Debutant keeper Tom Hadler was one of few positives on Saturday for boss Steve Lovell.

The 21-year-old may have conceded three but Lovell felt Blackpool’s goals only highlighted his own team’s shortcomings.

Blackpool’s opening goal was scored by Kyle Vassell, pouncing after Hadler was unable to hold onto a shot.

Lovell said: “The first one bounced off him but he got behind him. It was a goalscorer’s goal, they react, we don’t. You have to give the goalkeeper a little bit of protection.

“He did all right, he didn’t have many saves to make. His kicking was good, his distribution was good, he looked confident, I thought he did all right. It was his first game and he is a very good goalkeeper with a good future ahead of him.

“The second one, he couldn’t do anything about that. Someone gets a cross in and it’s a goal, a proper striker’s goal, we don’t get proper striker goals, they have to be brilliant, we don’t get the tap-ins.

“I don’t know how many goals Will Grigg (the Wigan striker) has got this year, inside the six yard box, but we don’t. It is something that has to be addressed in the summer.

“The third one came across the box and the fella tapped it in on the breakaway."

Lovell made no apology for handing Hadler his chance with the relegation threat still at large.

“He was one of the boys who came out with some credit,” the manager said.

“He had the courage to make decisions when he had to, to throw the ball out or pass it, his kicking was decent.

“For a young boy to make his first team debut in the league it was pleasing to see. I talk about players having courage and I have courage to make decisions and I do.

“I change things because I believe that what I am doing is the right thing. It might not come off because certain players don’t do the right things or they haven’t got the ability to do it, but I won’t stop making decisions and being strong enough to make them, because otherwise it is not worth being in the job.

“I will make decisions and ones perhaps people will question, but there is no point being in the job if you are not going to do it.”