A rugby league club has existed in Blackpool for over a century but in that time it has had numerous identities.

The history books show that a side from Blackpool was a member of the Northern Union Lancashire Second Competition in 1898-99 but it was not until the 1950s that they really appeared on the RL radar.

Rejected as potential members by the Rugby Football League in 1950, they tried again four years later and were welcomed into the RFL family as Blackpool Borough.

It was hard going at the start, but in 1979 they won promotion to the First Division for the only time by finishing fourth in the Second Division.

Life in the top league was short-lived, though, as they finished bottom of the division in their first season and were relegated back to the Second Division.

Blackpool Borough then hit financial problems in the 1980s and when a consortium took over the club in 1987, it was moved to Wigan and renamed Springfield Borough.

Various moves and name changes followed until, finally, in 2004 Blackpool Panthers were created from the ashes of the Chorley Lynx club and elected to National League Two for the 2005 season.

The Panthers struggled, though, finishing second bottom in their first season and rock-bottom in their second after only four wins.

However, if that was bad, 2007 was worse as, with former Great Britain scrum-half Andy Gregory in charge, they became only the fourth professional sports club in the UK to lose every single game.

Finally, on April 6th 2008 the Panthers beat Workington 24-20 to end their 45-match losing streak.