In this episode we are joined by Blackpool striker Jake Beesley.
The 27-year-old looks ahead to an exciting final weekend of the season, as well as discussing what it's like to be following in his fathers footsteps at Bloomfield Road and his time at other clubs, including Salford City with the owners from the Class of 92.
The 27-year-old looks ahead to an exciting final weekend of the season, as well as discussing what it's like to be following in his fathers footsteps at Bloomfield Road and his time at other clubs, including Salford City with the owners from the Class of 92.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to the Football First Podcast, a show all about memories of a beautiful game.
00:05This week, I'm joined by Blackpool striker Jake Beasley. So, how are you, mate?
00:10Yeah, I'm good, mate. Good to be on and speak to you.
00:13How exciting are things heading to the final weekend of the season?
00:16We've got a chance and we're all buzzing that we've at least got a chance.
00:20Obviously, we would have liked to have destiny in our own hands, of course,
00:26but we all believe there's a belief going through the changing rooms
00:29and it's a good feeling around the place at the minute.
00:32Yeah, it's been an up and down season.
00:33Maybe at one point, you didn't want the play-offs were possible,
00:36but going to the last weekend, the last five games, you've really put a good run together.
00:41Yeah, definitely.
00:42I think maybe from the outside, people looked in and thought maybe it's too far for them.
00:47But I think in the group, we've always believed that we're good enough to get in
00:52and there's always been that belief there that we're going to do it.
00:55So, I've got a feeling that things are going to go our way and fingers crossed we can do it.
01:01Have you ever been involved in some final day drama before?
01:04Yeah, in my non-league days, to be fair, I was at Bradford Park Avenue
01:08and I think we had the last play-off position.
01:12We played Chorley away and I think we just needed to match someone's result below us.
01:18It was a mad game.
01:19I think we lost and got beat 4-3 or 5-3, but we ended up getting in.
01:23So, it was a good day in the end.
01:25As a player, is your mind on the results when you're on the pitch?
01:29Are you looking at half-time, asking for updates?
01:32No, I don't think it will be.
01:34I think it will just be to do the job that we need to do.
01:36We need to get three points first and foremost.
01:38That's what we need to do.
01:40I'm sure that people will be relaying the message of what's going on elsewhere.
01:46So, yeah, I think we just need to concentrate on ourselves
01:49and then see what happens from there.
01:52Yeah, as far as getting your job done,
01:54I can't imagine there would be anything worse than not doing your job
01:57and results going your way.
01:58To be fair, we had a meeting this morning
02:00and we were saying the feeling would be terrible.
02:04We knew we would have got in if we won,
02:06so the focus is on just winning.
02:08We've got to make sure we do the job.
02:10There's no point winning these last four games like we have
02:12and then not winning on Saturday.
02:14So, that's going to be the most important thing.
02:17You're Blackpool's second-top scorer in our competition,
02:20so are you happy with the progress you've made,
02:22albeit with some injury disruptions along the way?
02:24Yeah, I think after last season, I just had a nightmare season.
02:28One of the things that couldn't be helped, really.
02:32Obviously, I basically didn't play any football for a year.
02:35I think I had a bit of a slow start,
02:37but as I've played more games and the gaffer's trusted me playing a lot more,
02:42I think I've steadily been improving.
02:45I would have liked to score more,
02:47but it's been nice to score a few goals
02:49and help the team and chip in.
02:51Well, we're getting to your football first now.
02:53Best place to start is probably, what's your first memory of football?
02:56Is there anything that stands out?
02:58First memory, probably just playing with my brother, to be fair,
03:01on the garden there.
03:03Just us two in Sheffield and playing on the back garden every day
03:06or going down the park and just playing with him, yeah.
03:09Was it a big part of your life?
03:11Sheffield, of course, big football city, two good clubs there.
03:14Yeah, well, my dad played football himself.
03:18Obviously, he played for Blackpool.
03:19He had a good career, played for Sheffield United, Leeds, teams like that.
