Chris Blackburn

Chester City

Blackburn started his career at hometown club Chester City as a youth product. He started as a midfielder and signed full pro forms at the Deva Stadium in 2000. He took over as goalkeeper in a 5–2 win over Dagenham & Redbridge in 2002 after Wayne Brown was sent off. He made 87 appearances for the Cheshire side between 1999 and 2003 before leaving in the summer of 2003 to play for the Nevada Wonders.

Nevada Wonders

In the summer of 2003, Blackburn signed for the Nevada Wonders where he played as a striker. The Nevada Wonders played in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid between May 2003 and August 2003. He then signed for Northwich Victoria at the beginning of the 2003–04 season, and made 28 appearances for them, before leaving for Morecambe in 2004.

Morecambe

In February 2004, he signed a short-term deal at Morecambe. Despite playing just five games towards the end of the 2003–04 season, Blackburn impressed sufficiently to be given a two-year contract. That summer, he again played for the Wonders on loan, before an injury crisis at Christie Park saw him convert to a defender, where he regularly played at both centre half and right back. In these new positions, Blackburn formed a formidable partnership with Jim Bentley. He was a member of the Morecambe side that lost to Hereford United in the 2006 Conference National Play-off semi-final. Chris made 126 appearances for the Lancashire side including playing 46 games in the…

He is the nephew of former Manchester City midfielder Alan Oakes and the cousin of ex-Wolves keeper Michael Oakes.

Club

Football Conference: Play-off Winner 2007