Blackpool legend left 'concerned' by ease of Exeter victory against Steve Bruce's side

Brett Ormerod states Blackpool looked vulnerable every time they had to defend in their 4-1 defeat to Exeter at the weekend.

On the back of a loss to Stevenage at Bloomfield Road last week, the Seasiders quickly found themselves behind in Devon, with Reece Cole and Jack Fitzwater both finding the back of the net in the opening exchanges.

Ashley Fletcher pulled one back for the visitors just after the 20-minute mark, before the Grecians’ advantage was strengthened by Jayden Wareham and substitute Sonny Cox after the break.

Ormerod offers verdict

Ormerod, who enjoyed two stints in Tangerine during his playing career, was on commentary duty for BBC Radio Lancashire at the weekend, and was left worried for the current Blackpool squad.

“To sum it up, one word for me would be concerning - straight from the off,” he told the broadcaster.

“The midfield were out run. It started with a quick ball down the right side, and Blackpool didn’t react. A cross in, it fell to Cole, and he scores.

“That was the real concerning thing, Exeter putting balls into the Blackpool box and looking like they could score every time they went forward.

“Steve Bruce will be mortified by those sloppy goals - the defending from his team was bad.

“The second goal came from Fitzwater having a free header in the box.

“In the second half, I thought they’d change tactics and try to match them up in midfield. They did eventually, but not before they went 3-1 down. Once again it was bad defending, another header from a set piece.

“They never really created anything, and the fourth goal puts salt in the wound. They looked vulnerable every time Exeter went forward.”

Bruce left frustrated

After the match, Steve Bruce issued an apology to the Seasiders supporters who had made the long trip to Exeter.

“We didn’t play from the first whistle, it was very frustrating - arguably as poor as I’ve seen us play since I’ve been at the club,” he said.

“We didn’t show enough determination in what we did, either defensively or going forward, and that’s a frustration for me.

“We’ve performed poorly. We’ve let ourselves down. I’ll reiterate, I can only apologise to the supporters who came here in their hundreds to support their team. It’s taken them hours to get here, and they haven’t seen their team perform. We’ll make sure we’re better next time.

“It’s very early, and I’m sure we’ll get better as the season goes on. It’s very difficult to integrate - and I’m not making excuses. It does take time, but I still expect us to be better than that. I’m not one for excuses, we were poor on the day and we didn’t do anything well enough to get anywhere near a victory.

“Congratulations to Exeter, we have to take it on the chin and admit we were nowhere near good enough.”

Your next story from the Gazette: Steve Bruce slams 'atrocious' treatment after error delays debut of Blackpool's newest addition.