03:23So, it's always been in the family.
03:27Yeah, I've just loved football all my life.
03:29My brother, the same.
03:31We're a football family, really.
03:34You mentioned your dad's clubs.
03:36Did he support any of them?
03:37Did he have a sway on you over who to support?
03:39To be fair, my dad's a Scouser, so he's an Everton fan.
03:43My brother's an Everton fan as well.
03:45But as I played, I've not really supported anyone as such.
03:50We used to go to the Sheffield United games when we were younger
03:53because my dad got tickets and stuff like that.
03:55So, I grew up watching Sheffield United.
03:57My mum's a Liverpool fan, so I've got a soft spot for Liverpool as well.
04:00But I went against my dad.
04:02I weren't a fan of Everton.
04:03Of course, your dad was playing when you were quite young.
04:05Do you have any memories of watching him play?
04:09Not of him playing, to be fair.
04:11I think I would have been maybe four or five when he was at Blackpool.
04:15So, I can't really remember that far back.
04:17But I always remember all the shirts he had.
04:19He used to keep all his shirts framed up and stuff.
04:22So, I just remember them and admiring them
04:25and just thinking what it'd be like to be able to put on a shirt
04:28and play professional football.
04:31Have you got any photos of you at Blackpool as a youngster?
04:34I think there's a few videos when we're just playing in the garden as kids
04:39and maybe we've got the Blackpool kits on and stuff.
04:42But I don't think there's any of the games or anything like that.
04:46It feels a bit like a full-circle moment,
04:47having the opportunity to go and play for the club.
04:50Yeah, it's class, really, to be fair.
04:52To be able to say I played at the same club as my dad
04:55is something that I've not really thought about.
04:57But when I do look back at my career,
04:59it's quite something that I'm proud of, really.
05:02Do you remember the first time you played football in general,
05:05just as a kid?
05:06I used to love the Sunday League and the grassroots level.
05:11There was a team called Norton Leeds that I played for
05:13when I was probably, let's say, from seven until ten, eleven, maybe.
05:19And then I went to a team called Junior Blades,
05:21which is like a feeder club for Sheffield United.
05:25And I played there for probably until I was about 15.
05:29So, I didn't go into an academy until I was like 15 years old.
05:32I went to Chesterfield from there.
05:33So, yeah, I enjoyed that and playing with my mates
05:36and great memories of just enjoying football
05:39and just playing it for what it is.
05:42Do you remember your first pair of boots?
05:45I think they'd have been Adidas Predator.
05:49Did you go for any colours or the simple, you know, a black?
05:52Yeah, black and red and white.
05:54That was the best colour.
05:55They've just brought them back out, actually, remakes of them.
05:58So, it's a bit nostalgic then, coming back out.
06:02Are you a bit interested in getting a pair for next season?
06:04Not too sure, to be fair.
06:07I don't know if I'm technically good enough to wear them,
06:09but now they're a nice pair of boots.
06:11A few of the lads have got them.
06:13And when it comes to kits, do you remember the first kit you owned?
06:16Of course, you mentioned your dad played for a few teams.
06:19Was it one of those?
06:20Probably an England kit.
06:21I'd say, yeah, an England kit.
06:23I remember having England kits on when we were young, running about.
06:26Did you have anyone on the back?
06:27It would have been Gerrard, I'd say, if it was anyone.
06:30He was my favourite player growing up.
06:33He'd do a bit of everything.
06:35When would have been the first sort of World Cup tournament?
06:37Do you remember, would it be like the World Cup 2006
06:39or would it have been Euros in 2004?
06:42I think it would have been probably the Japan one.
06:48I've got vague memories of that.
06:51In primary school, watching the games,
06:54because they were on, obviously, at different times.
06:56I think they'd roll out the TV that was on the wheels,
07:00roll that out.
07:01The whole school would watch the game.
07:02So, I remember that.
07:03I think it was a Brazil game, vaguely.
07:05It was a long time ago, obviously,
07:06but that's probably my first memory of watching England.
