Rovers battle hard at Blackpool but come away with defeat

But it wasn't for a lack of effort and they had enough chances to win the game. Rovers, who only had five substitutes on Saturday, had striker Paul Heffernan back on duty. Heffernan, who has been on loan at League One Bristol Rovers, for whom he scored on Good Friday, had looked likely to have played his last game for Rovers in view of the fact that he is out of contract at the end of the season. On-loan midfielder Jay Emnanuel-Thomas, who spent three months on loan at Blackpool, was one of the Seasiders scorers in a classic 3-3 draw at the Keepmoat Stadium. The Seasiders, who moved within a point of the play-offs following their 4-2 Good Friday win at Scunthorpe, made the early running only to fall foul of Rovers offside trap on several occasions. Heffernan took a tumble in the box on six minutes but rather than give Rovers what looked a clear-cut penalty, referee David Webb booked Heffernan for diving. Charlie Adam shot wide from 25 yards for the home side before Mark Wilson hooked his shot over afer Gareth Roberts had won a corner with a left-wing cross. Blackpool, who had the wind at their backs, continued to look dangerous going forward, but striker Hameur Bouazza shot wide when he tried his luck from 25 yards. Emmanuel-Thomas won Rovers a 15th minute corner with an overhead shot. Blackpool had looked to get the ball forward as quickly as possible in the first 20 minutes whilst Rovers stuck to the script and played their usual neat passing game. John Oster wasn't far off target with a low 25 yarder on 25 minutes. The home side took the lead a minute later - striker DJ Campbell scoring from close range after a cross into the box by Stephen Crainey had taken a deflection off James O'Connor and hit the post. O'Connor took the ball off Keith Southern's bootlaces on the edge of the six-hard box at the expense of a 34th minute corner. Coppinger troubled Blackpool keeper Matthew Gilks before Southern shot wide at the other end. Ian Evatt shot wide with a weak 18 yarder after a tremendous run along the edge of the box by right-back Seamus Coleman. Gilks could only parry Heffernan's angled eight-yarder in stoppage time. The ball came back to the striker, who had worked hard in the first half, but his shot was blocked for a corner. Heffernan had a shot from a tight angle cleared off the line by Crainey within two minutes of the restart. Southern had Rovers keeper Neil Sullivan at full stretch with a 25 yarder on 50 minutes. Skipper Gareth Roberts tested Gilks, who could only punch clear, with an angled 20 yarder two minutes later. Sullivan produced a superb save - tipping the ball over the bar for 55th minute corner - in a one-on-one with Campbell after he had latched on to a through ball into the box in front. Heffernan went close to an equaliser three minutes later when trying to chip Gilks, who had come off his line. It was still anyone's game at this stage and Hayter went close at the near post. Stephen Dobbie, who had only been on the field for two minutes, doubled the Seasiders lead on 67 minutes when curling his 20 yarder past Sullivan after getting away down the left. Oster sliced his 20 yarder well wide of the near post after two team-mates had seen shots from a similar distance come back off denfenders. Cambell wanted too much time on the ball and missed out on the chance to make it 3-0 from Gary Taylor-Fletcher's pass on 77 minutes - O'Connor subsequently clearing the danger. Heffernan continued to work hard and got another shot on target in stoppage time