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A tough competitor - John Patrick McNicholas 1949-2022 a tribute from Blackpool FC historian Gerry Wolstenholme.
John McNicholas was born in Preston- on 30 October 1949 and played all his junior football, mostly in midfield, for teams in Preston, latterly with St Walburg’s. Blackpool were alerted to his talent and the club gave him a trial as an amateur in September 1968.
The club were impressed with what they saw and he made his Central League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers reserves on 28 September 1968 when the game was drawn 2-2. And after playing his second game in the reserve side, and scoring one of Blackpool’s goals in, a 3-3 draw with Burnley reserves on 12 October 1968, he was signed him as a professional after the game. He had impressed with his all-round play and had also scored one of Blackpool’s goals.
He scored his second Central League goal in the reserve side’s 6-2 defeat by West Bromwich Albion reserves on 26 October 1968 and he had a long run in the side. He finished the 1968/69 season having played 22 Central League games, plus making two substitute appearances and scoring two goals.
Former Blackpool centre forward Bobby Finan was coach of Blackpool’s ‘A’ team at the time and he said of his then current crop of players, ‘We have a lot of promising lads, several of whom have appeared in the reserve side, such as Dennis Wann, John Hughes, John McNicholas, Paul Brown, Geoff Hesketh, Bob Thomas and Alan Tuson. It was only when the ‘A’ team began to break up this season due to calls on the players for the reserve team that we started to lose any matches. But not to worry. Results are not all important for the third team. The whole object of the exercise is to find players who will be good enough for the reserve and, later on, for the first team and it is a good thing that we are producing these promising lads.’
He began the 1969/70 season by scoring one of Blackpool’s goals in a 3-2 Central League victory over Huddersfield Town reserves in the opening game of the season on 9 August 1969. Thereafter he missed only a few games before Blackpool loaned him to Fleetwood for a month in mid-November 1969. He was considered an asset to the Fleetwood team and had ‘shown strength and shooting power when in the attack and he is also at home in defence’. By this time he was very much a utility player, operating in midfield and also up front. When it came time for him to return to Blackpool, Fleetwood manager Derek Armstrong commented, ‘Obviously we would like to keep him.’ But Blackpool had other plans for the player who was a tough competitor, even in training according to his team-mates!
He returned to central League action and played 28 Central League games plus making one substitute appearance, scoring seven goals, and one friendly game appearance for Blackpool in the 1969/70 season. He was join top scorer for the reserve side with Tom White.
He began the 1970/71 season as a regular in the Central League side, playing mainly as a defender he began the season in the side that defeated Everton reserves 3-1 on 15 August. He was a regular in the side in the early games and had played so well that he made his initial first team appearance as a substitute in the League Cup second round tie against Newport County on 9 September when Blackpool won 4-1. He replaced Dave Hatton in the 80th minute.
He then made his first appearance, and what sadly turned out to be his only appearance, in the League side as a 57th-minute substitute for Alan Suddick against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on 12 September 1970 when Blackpool lost 3-0. He went into the attack and took up the right wing position and he was quickly in the action when ‘cutting in from the right, he did well to keep the ball in play and get in his cross but Jennings pulled it out of the air’.
He also made an appearance as a substitute in the League Cup tie against Bristol City on 7 October 1970 when he replaced John Craven in the 70th minute as Blackpool surprisingly lost 1-0.
In February 1971 he was having talks with Fleetwood player-manager Derek Armstrong about joining the club on a full-time basis. Armstrong was once again keen to sign him so Blackpool loaned him out to Fleetwood again in the second half of the 1970/71 season.
He made one substitute appearance in the League and two substitute appearances in the League Cup, 15 Central League appearances plus one as substitute, one Lancashire Senior Cup tie and one friendly game for Blackpool in the 1970/71 season.
Having been granted a free transfer on 20 May 1971, Blackpool cancelled his registration on 30 June 1971 after he had written to the club stating, ‘I regret to say that I cannot accept your terms. I can only see one solution and therefore must ask for my release.’ Blackpool granted his request after he had played a total of 65 Central League games, making four substitute appearances at that level and scoring nine goals plus making three substitute appearances in the first team, two in the League Cup and one in the League.
He joined Fleetwood Town for the 1971/72 season and he subsequently played for Lancaster.
After retirement from football he worked for McAlpines on the roads and motorways before later acquiring a hardware shop in St Annes. He was a regular and most welcome supporter at the various functions organised by the Former Blackpool Players’ Association and he will always feature in the annals of Blackpool Football Club history.
He died on 14 November 2022 and leaves his beloved wife Lesley. His funeral will be on Tuesday 29 Nov at 12 noon at St Joseph’s Church on Woodlands Road, Ansdell, Lytham St Annes, FY8 4EP, and there will be a private burial at Lytham Crematorium.
