Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell was left cursing a crazy 10-minute spell that cost the Grecians any chance of a result at home to Blackpool. Three all entirely avoidable goals were scored by the Tangerines just before half-time as City’s winless League One run extended to six as the visitors won for the first time in eight.

The Grecians were probably edging the game before they fell behind after 33 minutes – and it was 3-0 by half-time and game over. Millenic Alli scored late on to make it 3-1, but it was too little, too late.

CJ Hamilton opened the scoring when he was left in acres of space on the counter attack and he clipped the finish home. Soon after it was two and following another defensive error. Tom Bloxham this time had the freedom of St James Park to break and he slotted home.

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The third came in stoppage-time when again Bloxham broke after another City howler, and this time he set to Ashley Fletcher who finished with aplomb. Alli’s goal late on pulled one back, and City should have had a penalty which would have set up a grandstand finale, but it wasn’t to be, as City slipped down to 17 ^th . Blackpool, with a first win in eight, climbed to 14 ^th .

“We had a crazy 10 minutes at the end of the first half where we gifted them three goals,” Caldwell said. “But up until that point, it was a 50-50 game. We had moments before that and got in and around their penalty box – they did too – but as I said, we gifted them three really bad goals and 3-0 down have a mountain to climb at half-time.

“I said to the players after the game, I will take what they did in the second half with their effort, their commitment and drive to get back into the game was there, but the lesson is, we can’t give the goals that we gave away in the first half, We were lucky to get away with it against Crawley but we didn’t get away with it today.

“We lost our bravery and played ourselves into trouble and conceded bad goals. Second half we created a very good goal, and then a penalty situation, and then it would be a massive 10 minutes. I hate losing football matches, but I’ll take the effort and commitment and how the players reacted.”

Following the late 1-1 draw at Peterborough United on Tuesday night, Caldwell made five changes to his Exeter City side. Jack McMillan returned from suspension, Jake Richards after illness, while Demetri Mitchell and Kevin McDonald were recalled. Pat Jones also made his first start for the Grecians, in what seemed to be a 3-2-3-2 system.

Out went Ryan Woods, Jack Aitchison and Ilmari Niskanen who dropped to the bench, with Ben Purrington and Kamari Doyle not in the 18. New loanee signing Tony Yogane, who joined from Brentford on Thursday, was on the bench.

With eight minutes gone, only the woodwork kept the score level. Bloxham got the better of Jack Fitzwater, cut inside from the left, and while his shot beat Joe Whitworth’s dive, it came back off the post and bounced to safety

Josh Magennis forced a good save out of Harry Tyrer, while Mitchell and Alli then came close with shots from the edge of the box as chances were flowing at both ends.It seemed certain there would be a goal, and on 33 minutes, it came, and the visitors took the lead.

Odel Offiah broke and McMillan tried to foul the full-back, but he managed to escape his grasp. A huge chasm of space had opened up as he slipped the ball through to Hamilton. The wide-man burst forward and clipped the ball over Whitworth to make it 1-0 to the Tangerines.

City then suffered another blow when Fitzwater was forced off injured. Woods came onto replace him, with McMillan dropping into the back three, despite natural centre-back Cheick Diabate being on the bench.

And just before half-time, Steve Bruce’s men doubled their lead, and it was a horrendous one for City to concede. It started with the Grecians in a promising position but Alli ran into trouble and eventually lost the ball. Blackpool broke and McDonald had no idea where Bloxham was. He skipped past him, rounded Whitworth and slotted home to make it 2-0.

It was a bad goal to concede. And equally bad was the third that came in stoppage-time. Jones' ball to Ed Francis was awful and seized upon by Bloxham. He had half the pitch to run into and unselfishly squared it to Fletcher, and he fired home to make it 3-0 to the visitors. City were booed off - as they were at full-time by a section of fans.

Caldwell made two changes at the break. Niskanen and Diabate replaced McDonald and Jones. Aitchison and Yogane, making his debut, replaced Richards and Joel Colwill just after the hour.

Alli hit the post from close range after a Yogane cross, but the offside flag went up to perhaps spare his blushes as he should have scored. But with eight minutes to go, City had a glimmer of hope. Aitchison found Alli, and the Irishman from a narrow angle smashed home the finish through the legs of Tyrer to make it 3-1, as he netted a tenth of the season.

Elkan Baggott saw a header cleared off the line from a corner, and then as City broke up the other end. Yogane burst into the penalty area and was clearly hauled down by a Blackpool defender. Somehow referee James Oldham decided it wasn’t a foul, much to the frustration of the Exeter players, as Niskanen and Magennis seemingly booked for the protests.

Aitchison volleyed wide as City tried to set up a grandstand finale. But ridiculously only four minutes of stoppage-time were added-on, as it finished 3-1 to the visitors.

“It wasn’t the ref’s action that put us 3-0 down so we have to accept responsibility for that,” Caldwell said. “If get the penalty, I think we get something from the game. It’s a huge incident, not a minor thing, that has to be looked at, and I am sure we will get an apology but need the standard to be better as four people in that moment get the decision wrong, not just the ref.

“It is not even nearly a penalty, it is a stonewall penalty. He’s looking right at it, and he has to get that decision right, and if he doesn’t, something needs to be done.”

Exeter City are back in action on Tuesday night when they host Leyton Orient. Caldwell added: “Bring it on. We need to start winning games, and I’m sure we can do that.”