THE sullen faces of Town's players told the story as they walked off at the end with two more Leeds Road points having slipped down the drain.
Town, in fact, had to wait until three minutes from time for Craig Maskell to salvage a draw from the penalty spot with his 19th goal of the season.
It was reward for a valiant late attacking flurry from the Leeds Road side - but that shouldn't really have been necessary had Town maintained their form of the opening 20 minutes against a side struggling desperately against relegation.
Blackpool were allowed to take advantage as Eoin Hand's Town lost their grip in midfield and goals from Russell Coughlin and Andy Gouck - on his full League debut (he also scored for the winner for Accrington Stanley against Town in the FA Cup first round in 2003) - threatened to give the visitors their first away win since September 23.
Town failed to capitalise on Mick Byrne's 10th minute opener in what was his 50th league game for the club, and they were left anxiously searching for fluent form for a long spell through the middle of the game.
The outcome left Town seven points off the pace and, while they created enough chances to have won the game, Blackpool could justifiably claim to have exposed Town's shaky defence on enough occasions to have deserved a point.
Town - Martin, Boothroyd, Hutchings (Edwards 78mins), Kelly (Marsden 65mins), Mitchell, Duggan, O'Regan, May, Byrne, Maskell, Smith.
Attendance - 4,845.
Town man-of-the-match - Kieran O'Regan.
