McDonald: Everything that could go wrong, did

A poor 3-0 defeat kept Blackpool in the League One relegation zone, with just two points from their last six games .

The Seasiders were well beaten by the promotion-chasing Lions and had a defender sent off for the third successive match, Hayden White receiving two bookings.

Lee Gregory headed Millwall ahead after eight minutes and the terrible second goal left McDonald fuming.

Jed Wallace’s 25-yard free-kick went straight through the defensive wall on 24 minutes, with John Herron appearing to turn his back on the ball.

McDonald said: “I’ve looked at the video and Uche Ikpezu stood firm. It went in between him and John Herron. That wall shouldn’t be breaking like that. It went in far too easily.

“You have to be prepared to take the ball in the face, the chest or wherever. That was disappointing.”

Following White’s dismissal, Steve Morison’s penalty compounded Pool’s misery.

And for the first time McDonald pointed the finger at his players. He said: “Everything that could go wrong went wrong and it was self-inflicted. The first goal was a throw-in, which we stood and watched, and the second went through our wall. That was game over.

“There’s not a lot you can say when your team concedes goals like that.

“You just have to try to control your frustrations. They were two of the softest I’ve ever seen.”

Pool are now two points from safety, having played a game more than the three teams immediately above them, and the display stunned McDonald after Tuesday’s positive draw at Chesterfield.

He said: “The difference between the two games was massive. We were left feeling sorry for ourselves and deserved what we got.”

And after White’s red card followed those for Will Aimson and David Ferguson, McDonald hit out at the refereeing in all three games.

He said: “We can’t keep getting players sent off, that’s for sure, but I think all three of the red cards have been harsh. For me, all three have been poor from the officials.”

Another refereeing decision saw Mark Cullen have a goal ruled out for offside in the second half.

It came at a key point, with Pool two down, but McDonald isn’t making a fuss about that call.

He said: “I thought it was tight but the linesman put his flag up.

“It may have got us back into the game but there was probably still too much for us to do.”