07:11Yeah, I think everyone's, at a certain age,
07:13has memories of a TV being wheeled in,
07:15some old knackered thing that's been in a cupboard for about 20 years.
07:19That's what it was, yeah.
07:20It got rolled out and there was about 50 people watching this one tiny telly.
07:24So, that was a memory of watching England for me.
07:27So, as a youngster, you started off at Chesterfield
07:29when you started playing.
07:30So, what's your memories of your time there
07:32and, of course, making your debut?
07:35Obviously, a great time making your debut.
07:38It's something that you'll never forget.
07:40So, for the first, probably, year,
07:43I didn't really, I wasn't involved too much
07:46in and out of squads and stuff like that.
07:48And then I got a chance, I got a little run in the team,
07:53played maybe three or four starts.
07:56But then the manager changed and all that happened.
07:58So, I kind of got pushed to the side a little bit.
08:01But to be able to make my debut, I think I was 19 years old.
08:06So, it's a proud moment and something I'll always remember.
08:09How hard is it as a young player when managers do change?
08:12Of course, you're impressing one person.
08:13You might be in favour of one person,
08:15but then that changes and that could set you back.
08:18Yeah, exactly. I think a lot of it's luck.
08:20Sometimes luck and timing.
08:22It's a bit of a cliche, but I think it is true.
08:24If you've got a manager that loves you
08:26and decides to play you all the time
08:28when you're a young lad, it gives you half a chance.
08:31And the same goes the other way.
08:32If you've got someone who doesn't fancy you
08:34and you're not playing at all, then it's tough.
08:36So, a lot of that comes into it.
08:39But I've kind of had to find my own way
08:41and do it different, had a different journey
08:43to maybe others.
08:45What kind of player are you before that debut?
08:47Were you nervous or are you a confident lad
08:49who takes the industry out?
08:51Oh, no, I was definitely nervous.
08:52I was nervous.
08:54It was weird because I was kind of...
08:57So, there was a lot of managerial changes
08:58in the time I was at Chesterfield.
08:59So, Dean Saunders was there
09:01when I signed my first professional contract
09:04and he kind of played me on like a right back,
09:06right wing back in training
09:08and in reserve games and stuff.
09:10So, I played there and then he got sacked
09:12and then Danny Wilson came in
09:14and then I went back to playing up front.
09:16So, I went on alone
09:18and came back from that alone
09:19and kind of played like out of the blue,
09:21out of nowhere.
09:22So, it was kind of a whirlwind
09:24and it was just weird.
09:26I'd gone from playing from right back in reserve games
09:28to playing up front in League One.
09:30So, it was a bit of a mad time, that actually.
09:34Oh, did you get on that right back?
09:35Did it not feel comfortable?
09:36Well, you know, I actually don't know.
09:38I was bowing up and down.
09:39So, it's quite a funny story
09:41because when I signed for Salford
09:43after Chesterfield,
09:45I think they'd been watching games,
09:46me as a right wing back.
09:48So, I think they kind of thought
09:51I was a right wing back.
09:54But I ended up, like I say,
09:55I've had to do it my own way,
09:57kind of go on loans up front
09:58to play games there.
10:02Yeah, I didn't mind playing there, to be fair.
10:04I don't think I would have been able
10:05to create that position.
10:08At what point did you think,
10:09this might have to be my position now,
10:10even though you played striker,
10:11you thought, I might have to just do my best here?
10:14Yeah, 100%.
10:15I thought, I just want to be a footballer.
10:20I feel like I'm an honest player
10:21and I'll do whatever you want me to do.
10:26I thought, right, I might have to
10:27just grind out this position now
10:29and take it my stride.
10:32It was another one really where it's time
10:34and it's luck.
10:35People change how they see you.
10:37Thankfully, I managed to get a few games up front.
10:41So, you mentioned moving to Salford.
10:42What was it like there, of course?
10:44You've got a few high-profile owners, haven't you?
