Blackpool Plunged Deeper Into Relegation Danger With Big Defeat to Reading

Blackpool's struggles this season took another turn for the worst, as they lost 3-0 at home to Reading.

Before kick-off, the Tangerines were just three points behind the Royals, a clear target for the bottom four to reach.

To give the home side confidence to catch the visitors with victory, Reading were yet to win away from home this season, and hadn't won at Bloomfield Road since 2001.

However, that was soon to change, as Reading survived an early Blackpool storm to turn the tide and take the lead through Kamari Doyle's close-range finish.

Reading’s goal vs Blackpool courtesy of Kamari Doyle 👏 #ReadingFC #utmp pic.twitter.com/m54gIA5Mvu

— AllAboutLeagueOne (@LeagueOne25) November 29, 2025

From then on it was all Reading, whose dominance was made to count through a second-half penalty and another strike from just yards out.

What's happening here then?
Randall for 3-0#Readingfc pic.twitter.com/mOrz9CVEis

— Mo B (@MoB31629658) November 29, 2025

The defeat means Blackpool remain in 22nd and a point from safety, although they are six points from Burton in 19th.

The nature of the loss will be most concerning, having looked like a lower-league side against an opponent lacking belief on the road and with struggles of their own.

What Went Wrong for Them?

The hosts started strongly and probably should have been two goals to the good inside 20 minutes, as Andy Lyons and Hayden Coulson both blazed excellent chances over the bar.

Ashley Fletcher also had efforts at goal, but goalkeeper Joel Pereira was equal to them.

The moment Reading scored with their first big chance of the game, the Tangerines' heads dropped, and they never looked like scoring again.

Blackpool have now failed to get a result after conceding the first goal of the match ten times already in this League One campaign, underlining a mentality issue in the team.

It was a problem under Steve Bruce for the first two months of the season and has remained one under Ian Evatt's management.

Evatt said:

"The first real attack they had, they scored. We turned the ball over far too easily, and they scored, and it completely rocked us. And we lost our belief, we lost our clarity of thought and we lost the ability to make rational decisions.

“We can’t be that affected by going behind. I’m still learning about the players four weeks in. And probably today is my biggest learning day about them and about each other.

“We can’t be that affected mentally by any adversity. It should inspire and not discourage, and the minute they scored today we were completely discouraged and let ourselves down.”