Substitute Dom Telford marked his Blackpool home debut in style by equalising late on to earn the Tangerines a 1-1 draw against Rotherham United at Bloomfield Road. Blackpool, who are bottom of the Sky Bet Championship, had looked like they would fall to their 14th defeat of the season after Middlesbrough loanee Emmanuel Ledesma opened the scoring in the 57th minute.
But Lee Clark's side, who had been outclassed in the first 45 minutes and were grateful for a first-half penalty save from Joe Lewis, hit back when Telford nudged home from close range in the 84th minute. The visitors started the brighter, with Ledesma seeing his low free-kick pushed around the post by Blackpool goalkeeper Lewis in the second minute.
The home side's No 1 then had to be alert to smother at the feet of Jonson Clarke-Harris just minutes later, before denying Tom Lawrence with another diving save. Lawrence was proving to be a real threat, with the former Manchester United forward creating another opening on 13 minutes when he played in Lee Frecklington, but Lewis palmed the Rotherham man's curling shot wide. Just four minutes later, Lewis was again the Blackpool hero, getting down low to his left to save Lawrence's penalty after the Leicester loanee was adjudged to have been tripped in the box by Blackpool captain Tony McMahon.
In a rare attack, Blackpool almost capitalised immediately on the counter, but Jacob Murphy's shot went straight at goalkeeper Adam Collin. Fightback Rotherham threatened again on 38 minutes, with Jordan Bowery stealing the ball in midfield, but the former Aston Villa frontman saw his shot come back off the post, before Richard Smallwood followed up with another good effort that Lewis parried.
Blackpool came out after the break much improved and had the ball in the net on 54 minutes, but Nathan Delfouneso was adjudged to be offside following Andrea Orlandi's shot. Orlandi then looked to have made the breakthrough just a minute later after waltzing his way past three defenders into the box, but his shot ricocheted back off the right post. It proved a decisive moment, as Ledesma picked up his first goal for the Millers shortly afterwards, twisting and turning on the edge of the Blackpool box before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
The hosts pushed forward in search of an equaliser and although Clarke-Harris curled a shot over the bar at the other end, the hosts continued to push men forward and a long ball forward by Lewis caused mayhem in the Rotherham defence, leaving Telford to prod home on the angle. Neither side could find the winner, with Blackpool now having won just once in 13 games and the Millers just once in 12 games.