10:47Just a little bit, yeah.
10:49I had a really good time there, to be honest.
10:52I think it was a case of,
10:54like when I signed,
10:55it was, like I said just then,
10:56it didn't really nail down a position.
10:58I actually started the season off playing
11:00right wing-back in a wing-back system.
11:03I enjoyed playing,
11:05but it got to a point where
11:08I wasn't in the team
11:10and I had to go on loan and play up front.
11:12Went to Boston United on loan
11:14and then during that period,
11:17Salford got promoted to the Conference.
11:19So, that was a good memory to have.
11:21It was a great group of lads,
11:22really together,
11:24proper good atmosphere in the team.
11:28I didn't play a huge part in it,
11:30even the season after I went on a loan
11:31to Bradford Park Avenue
11:33for the full season
11:34when they got promoted to League Two.
11:39I was still training at Salford full-time,
11:41so I was still around the lads
11:42and stuff like that.
11:44Then they got promoted again
11:46and then I managed to get in the team
11:48in League Two
11:50and then played a bit in League Two for them.
11:53I can't really say bad things about that club.
11:55It gave me a chance
11:56when I got released from Chesterfield
11:58to be able to play football
12:00and stay in full-time football,
12:01which was massive for me
12:02because I didn't want to go
12:04and play part-time.
12:05I wanted to have it as my job,
12:07which is something I've always wanted to do,
12:08like I said before.
12:09So, yes, good times there.
12:11Even when you're not playing frequently,
12:15are important were those experiences
12:16of being around a side that was winning
12:18and just being in that environment
12:20where they were rising up the leagues?
12:22Yes, it was a great place to be,
12:24to be honest.
12:25It was a proper group of men
12:27who really worked hard for each other every day.
12:30The standards were really high.
12:31Even though it was non-league,
12:32they had a great group of guys
12:34who set a standard every day
12:37and that kind of stood me in good stead.
12:40I had good examples to look up to.
12:43Even at non-league level,
12:44lads doing it right
12:45and pushing the younger ones through
12:48and showing what it's like to be a footballer.
12:52How involved were the owners,
12:53the class of 92 lads?
12:55Were they around the place quite a lot?
12:57Were they talking to the players?
12:59They weren't around too much.
13:01They'd sometimes pop in now and again.
13:04I don't know what it is like now,
13:06but they used to come in
13:07after maybe we'd won a game
13:09or maybe after we'd lost a game
13:10just to maybe see how the mood was,
13:13morale in camp and stuff like that.
13:14But I didn't see too much of them.
13:16Did it give you any extra pressure
13:17knowing that they were watching,
13:18they were the owners?
13:20Not really.
13:21I think you're not playing really for them.
13:25You're playing for the badge on your shirt.
13:28You're playing for the fans,
13:29yourself, your family.
13:32In my case, I wouldn't be thinking
13:34too much about that.
13:36Were you involved in any documentaries
13:37during your time there?
13:38Were you on camera?
13:41I think I had a bit of a cameo in Few.
13:43My face was on there a couple of times,
13:45but no starring roles, mate, no.
13:48They missed the trick, didn't they?
13:49They didn't know what they had.
13:51They didn't want to put my nose on, mate.
13:53They probably broke the lens, I think.
13:55Was it like when you got a camera crew
13:57around the training ground,
13:58do you feel, do you notice then
14:00or are they sort of in the background?
14:02Obviously, we've seen Spurs, Liverpool doing one.
14:05I didn't notice them too much.
14:06They'd just be in the background, like I say.
14:09I think they went to a few of the lads' houses
14:11and stuff like that.
14:13I don't think I'd be up for that
14:15if I got asked, to be honest.
14:17No, you don't really want a camera crew
14:19while you're trying to have your tea,
14:20trying to do your normal day-to-day stuff.
14:22Eating a couple of biscuits at night,
14:23not for me, that, mate.
14:25After Solford, you had a stint at Solihull
14:27and then you ended up at Rochdale.
