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Football can often provide some unlikely reunions - and that’s certainly the case for two former Blackpool figures at the moment.
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A number of people come and go and Bloomfield Road, so it’s often likely that they will end up crossing paths again.
At the moment, that’s the case for ex-Seasiders midfielder Tashan Oakley-Boothe and former coach Iain Brunskill.
The pair are currently working with each other once again in the Scottish Championship at Dunfermline Athletic.
For Oakley-Boothe, his brief spell in Tangerine can be quickly forgotten, with the midfielder never really establishing himself on the Fylde Coast.
The Tottenham Hotspur youth product joined Blackpool in the summer of 2023 following a trial period with the club on the back of his departure from Stoke City.
During his time at Bloomfield Road, the 25-year-old made just three league appearances for the Seasiders, with a further seven outings coming in cup competitions.
With Oakley-Boothe doing very little to catch the eye during that time, his contract was mutually terminated last January - which allowed him to join Estrela da Amadora in the Portuguese Primeira Liga as a free agent.
His time at the Estádio José Gomes didn’t last long, with only two games coming his way, prompting a move to Dunfermline earlier this year, on a short-term deal for the remainder of the campaign.
Discussing his footballing background at the time, he told the Pars club media: “I’ve been at a couple of clubs over the last few years, and I was in Portugal for a little bit. It was a very different experience, very tough in terms of the language barrier.
“Overall, it’s an experience at the end of the day. I didn’t play as much as I would have liked, but that’s football.
“I’d say it’s a bit different from Portugal. I’d say Portugal is maybe a bit more technical, but that’s not to fault the football here. It’s still good football. I’d say it’s nothing I haven’t experienced before playing in League One or Championship; it’s pretty similar.”
So far, Oakley-Boothe has made seven appearances in the Scottish Championship.
Former Blackpool coach’s Dunfermline role
Last month, Brunskill joined the former Blackpool midfielder at East End Park, coming in as an assistant coach following the appointment of Neil Lennon.
This isn’t the first time the 48-year-old has worked with the former Celtic boss, with the pair having briefly worked at Rapid București in Romania last year.
That move brought an end to Brunskill’s time with Blackpool. The ex-Liverpool assistant academy technical director initially spent time with the Seasiders towards the end of Neil Critchley’s first spell in charge, before returning with the now-Hearts boss for his second stint.
Dunfermline caught the eye last month after adding former Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Victor Wanyama to their ranks.
The 33-year-old, who knows Lennon from their time at Celtic Park, had a debut to forget, after being sent off in a 3-0 defeat to Ayr United.
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