'We're nearly there': What Neil Critchley was most frustrated about following Blackpool's heavy defeat to Nottingham Forest

Pool’s head coach felt his side more than matched Nottingham Forest on Saturday, despite slumping to a heavy 4-1 defeat.

Steve Cooper’s side scored all three of their shots on target in the first-half, two coming from the impressive Brennan Johnson.

The Seasiders did cause Forest plenty of problems in attack, but they lacked a cutting edge in the final third - their eventual goal coming in stoppage-time courtesy of Callum Connolly when the game was already over.

When asked if Blackpool’s failure to convert in the final third was down to a lack of quality, bad luck or composure, Critchley said: “It’s a bit of everything.

“They’ve got quality players at the top end of the pitch. Brennan Johnson showed his quality in those moments, he was really clinical. They were top goals and top finishes.

“Even the third goal, he got a little bit of luck against Jordan Thorniley because it bounces off his feet and falls into his path, but it’s a fantastic finish after that.

“Sam Surridge as well? What a great finish that was. We didn’t produce those moments, the quality or the composure.

“We didn’t have that little bit of luck where their first goal deflects over the goalkeeper, they were going wide for us and that happens sometimes unfortunately.

“Forest are a good team with good players. It’s really difficult for me to stand here when we’ve lost 4-1 but our organisation…they didn’t play through us, they didn’t really get in our penalty area that many times in the first-half but we were 3-0 down.

“I felt for the lads, I really felt for them.”

Blackpool can take solace from the fact heavy defeats like Saturday have been few and far between.

Only Luton Town and Huddersfield have beaten the Seasiders by a margin of three goals this season.

“That makes it even more frustrating as well,” Critchley added.

“People from the outside will see this result and think Forest have won comfortably and easily. By the end of the game it might have felt like that, but it wasn’t like that for long periods.

“It’s easy to say ‘that wasn’t very good, he was rubbish, that performance wasn’t very good’, it wasn’t like that.

“It’s a bit frustrating because we’re nearly there in matching a very good team in this division.”