14:28So, what was your experiences
14:29at both those clubs like?
14:32Yeah, again, really good.
14:34Solihull took me, like when...
14:38Solford, it was one of them
14:39where they were signing players
14:40and they were trying to,
14:41they had an ambition of getting promoted.
14:45So, kind of some players became surplus
14:47to requirements kind of thing.
14:49So, I had to go on a loan to Solihull
14:50and I really enjoyed my time.
14:52We had Tim Flowers,
14:54obviously ex-England goalie, great guy.
14:57We had a certain way of playing
14:58that was horrible to play against.
15:01So, that taught me another side of the game,
15:03proper men's football.
15:06Yeah, I made that permanent in January
15:09after I signed there on loan.
15:12And then that was the season COVID happened.
15:17So, that got cut short.
15:19So, I weren't there too long.
15:20And then that summer, Rochdale came in,
15:22out of the blue really, in League One.
15:24So, that got sorted there.
15:26And that was amazing to be fair,
15:27to go from National League to League One.
15:30To get a chance to play,
15:31go back to where I started
15:33and try and prove myself again.
15:36We ended up getting relegated this season.
15:38That season, I had a few injuries and stuff.
15:40But to be able to play in that league again
15:43and try and prove myself, score a few goals,
15:46it was really good.
15:47And then obviously the season after,
15:49I had a really good period in League Two.
15:52And then after that,
15:53that's when I signed here.
15:55So, yeah, it was a really good sign.
15:58What was the first you heard about?
15:59Blackpool coming in for you?
16:00When did you first hear those rumours?
16:02I'm not too sure.
16:03I think it was probably the start of January.
16:06I knew my agent in the summer,
16:08because when we played Blackpool
16:11towards the back end of the season,
16:13before I left Rochdale,
16:16I think Blackpool were kind of keeping tabs
16:18on what they were seeing in that game.
16:20So, I knew they quite liked me from that game.
16:23But the concrete stuff didn't really happen.
16:25It happened pretty quick,
16:26all in a couple of weeks.
16:27And then it was sorted and I was signed up.
16:31What did your dad say
16:32when you found out that Blackpool were in for you?
16:36To be honest, my dad's a bit of a lunatic.
16:38So, he was just naivering me,
16:40peppering my head.
16:41Is it happening? Is it happening?
16:43So, he was really excited, to be fair.
16:46And it was a really exciting time going from
16:50League 2 to the Championship,
16:52after the journey I'd been on.
16:54Yeah, it was really
16:56like fond memories to think back on.
16:59How much did your dad enjoy
17:00coming back to Bloomingfield Road?
17:01Was that just seeing things
17:02and him now watching you?
17:04He absolutely loves it.
17:05He lives for it.
17:07He doesn't miss a game.
17:08Home and away, he comes to every game.
17:09Even if he's got to come on his own,
17:11he doesn't miss it.
17:13Like I said, he's a proper football man.
17:15So, to see his son play professional football,
17:18I'm sure it's a great feeling.
17:20What kind of fan is he?
17:21Is he good at letting you know
17:22how you're playing?
17:23Is he honest after a match?
17:25On all accounts, my missus and my dad
17:27and my mum, brother and sister,
17:29they all say he's a nightmare to sit with.
17:31He's heading and kicking every ball
17:33when he's watching the game.
17:35And he's quite positive, actually.
17:36He's not one of them who's like,
17:38you weren't great today, or whatever.
17:39He's always there
17:40to try and give praise, I'd say.
17:43What was your first impressions
17:44of Bloomingfield Road as a player?
17:45I know you said you couldn't really remember it as a kid,
17:47but stepping out on that pitch for the first time,
17:49in the Tangerine, was something good?
17:51Oh, yeah.
17:52It was some place when it gets going.
17:54In that first season of the Championship,
17:56it was just so loud.
17:58Every week was just ridiculous.
18:00It was like a cup final or a semi-final,
18:01whatever, every week.
