After such a good season on the road, Saturday’s mauling at the hands of promotion-chasing Blackpool was a major shock.

Blackpool are a decent side but the 4-0 drubbing hurt a lot, especially given the Lancashire rivalry.

And it could have been so different.

We put in a decent first half performance and had a couple of chances to get ahead.

But, it was Ian Holloway’s side who went in at the break 1-0 to the good and after half time it went from bad to worse.

A header a couple of minutes into the second half killed the game and then we conspired to gift the Seasiders two further goals to complete a very sorry afternoon.

The inconsistency that has killed our season surfaced again and it is hard to understand a second half performance like that after such a solid display at Leicester City in midweek.

We do need to make some changes in the summer and after witnessing that second half performance, I am sure Eddie Howe will know exactly what is required.

Lee Grant has come in for more criticism after Saturday and that is one area where Howe has a decision to make.

Brian Jensen will probably leave on a free transfer and with doubts over Grant still evident, Howe needs to decide whether to stick with him or fetch someone else in.

Personally, I think Grant is a decent stopper but he is a player who thrives on confidence and with the negativity which exists around him from Burnley fans, he is always going to struggle to win them over.

Defensively we look OK – which may sound strange on the back of a 4-0 defeat – but we have very little cover.

Having to play Ross Wallace at left back laid bare our lack of cover so that is another area which needs looking at.

Up front, should Jay Rodriguez leave in the summer as expected, also lacks depth.

Danny Ings and Charlie Austin look a good partnership while we will have Martin Paterson back from injury by August.

But all three players have had a bad time with injuries over the last couple of years so we cannot leave anything to chance.

We do not know how much Howe has to spend but if previous summers are anything to go by, it will not be much.

That shouldn’t faze the gaffer who has worked under tough conditions before and will, hopefully, look to youth.

We finish our season at home to Bristol City on Saturday and for me it should be used as a chance to throw a few of our youth teamers in from the start.

City are safe for another season – after defeats for Portsmouth and Coventry City condemned them to League One football next term – so there is nothing to play for for either side.

The young lads have had a little taste of life in the first team and after the season they have had in the youth league and for the reserves, they deserve a chance to play in the Championship.

It has been a tough season but ultimately I think we can look back on it as a success, given the upheaval of last summer.

We need to show the lads next weekend that we are behind them and hope that we can get a positive result to take into the summer.