Gerry Wolstenholme
John McNicholas was born in Preston- on 30 October 1949 and played all his junior football, mostly in midfield, for teams in Preston, latterly with St Walburg’s. Blackpool were alerted to his talent and the club gave him a trial as an amateur in September 1968.
The club were impressed with what they saw and he made his Central League debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers reserves on 28 September 1968 when the game was drawn 2-2. And after playing his second game in the reserve side, and scoring one of Blackpool’s goals in, a 3-3 draw with Burnley reserves on 12 October 1968, he was signed him as a professional after the game. He had impressed with his all-round play and had also scored one of Blackpool’s goals.
He scored his second Central League goal in the reserve side’s 6-2 defeat by West Bromwich Albion reserves on 26 October 1968 and he had a long run in the side. He finished the 1968/69 season having played 22 Central League games, plus making two substitute appearances and scoring two goals.
Former Blackpool centre forward Bobby Finan was coach of Blackpool’s ‘A’ team at the time and he said of his then current crop of players, ‘We have a lot of promising lads, several of whom have appeared in the reserve side, such as Dennis Wann, John Hughes, John McNicholas, Paul Brown, Geoff Hesketh, Bob Thomas and Alan Tuson. It was only when the ‘A’ team began to break up this season due to calls on the players for the reserve team that we started to lose any matches. But not to worry. Results are not all important for the third team. The whole object of the exercise is to find players who will be good enough for the reserve and, later on, for the first team and it is a good thing that we are producing these promising lads.’
He began the 1969/70 season by scoring one of Blackpool’s goals in a 3-2 Central League victory over Huddersfield Town reserves in the opening game of the season on 9 August 1969. Thereafter he missed only a few games before Blackpool loaned him to Fleetwood for a month in mid-November 1969. He was considered an asset to the Fleetwood team and had ‘shown strength and shooting power when in the attack and he is also at home in defence’. By this time he was very much a utility player, operating in midfield and also up front. When it came time for him to return to Blackpool, Fleetwood manager Derek Armstrong commented, ‘Obviously we would like to keep him.’ But Blackpool had other plans for the player who was a tough competitor, even in training according to his team-mates!
He returned to central League action and played 28 Central League games plus making one substitute appearance, scoring seven goals, and one friendly game appearance for Blackpool in the 1969/70 season. He was join top scorer for the reserve side with Tom White.
He began the 1970/71 season as a regular in the Central League side, playing mainly as a defender he began the season in the side that defeated Everton reserves 3-1 on 15 August. He was a regular in the side in the early games and had played so well that he made his initial first team appearance as a substitute in the League Cup second round tie against Newport County on 9 September when Blackpool won 4-1. He replaced Dave Hatton in the 80th minute.
He then made his first appearance, and what sadly turned out to be his only appearance, in the League side as a 57th-minute substitute for Alan Suddick against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on 12 September 1970 when Blackpool lost 3-0. He went into the attack and took up the right wing position and he was quickly in the action when ‘cutting in from the right, he did well to keep the ball in play and get in his cross but Jennings pulled it out of the air’.
He also made an appearance as a substitute in the League Cup tie against Bristol City on 7 October 1970 when he replaced John Craven in the 70th minute as Blackpool surprisingly lost 1-0.
In February 1971 he was having talks with Fleetwood player-manager Derek Armstrong about joining the club on a full-time basis. Armstrong was once again keen to sign him so Blackpool loaned him out to Fleetwood again in the second half of the 1970/71 season.
He made one substitute appearance in the League and two substitute appearances in the League Cup, 15 Central League appearances plus one as substitute, one Lancashire Senior Cup tie and one friendly game for Blackpool in the 1970/71 season.
Having been granted a free transfer on 20 May 1971, Blackpool cancelled his registration on 30 June 1971 after he had written to the club stating, ‘I regret to say that I cannot accept your terms. I can only see one solution and therefore must ask for my release.’ Blackpool granted his request after he had played a total of 65 Central League games, making four substitute appearances at that level and scoring nine goals plus making three substitute appearances in the first team, two in the League Cup and one in the League.
He joined Fleetwood Town for the 1971/72 season and he subsequently played for Lancaster.
After retirement from football he worked for McAlpines on the roads and motorways before later acquiring a hardware shop in St Annes. He was a regular and most welcome supporter at the various functions organised by the Former Blackpool Players’ Association and he will always feature in the annals of Blackpool Football Club history.
He died on 14 November 2022 and leaves his beloved wife Lesley. His funeral will be on Tuesday 29 Nov at 12 noon at St Joseph’s Church on Woodlands Road, Ansdell, Lytham St Annes, FY8 4EP, and there will be a private burial at Lytham Crematorium.
Gerry Wolstenholme
UTMP