Blackpool relegated to League One after dramatic loss to playoff-chasing Millwall

Blackpool were relegated from the Sky Bet Championship after a 3-2 home defeat by playoff hopefuls Millwall. The Seasiders twice hit back from a goal down to level, but even a point would scarcely have been enough as they went down with a game to spare.

Millwall, meanwhile, fired themselves back up to fifth as they remain firmly in the playoff picture, with Tom Bradshaw scoring a terrific double.

“Of course we’re hurting, we’re all hurting after that,” said the Blackpool interim manager, Stephen Dobbie. “It’s disappointing because we didn’t really pick it up in the second half. I let the lads know at half-time, they’d done OK in the first half, but I felt I needed to remind them just what was at stake.

“It was tough to lose out to a penalty so late in the game, for them to eventually win it like that was a big blow, but overall I just can’t fault any of the lads tonight.”

Blackpool’s hopes had suffered an early blow at Bloomfield Road as Millwall struck after less than two minutes. Ryan Leonard fizzed a low cross into the path of Bradshaw after a slick move, who slid the ball in from 10 yards.

Buoyed by their early strike, the Lions almost struck again 10 minutes later when Bradshaw found space in the Blackpool box but his shot on the turn drifted wide.

The Millwall frontman then fluffed a great chance on the break as he fired wastefully off target after latching on to goalkeeper George Long’s clearance.

The hosts were struggling to make inroads, and Millwall struck the woodwork in the 25th minute. Duncan Watmore lashed in an effort from inside the box that thumped the post.

Blackpool had been second best, but they levelled from the penalty spot nine minutes before the break. CJ Hamilton was tripped by Jamie Shackleton,