urged supporters to arrive early to avoid queues at the turnstiles.

Admission prices are

Adults: £7
Concessions: £3
Juniors: £2

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