'It's the hope that ultimately kills you' - Why Blackpool's defeat to Rotherham United hit so hard

There’s no hiding away from just how damaging Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Rotherham United was.

Heading into their current extended break, the Seasiders needed the gap between themselves and sixth to be six points or less by the time they step out against Stevenage on Good Friday - which required them to do their own job and hope for some luck elsewhere.

Neither of those things came to pass at the weekend, with the loss at the New York Stadium accompanied by wins for Bolton Wanderers, Reading and Huddersfield Town - while Leyton Orient also picked up a point.

The gap is already at six points, and could now be up to 12 by the time the trip to the Lamex Stadium comes around.

It’s not necessarily a surprise that Blackpool won’t finish in the play-offs, even going back to the end of October it looked unlikely.

Inconsistency has cost them throughout the campaign, and they never truly looked like doing what was required to put themselves into the mix for long periods.

Why the belief was there for Blackpool

Despite this, the latest run of results did spark some belief. They were able to record three wins on the bounce and things looked as if they had clicked. Perhaps a glance to what the club had achieved in the past was also behind the spark of optimism as well.

There was still an understanding that results elsewhere wouldn’t automatically go their way, but it seemed as Steve Bruce’s side had the ability to play their part and keep the pressure on.

Ultimately, it is the hope that kills you. That little spark was there, and you’ve got to cling onto it. If all of the results somehow go Blackpool’s way before the Stevenage game, it’d have to be the same again.

The Rotherham defeat does sting more than the other bumps in the road, just because of how few games remain and the unlikeliness of that feeling of belief coming back again this season.

After Saturday’s game, it was the most deflated Bruce had looked in an interview since taking over. As for the player, their reaction on the whistle showed just what it meant - and how for some their time in Tangerine will end in disappointment.

What went wrong against Rotherham?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why things didn’t click in South Yorkshire. In hindsight it’s easy to say the starting XI should’ve been rotated; not many would’ve said that before the match because of the way the team had been playing, and the fact the extended break was coming up.

Did the occasion get to them? - Possibly. We’ve seen it a number of times this season, just how good the team are at their best, and how poor they can be when things aren’t going their way.

There’s also the possibility that the illness that forced Lee Evans off in the first half would’ve been impacting some of the others.

In conclusion, it is a great shame that the Seasiders won’t be competing until the end. Bloomfield Road was gearing up to get back to its best, but seemingly that bounce will have to wait.

The team on paper is better than what the table reflects, but sadly it looks like they won’t get to rectify this... unless there’s an unlikely swing of fortune before the Easter period.

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