18:04Even on Saturday, it was like that again.
18:06I know sometimes this season
18:07we haven't performed at our highest level,
18:09but when it does get going,
18:10there's not many places compared to it.
18:13Neil Critchie said to the press
18:15he's been watching games elsewhere
18:16and he can't believe how quiet other stadiums are.
18:19Do you feel that when you're on the pitch?
18:21Yeah, 100 per cent.
18:22It's massive for the lads.
18:25You don't understand how much
18:26when the team gets behind us
18:28and is just singing our game, being positive,
18:31it helps so much.
18:32I think you've seen that at the weekend,
18:34because from the start,
18:35we started fast, the fans were up straight away
18:39and it helped.
18:40In the end, we won the game.
18:43How much will it mean
18:44to get that return to the Championship,
18:46either this time or if it doesn't happen this time,
18:48making sure you do it next season?
18:50Yeah, that's what we all want.
18:52We all want it to happen this season.
18:54We know we should be in a better position than we are,
18:58but we've still got a chance
18:59and while there's a chance,
19:00we're going to believe.
19:02That's what we all want.
19:03That's the aim.
19:04I know the fans want that.
19:05They're desperate to get back
19:06to where we were last season.
19:08If we can get it over the line,
19:09it would be fantastic.
19:11It must be slightly frustrating
19:12when you look at some of the games you've lost
19:14and the way you've performed as a team.
19:16When you compare it
19:17to how you've gone to Portsmouth on 4-0,
19:19you've got good results
19:20against Peterborough and Bolton,
19:22so it must be frustrating
19:23when you look at some of those.
19:25I think that shows what we can be
19:27when we play well.
19:28I think maybe it's just been
19:29a bit of inconsistency at times,
19:32but like we were talking about before,
19:34the home form we've got,
19:37I think that resonates
19:38with our support we get there.
19:41It does help us at home
19:42when the place is rocking.
19:46I think inconsistency has been
19:48what's killed us a little bit,
19:51but these last four games
19:52that we've won,
19:54that's what we need to carry on,
19:56hopefully into the playoffs
19:57or into next season.
20:00As for you,
20:01you started the season
20:02maybe a bit in and out
20:03when you were in the team.
20:04We mentioned you got that injury
20:05at Port Vale,
20:06but then the last couple of months,
20:07you must be very happy
20:08with how you kept your place.
20:12I think the squad's really competitive.
20:16If you're not doing it,
20:18you're going to come out of the team
20:20and someone else
20:21is jumping at the bit
20:22to come and take the place.
20:25I've been happy,
20:26like I said,
20:27after last season,
20:28not the season I wanted to have.
20:30I think I've played
20:31over 30 games now
20:34in the league appearances.
20:36I'm really happy
20:37and just want to carry on now
20:38and try and kick on from this season.
20:41The gaffer isn't afraid
20:42of rotating the team
20:43if he feels it's necessary,
20:44so is that always on your mind as well?
20:45That you have to be at your very best?
20:48Yes, I think you know that.
20:49Anyway, though,
20:50as a footballer,
20:51you know that if you're not performing,
20:53you're not going to get picked
20:54on a Saturday.
20:55That's always a challenge.
20:56It's always to be
20:59on the team sheet every week.
21:01That's what you want to do.
21:02You want to play games
21:03and thankfully,
21:04I've been able to play a few
21:05over the last couple of months.
21:07Just to finish off the podcast,
21:08I always ask this.
21:09If you could change
21:10any of your football fuss,
21:11whether that's your first kit,
21:12your first boots,
21:13anything,
21:14what would you change?
21:16Probably make my debut
21:17for Real Madrid
21:18instead of Chesterfield,
21:19to be fair, mate.
21:20Just slightly different atmosphere
21:22and slightly different size of club,
21:23ain't it?
21:25That was like my Real Madrid
21:27at the time.
21:28That was a massive moment for me.
21:30Joking aside, yeah.
21:32We'll go with that.
21:33Real Madrid, first game.