A miserable afternoon that sum up Blackpool's predicament: Matt Scrafton's verdict on 10-man Seasiders' harsh defeat at Bristol Rovers

For this was a much improved display from the Seasiders. They were gutsy, they played some eye-catching football and they created enough chances to score three or four goals – even with a man down.

Even when Pool seemingly get a lot right, events continue to transpire against them.

The men in tangerine were in control of proceedings up until the stroke of half-time, when Ben Heneghan was given his marching orders after being shown a straight red.

But even after the defender’s dismissal, it was the Seasiders who created the clearer-cut chances but they were once again made to pay for their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

Bristol Rovers, without a win in 14 prior to kick-off, got out of jail when centre back Alfie Kilgour thumped one into the top corner from 30 yards. They had previously looked devoid of ideas.

The cherry on the cake of Blackpool’s miserable, rain-sodden and windswept day came when Preston North End loanee Josh Ginnelly inadvertently toe-poked a wayward shot into the back of the net.

It was a fluke goal that condemned the Seasiders to an eighth defeat from their last 10 league games, leaving Pool without an away win in five months of football.

David Dunn, who received praise from supporters for naming a more balanced line-up with players playing in the right positions, couldn’t have asked for a much better start in his first game in caretaker charge.

With barely two minutes on the clock, Connor Ronan’s cross in from the right got caught up in the swirling wind, falling nicely for Gary Madine to slam home an emphatic finish from 10 yards out.

With Storm Dennis threatening to make a mockery of the game, it was imperative the Seasiders kept the ball down on the deck. That’s exactly what they did, and they did it well too.

Calum Macdonald was a threat down the left flank on his long-overdue return to the starting line-up, his last start coming at Ipswich Town in November.

He linked up well with the midfield trio of Ronan, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Matty Virtue, the latter causing all sorts of problems with his trademark late runs into the box.

Liam Feeney, meanwhile, was back to his best down the flanks and caused the home side problems all afternoon.

Pool had a calmness and composure about them we’ve not previously seen. They were happy to remain patient and keep hold of the ball rather than get it forward as soon as possible and risk losing possession over and over again.

With the wind behind them, Blackpool desperately needed that second goal to kill off the game. But how often have the Seasiders been made to pay for their failure to kill off teams when they’ve been in the ascendancy?

The game inevitably turned on its head two minutes before the break when Heneghan was sent off.

Initially his scything down of Bristol Rovers dangerman Jonson Clarke-Harris by the touchline looked completely needless and unnecessary.

But according to both Dunn and Heneghan, the defender slipped in the treacherous conditions and couldn’t stop himself from sliding in. Surely a yellow card would have sufficed?

But it meant Pool faced an uphill battle from here on in. Yet they looked to be marching up that hill fairly confidently, even with a man down in the second half.

Armand Gnanduillet saw a looping header clawed away from under Jamal Blackman’s crossbar before the Bristol Rovers goalkeeper went on to make another two important saves in as many minutes.

Virtue was the man to be denied on both occasions, poking an effort towards goal from 10 yards that Blackman saved well before the keeper was at full stretch to deny the midfielder for a second time.

The longer the game wore on, the more inevitable it became that the home side would produce an onslaught of pressure at some point given their man advantage.

But in truth, it never really came. Pool were managing the game well, taking the sting out of proceedings and winding the clock down fairly successfully much to the frustration of the home support

That was until the 73rd minute, at least, when the Gas pulled themselves level with an absolute thunderbolt from the unlikely source of their 21-year-old centre back Kilgour.

Perhaps Pool could have got out to him quicker and closed him down? But no-one would have been expecting a strike of that quality and power.

Inevitably the wind was in Bristol Rovers’ sails at this point and there was plenty of it to go around.

But the manner in which their decisive strike came was tough to take, Ginnelly’s attempted control from Clarke-Harris’ wayward long-range strike deceiving Maxwell and rolling into the back of the empty net.

At this point, Pool’s players would have been forgiven had their heads dropped, but they still found time to go agonisingly close in the 94th minute.

Substitute Nathan Delfouneso was sent clear through on goal by Joe Nuttall’s well-controlled through-ball, but the forward’s effort took a slight deflection and bounced wide of the wrong side of the post.

The Seasiders have had plenty of painstaking defeats to mull over in the last few weeks, but this one in particular was tough to take.