Neil Critchley left with a feeling of 'deja vu' after Blackpool are beaten at the death by West Brom

The Seasiders looked to be on their way to a second successive 1-1 draw thanks to Marvin Ekpiteta’s equaliser, coming after Andy Carroll had given the Baggies a first-half lead.

But Karlan Grant steered home in the second minute of three added on to keep West Brom’s faint play-off hopes alive and condemn Pool to a cruel late defeat.

Critchley’s side, who are without a win in their last five, were competitive throughout but were left to rue a lack of quality in the final third once again.

“It’s a bit of deja vu, isn’t it? We’ve had this feeling too many times this season,” he told The Gazette.

“If we want to improve then we’ve got to make better use of the opportunities we create and we have got to stop conceding goals near the end of games. It’s happened too many times this season.

“Did we deserve to lose the game? Possibly not. But if that happens like it has done on too many occasions then you get what you deserve.

“Over the course of the season this is why we are where we are. We’re here on merit, we’ve come to West Brom, it’s great surroundings, they’re a proper football club, look at the strength of their team and the quality they’ve got coming off the bench and we’re right in the game all the way through.

“But I don’t want this feeling. It’s going to happen over the course of the season, you’re going to get that. It’s going to happen from time to time and you’re going to lose the odd game in the last minute and we’ve also won a few.

“But over the course of the season it’s happened too many times I’m afraid.”

Both of West Brom’s goals came from crosses, another major frustration given Blackpool will have been expecting the home side to threaten from wide areas.

“Early on in the game I thought we generally defended the crosses really well, although I felt we could have stopped them coming in better at times. But generally we defended the goal well at set pieces,” Critchley said.

“I felt we should have been 1 or 2-0 up before they scored, but if you give Andy Carroll a free run from 40 yards out and don’t stop him then what do you expect to happen?

“If you don’t defend better or well enough in the 92nd minute from a corner, then you’re not going to win games of football.

“The least we should be coming away from here is a point and we haven’t got and as I say, that’s happened too many times.”

The Seasiders don’t have too long to rest as they return to action on Easter Monday with a home game against Birmingham City.

Lee Bowyer’s side were beaten 4-2 at home to neighbours Coventry City today.