Too early to be making judgements after Blackpool's cup upset, but red flags can't be ignored

Barrow were clearly up for this cup tie, they had nothing to lose. Blackpool, on the other hand, had everything to lose.

You could sense it too, because there was an anxiousness to their play which emanated into the terraces. The longer the game dragged on, the more tense the atmosphere became.

We’re only three games into the new season and some are already hitting the panic button. It’s far too early to be doing that, but there are some red flags that need addressing.

For a start, Michael Appleton was pleased with his side’s display during the first-half, despite the distinct lack of a goal threat. “We were great between both boxes”, were his exact words.

That concerns me because the first-half was an absolutely dire watch. If we’re being kind, we could say the players showed patience in their build-up and continued to knock on the door, limiting Barrow to absolutely nothing at the other end.

If we’re being a bit more realistic, Blackpool’s play was slow, pedestrian, ponderous and far too easy for their League Two opponents to defend.

For all of Blackpool’s nice passing and movement of the ball from side to side, there was absolutely nothing to show for it other than a Theo Corbeanu shot from the angle which was straight at Paul Farman.

The general mood of the opening 45 minutes can be summed up by Dom Thompson’s foul throw and Corbeanu trodding on the ball as he attempted to fly past a Barrow defender. It was that sort of night.

In fairness, the hosts did improve in the second-half, although it would have been difficult to be any worse. But at least they upped the tempo and took the game to the Cumbrians.

Chances eventually arrived as a result, fairly good ones too. But the Seasiders didn’t have the required quality in front of goal to find that all-important winner.

CJ Hamilton tried, tried and tried, but he had another poor night. He wasn’t the only one by any stretch, but he looks so short on confidence at the minute.

Focusing on the few positives, Jordan Thorniley defended well and looked calm and composed on the ball. It was great to see James Husband and Jordan Gabriel get 30 minutes off the bench as well on their return from injury. They certainly looked in good nick too, which bodes well.

But any positives end there, because this was a sobering night for the Seasiders.

Appleton attempted to put a brave face on things during his post-match interview as he defended his players.

But the fact he spent half an hour in the dressing room giving his players a second dressing down in the space of just four days after the final whistle tells a different story.

Appleton also suggested his side can now concentrate on the league and the free week later this month could prove worthwhile.

But he’ll have known better than anybody he needed to get off to a good start to help win round the supporters. He did that against Reading, but the last week or so certainly hasn’t gone to plan…