BLACKPOOL'S play-off hopes took a battering in a miserable midweek defeat at Bloomfield Road.

A brace by Barnsley's Mike Sheron made the relegation strugglers only the third side to leave the seaside with maximum points.

To add injury to insult, Paul Evans' Blackpool future is in severe doubt after a suspected medial ligament pull towards the end of the game.

The on-loan midfielder is due to return to Bradford shortly, and may be unable to play another game.

Pool lined up with Mike Flynn, still, technically, a Barnsley player, as captain. If that was designed to wind the Oakwell outfit up, it certainly worked and the visitors enjoyed the better of the early action, though John Murphy almost had the ball in the net after a cross from Martin Bullock after three minutes, but impressive keeper, Andy Marriott, saved well.

On 41 minutes, Barnsley found a way through the Pool defence, with much-travelled striker, Mike Sheron, dancing around Colin Hendry before slotting the ball past Phil Barnes.

Not for the first time this season, the goal fired Pool up. John Hills, suffering illness, went off moments later and Richie Wellens, keen to prove his worth after losing his place to Evans, sparked the Seasiders midfield.

The equaliser came on 55 minutes, when a throw in from Simon Grayson found the feet of Murphy, who turned neatly and slotted the ball past Marriott.

The home side looked odds on to achieve their fifth 'come from behind' victory of the season as they pressed forward but, seven minutes later, Sheron struck again, receiving a flick on from Kevin Donovan before turning the ball past Barnes.

The match ended with the addition of a controversial six minutes of injury time. One member of the visiting South Yorkshire press core told listeners to the local radio station he was commentating for that 'the ref and fourth official are against us too', though he failed to mention the time-wasting antics of his side's players, who seemed to stay down after even the most gentle of challenges.

Their ability to wind the clock down was a master-class which Richie Wellens, given a second yellow-card for time-wasting on Saturday, could do worse than to follow. That said, Barnsley, rooted in the bottom half of the table, fully deserved a victory. Blackpool head to Port Vale this weekend and anything but a victory could make Pool's play-off hopes look increasingly remote.

Blackpool 1 Barnsley 2