Ya use National Rail. If you can at all help it avoid travelling before 9.30am as it's off peak after that. Trains rum from MAN to the city centre then you'll want to transfer to Blackpool North or Preston train on Platform 14 (go up the travelator and be prepared to have a ticket ready to show as theres usually manned barriers in place) and probably change at Bolton?. (Bolton is only 20 minutes from where mrploddy lives XD). When you get to Bolton you'll probably come in to Platform 4 so you'll need to schlep over the bridge and head for Platform 1 on the far side as Blackburn trains come from there. Another option if you have a hotel in Manchester City centre which you probably will do is to walk to Manchester Victoria which is near Urbis (other side of town) and go from there on a Blackburn (direct) or Clitheroe train.
As for where you're going from the station to the stadium I guess taxi ?. All stations in the North West (big town ones) have a taxi rank nearby.
-mrploddy