Blackpool head coach Mick McCarthy admitted that the form of his side was “unacceptable” – and, if it continued, would lead to Sky Bet Championship relegation – after their 3-1 defeat at mid-table Reading.

The Royals took a 1-0 half-time lead through top scorer Tom Ince but Blackpool opened brightly at the start of the second period.

However, their attempted fightback was halted by two Reading goals in two minutes from Andy Carroll, a penalty, and former Tangerines midfielder Ince again – his ninth of the season.

Blackpool reduced the gap in the fourth minute of added-time through Sonny Carey but have now won just one of their past 17 league games and are four points from second-tier safety.

“It can’t go on like this? It can,” McCarthy said. “But we don’t want it to and we’re trying everything we can to stop it.

“Yes, as a team, it’s unacceptable. And what happens if it continues is that you get relegated.

“So we’re going to have to try to turn that around, which we’re doing.

“It [the poor form] can carry on. But there’s not one of those players out there who are not trying to stop it.

“Whether or not they’ve got enough quality, we’ll find out in the next 12 games. Out of adversity comes strength as well. So let’s hope that’s the case.

“While there is still a spark of life in me, we’ll be trying to keep this team in the league.”

Of the defeat, McCarthy said: “I thought that we had really good periods in each half.

“We were the better team in the first half and created chances but then we conceded and Reading had the momentum.

“We started the second half really well and again had chances. But I’m pretty depressed, to be honest, about giving away the goals that we did.

“Our mentality is fine, we started well. It’s just the making of the mistakes and getting punished for it.

“And then when we get opportunities at the other end, we don’t take them. Sure, we scored right at the end, but we should’ve done that a lot sooner.”

Reading are now 13 points clear of the drop zone.

“There was a lot of pleasing aspects to the game,” Reading manager Paul Ince said after the win over the team he managed in 2013-14.

“The way we passed the ball in the first half, the chances that we created – though we do still start games too slowly sometimes.

“Blackpool had a really good chance before we had clicked into our play, so we could have been 1-0 down.

“Our home record is one of the best in the league, which is not bad for a ‘misfit’ team.

“The most disappointing thing in the first half was that we didn’t kill the game off. We had some good chances to do that.

“I said to the players at half time that we should be coming in at 2-0 or 3-0 up. Then maybe I could have breathed a little bit easier.

“In the second half, 1-0 is never a good score for us. We’ve done it before – 1-0 up but we’re sitting deep and then sitting deeper.

“How can you go from the first 45 minutes when you’re playing some good stuff to, just like, defending deep and can’t get hold of the ball?

“It happens, I’ve played in many games when it happens, but you just can’t understand why.”