Rovers were made to pay for a poor first half as they were beaten 2-1 by Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

Failings at the back contributed to Rovers going 2-0 down inside 24 minutes through close range finishes from Shayne Lavery and Jerry Yates.

Rovers were booed off by their 3,000 travelling contingent after a first half in which they were comfortably second best but they rallied after the break and arguably deserved a point for their efforts by the final whistle.

Ben Brereton gave them a route back into the game with his 10th of the season, a rousing start to the second half in which Rovers dominated, but couldn’t find that elusive second goal.

Brereton and Joe Rothwell drew saves from goalkeeper Chris Maxwell soon after, Daniel Ayala had a header just wide while the impressive Tayo Edun went within inches of finding his first Rovers goal.

Defeat meant it was back-to-back losses on the road to head into the international break, Rovers contributing to their downfall with their first half performance in which they gave themselves an uphill task, one they almost scaled with a much improved display after the break.

There was a change in defence for Rovers, Tyler Magloire brought in from the start as Ryan Nyambe missed out through concussion, while captain Darragh Lenihan was sidelined for a second successive match with a thigh injury. Bradley Johnson was fit enough to return on the bench having been out for three months with a hamstring strain.

A hesitant start from Rovers saw them behind in the fourth minute. Shayne Lavery found space on the left edge of the box, and although Daniel Ayala got close enough to get something on his shot, the ball looped over Thomas Kaminski and out of reach of Harry Pickering who tried to get back and clear on the line.

Blackpool were working several nice openings, with Rovers unable to contain them in the closing stages, but soon worked their way into the game with some neat passing moves with John Buckley at the heart of them.

Harry Pickering fired a 25-yard free kick over the bar, before Joe Rothwell had one shot blocked by Ryan Wintle, and a second deflected wide of the target after carrying the ball forward.

Unfortunately, their defensive frailties were never far away and having lost goalscorer Lavery to injury, Blackpool’s replacement Jerry Yates didn’t have to wait long to make an impact.

A ball down the flank from Luke Garbutt had Magloire playing catch-up, Keshi Anderson’s cross to the far picking out an unmarked Gary Madine, and although Kaminski was able to make a fine save, substitute Yates was on hand to turn in the rebound.

Two down with a little over a quarter of the game gone, Rovers were facing an uphill task as Blackpool grew in confidence and were playing with a real authority, the visitors unable to get hold of the ball for an extended spell after the second goal.

Anderson was enjoying some real joy down the Blackpool left, while Madine was proving to be a real handful at the head of the Pool attack.

The fans called for changes, and Rovers did make one before the break, albeit enforced, as Sam Gallagher limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injured, with Tayo Edun on in his place, the new signing taking up a role wide on the left.

Rovers went through the first half without a shot on target, though they did threaten a goal in first half stoppage time, Tyrhys Dolan fizzing a ball along the six-yard box that neither Rothwell or Ben Brereton were able to force home.

That wait ended early in the second half, good pressing from Dolan won Rovers a free kick, from which Marvin Ekpiteta was booked, with Pickering’s delivery met by Ayala but saved by the well-placed Maxwell inside two minutes of the re-start.

By the 50th minute they had one goal back, Brereton turning home his 10th of the season, on his 100th Rovers appearance, volleying home at the far post from a peach of Buckley cross from the right.

There was a different complexion on the game, a third shot on target arrived moments later, though Rothwell’s left foot effort at the end of a driving run was too close to Maxwell.

The keeper was required once again, and this time it wasn’t with so much comfort, needing two goes to save a curling Brereton effort after really good work from substitute Edun to win the ball back.

Maxwell injured himself in the process, Blackpool forced into a third substitution because of injury after losing Lavery in the first half and Richard Keogh at the break.

Brereton remained Rovers’ main hope for a goal as the game went into the final quarter, a break forward in the 70th minute ending with Ekpiteta throwing himself in the way, while from the resulting corner, Ayala was there to win it again, but this time couldn’t guide it on target.

Rovers sent on Reda Khadra for the final 10 minutes, and they were pushing hard for a leveller, the impressive Edun having a shot towards goal deflected just wide of the target after Brereton had a goal chalked off for offside, the flag raised just before he applied the finishing touch.

Eight added minutes gave Rovers hope, and they almost snatched a point at the death as Dolan flicked an Ayala header goalwards, only for the backpeddling Moore to claw it away.

Blackpool: Maxwell (Moore, 62), Sterling, Keogh (Husband, 46), Ekpiteta, Garbutt, Anderson, Wintle, Dougall, Bowler, Lavery (Yates, 21), Madine

Subs: Connolly, Stewart, Mitchell, John-Jules

Rovers: Kaminski, Magloire (Khadra, 81), Carter, Ayala, Pickering, Travis, Rothwell (Butterworth, 89), Buckley, Gallagher (Edun, 43), Dolan, Brereton

Subs: Pears, Johnson, Clarkson, Poveda