Blackpool were comprehensively beaten 4-1 by Mansfield Town at Bloomfield Road on Saturday 24 October, a result that extends their concerning run of form. The defeat is their sixth in eight League One games and leaves Ian Evatt's side hovering just one point above the bottom four, with their overall record now standing at three wins, two draws and five losses from ten games.
Michael Smith opened the scoring for the visitors after 17 minutes, capitalising on a low cross from Jonathan Russell. Dion Charles equalised for Blackpool three minutes before half-time, finishing from Leighton Clarkson's pass, but Bailey Peacock-Farrell had earlier kept his side in it by saving a penalty from Smith. The team has now conceded 16 goals this season while scoring 15.
The second half belonged entirely to Mansfield. Rhys Oates restored their lead ten minutes after the restart, and the game slipped away from Blackpool when Ilmari Niskanen turned the ball into his own net. Substitute Tyler Roberts added a fourth late on to seal a second away win in a week for Nigel Clough's team, who are now unbeaten in six. This heavy loss followed a 2-0 win over Milton Keynes Dons on 20 October but also recent defeats to Leyton Orient and Cambridge United.
Ian Evatt was critical of his team's display after the interval. "We need to be better in the final third, but the effort was there," the Blackpool manager said. He described the second-half performance as 'devoid of ideas and confidence' and a 'night and day' contrast to the first.
The loss leaves Blackpool 17th in the standings with 11 points from their opening ten matches, a position that leaves them a significant 11 points behind league leaders Stockport County. Their recent form reads one win, one draw and three losses from the last five, a sequence that includes the 2-2 draw with Crewe and a 3-2 loss to Wigan. They must now regroup quickly for an EFL Trophy tie against Aston Villa U21s on Tuesday before a tough league trip to seventh-placed Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday 1 November.
