'An early reminder where reinforcements are required': Matt Scrafton's verdict on Blackpool's pre-season defeat at Dundee

A laboured, dull affair; wholesale half-time changes; players wearing odd numbers with no names on the back; no sponsor on the front of the shirts - the usual stuff.

The only thing that differed from past seasons, for Blackpool anyway, was the lack of trialists on show.

There was just one in the Dundee squad and, yes, you better believe it, not a single trialist in the Blackpool side.

Pool fans have previously become accustomed to seeing their side littered with players they didn’t have the faintest clue who they were. But not anymore - things really are changing.

Nothing much can be taken from last night's affair, other than Pool's desperate need to bring in attacking reinforcements.

It was an opportunity to dust off the cobwebs and get back into the swing of things, no more or less than that.

Despite the half-time overhaul, which saw Pool make 10 changes to the side that started the match, Grayson’s men performed pretty well.

They dominated large swathes of the encounter against a side that were ending their pre-season friendlies, rather than just beginning them like the Seasiders.

The Scottish Championship outfit start their season on Saturday in the first round of the League Cup, while the Seasiders don’t kick off the proper stuff for another three weeks or so.

But it was Blackpool who were the better side and Blackpool who produced the better chances, but as we so often saw last season, those chances all went begging.

A familiar tale and an early reminder to Grayson where improvements are badly required.

The new boss will be well aware of his squad’s deficiencies given Pool managed to bag just 50 league goals last season. One striker, if not two, is clearly on top of the shopping list.

Dundee rarely threatened and neither Christoffer Mafoumbi or Myles Boney were given a save to make.

The home side were reliant on a first-half howler from Mafoumbi to clinch the win, and some error it was too.

The 25-year-old dithered over the ball for too long as he looked to pass the ball out from the back, allowing Dundee striker Andrew Nelson the chance to charge him down. Unfortunately for Pool that block ended up rolling into the back of Mafoumbi’s empty net.

Other than that, the Seasiders were neat and tidy without ever working up a great sweat. But that will come as pre-season develops.

Liam Feeney caught the eye with his overlapping runs in the first half, despite being deployed out of position at right back.

The 32-year-old winger, who failed to score at all last season, appeared better suited to running from deep in his short cameo and he caused the Dundee defence plenty of problems with his teasing crosses.

Jordan Thompson, meanwhile, showed a couple of exciting glimpses in the opening 45 minutes with a couple of flashes of skill.

Despite a quiet start to proceedings, new signing Sullay Kaikai showed the 140 Pool fans what he’s about with a couple of threatening runs and shots from range.

Ryan Edwards slotted in seamlessly into the centre of the back four in the second half, although fellow newcomers Jamie Devitt, Ben Tollitt and Adi Yussuf had fairly quiet debuts in tangerine.

Given Grayson has only been at the helm for a matter of days, he’s clearly not had the time to implement any of his ideas.

That will come in the following days and weeks as he also begins to mould his only squad with two or three, perhaps even four new signings.

Who Grayson manages to bring in, especially in attack, will go a long way to deciding how the Seasiders perform in League One this coming season.