Blackpool 0-3 Milton Keynes: Seasiders slump to second straight defeat in League One

Blackpool slumped to their straight straight defeat in League One as they were humbled at home to Milton Keynes.

Three goals were conceded for the second week running as Simon Grayson’s men lost their unbeaten record at Bloomfield Road in embarrassing fashion.

Defensive issues were again to blame, with basic errors Blackpool’s undoing against Paul Tisdale’s men.

A failure to deal with a routine ball into their box saw the visitors open the scoring after just five minutes, Russell Martin the man to take advantage.

With Pool desperately searching for a route back into the game in the second, MK were gifted a second goal out of nowhere - Jordan Houghton capitalising on Curtis Tilt’s horror mistake.

A third soon followed from David Kasumu, who finished off a flowing move from the awai side.

The result sees Blackpool fall out of the play-offs and down to ninth place in the league table ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Doncaster.

Grayson made two changes to the side that last for the first time last week, in their 3-2 defeat against Coventry City.

Ben Heneghan was drafted in for his first league start of the season in a bid to address the team’s defensive issues that creeped in at St Andrew’s last week.

Ollie Turton was the man to drop down to the bench, where he was joined by Callum Guy who was replaced by Jordan Thompson on his return from international duty.

Nathan Delfouneso missed out after suffering a fresh hamstring injury last week, which is likely to keep him out of action for two or three weeks.

The Seasiders, as they have tended to do in recent games, were straight onto the front foot in search of that early goal.

But for all their early good work, they were undone by their failure to deal with a routine ball into their box once again as the away side took the lead after just five minutes.

Defender Russell Martin was the beneficiary, slamming home from eight yards out as Pool’s players watched on motionless.

The defence was again at sixes and sevens five minutes later, but fortunately on this occasion George Williams could only stab behind.

The Seasiders threatened with a corner of their own at the other end on 15 minutes, which Armand Gnanduillet glanced just wide of the far post.

The visitors had half-hearted appeals for a penalty turned down when Williams went sprawling at the back post under pressure from James Husband, but the referee remained unmoved.

After finding it tough going trying to break down MK, Grayson’s men finally got in behind down the right thanks to Ryan Edwards’ pinpoint pass to Joe Nuttall.

But the striker’s final ball was found wanting, Nuttall passing straight into the grateful hands of goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.

Sullay Kaikai created some space for himself on the edge of the MK box with a fine piece of trickery, only to drag his shot well wide of goal.

Jordan Thompson, brimming with confidence from making his first Northern Ireland start the previous week, began to start pulling the strings in midfield.

He played a delightful ball out to James Husband on the left, whose cross was cleared just ahead of Kaikai who was ready to pounce.

Just as the Seasiders were beginning to stamp their authority on the game, the visitors came close to adding a second against the run of play as Kieran Agard slashed just wide of Jak Alnwick’s goal.

Nuttall used his pace and power to beat his man down the left, only for his cross to miss everyone and inadvertently drop to Thompson on the edge of the box, who could only curl straight at Nicholls after shifting the ball onto his stronger foot.

Pool, unchanged at the break, continued to look flat at the start of the second half, with the visitors maintaining their lead fairly comfortably.

Grayson’s men were badly in need of a spark, and they got one in the form of the fans’ unwavering support.

This saw Pool embark on a spell of pressure, starting with Thompson seeing his fierce drive palmed away from danger by the MK keeper.

Gnanduillet was the next man to get a shot off at goal, the striker seeing his effort on the turn blocked after being set up by Feeney’s pullback.

A better opening came his way a minute later when he was again teed up, this time by striker partner Nuttall who did brilliantly to pluck the ball out of thin air.

He laid it off to Gnanduillet who fired narrowly wide of the near post, with the keeper beaten.

It appeared just a matter of time until the pressure told and the equaliser came, but somehow the Seasiders found themselves falling two behind.

It came via another costly mistake from Curtis Tilt, similar to the one he produced against Portsmouth, giving the ball away to Jordan Houghton in a dangerous area of the pitch.

It allowed Houghton to surge through on goal unopposed, and he made no mistake with his shot, slipping it past Alnwick.

Pool were left shell-shocked and they almost fell instantly fell three behind, Joe Walsh seeing his effort blocked away from goal at the far post - resulting in boos from the frustrated home fans.

Grayson finally changed it with just over 20 minutes to go, bringing off Tilt and Nuttall to ironic cheers from the home crowd.

Sean Scannell was one of those to enter the fray, the winger almost making an instant impact as he fired into the side netting from an acute angle.

Pool couldn’t have come much closer to pulling a goal back on 73 minutes, when Ben Heneghan saw his header clip the top of the crossbar from Feeney’s right-wing cross.

While the Seasiders were wasteful in front of goal all day, that’s not an accusation you could level at the away side - who soon made it 3-0.

It was shambolic defending from Pool once again, as David Kasumu was given all the time in the world to slot home from Williams’ pullback.

Sam Nombe almost completed the embarrassment two minutes from time, the forward coming inches away from making it four as he curled an effort against the post.

Alnwick was then called into action in the fourth minute of stoppage time to keep the score at 3-0, tipping over Nombe's goalbound effort.

TEAMS

Blackpool: Alnwick, Edwards, Heneghan, Tilt (Scannell), Feeney, Husband, Spearing, Thompson, Kaikai, Nuttall (Hardie), Gnanduillet

Subs not used: Sims, Turton, Macdonald, Guy, Virtue

MK: Nicholls, Martin, Williams, Lewington, Walsh, McGrandles, Houghton (Brittain), Kasumu, Poole, Nombe, Agard (Boateng)

Subs not used: Moore, Dickenson, Harley, Asonganyi, Bowery

Referee: Andy Haines

Attendance: 8,283 (300 MK)