Blackpool kept their play-off hopes alive with a 3-2 win over fellow promotion chasers Barnsley.

Sonny Carey gave Blackpool the lead on 12 minutes with a curling shot from 25 yards out that found the corner.

A James Husband header from Karamoko Dembele’s pinpoint free-kick put Blackpool 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time, while Hayden Coulson smashed one into the roof of the net just after the restart.

John McAtee pulled one back for Barnsley to give them a glimmer of hope midway through the second half, steering into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Adam Phillips then set up a nervy finish in added time when he fired into the corner, but Neil Critchley’s side held on.

The Seasiders need to win their final game of the season away to Reading, and hope that both Lincoln and Oxford drop points in order to secure a place in the top six, while fifth-place Barnsley know a win will be enough.

Neil Critchley stressed his Blackpool side need to be perfect to sneak into the play-off spots after a 1-0 victory at relegated Carlisle.

Karamoko Dembele scored the only goal of the game after just 22 seconds to keep Blackpool in the hunt for an unlikely play-off spot.

The Seasiders are three points off the top-six pace, having played a game more than incumbents Oxford.

And boss Critchley said: “I thought we were good first half. We got off to a great start, it was a fantastic goal. It was a brilliant break and well taken.

“We were saying we had to score again and we had the opportunities to score again.

“We had a few moments in the second half. It was the same pattern as the last few games and the longer it’s 1-0 you are susceptible to conceding.

“It was a tough game due to the conditions. At this stage we’ll take a 1-0 win.

“We thought we could hurt them in transition moments and we did that. Shayne (Lavery) had a lovely touch and Kade’s broke forward into space. It was a great start and settled us down.

“Sometimes scoring so early can give you a false sense of security in the game.

“We were in control, but our decision making and quality let us down. We have to improve that side of our game.”

Carlisle are already relegated, but fought hard to try and salvage a point.

And boss Paul Simpson said: “It was a horrific start to the game, conceding after 22 seconds, a goal like that.

“It was a tough, tough first half. The conditions were really tricky.

“Credit to the players, they stuck at it and hung in there in the first half when we were struggling against the wind.

“We just tried to contain it with the way they were playing. We had a real good go second half.

“There was some fantastic defending on the line from their lad to deny Luke Armstrong on the line.

“Apart from that we haven’t created a lot. It’s a frustrating game. Another game where we have conceded and lost by a single goal.

“I’m really disappointed. We had a lot that went against us with injuries and knocks in the game.

“There’s lot of disappointment, but we have to give credit to the players at how they stuck at it despite the quality not being there.”

Blackpool kept up the pace in the League One play-off race with a slender 1-0 victory over relegated Carlisle.

Karamoko Dembele scored one of the quickest goals this season as he bagged the only goal of the game inside the first minute at Brunton Park.

It was a third win in a row for Neil Critchley’s chasers, who are three points off the pace having played a game more than incumbents Oxford.

The midfielder needed just 22 seconds to fire the visitors in front as he took Shayne Lavery’s ball into his stride before curling home.

Harry Lewis produced a good save to keep out Lavery and stop Blackpool going two ahead inside 10 minutes.

Luke Armstrong saw his header cleared off the line on the hour mark for the hosts.

Down the other end, Lewis produced a good stop to deny Sonny Carey.

Paul Simpson’s side slipped to a third defeat in four as they look towards life back in League Two.

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley was delighted to have kept a clean sheet after his side secured their third League One win in four matches with a 2-0 victory at Shrewsbury.

The hosts’ best chance of the game came just before the 20-minute mark when Tom Bloxham’s first-time cross found Dan Udoh in the box but his diving header was kept out by goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw.

The Tangerines broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute when Hayden Coulson cut the ball across goal for Karamoko Dembele, who fired in at the back post.

Blackpool doubled their advantage with just six minutes remaining when Dembele’s cross found the unmarked Coulson in the box and he headed home.

Critchley said: “I felt we played with more belief in who we want to be, passed the ball better, controlled the game from the back better, built the play and that allowed us to build confidence in the game and get control of the game.

“We have won the game with two moments of quality and we have limited the home team to little and it was nice to keep a clean sheet.

“Even though we were comfortable and they didn’t look like scoring, we know it just takes one moment and they are dangerous at set pieces so it was nice to get the second goal and both goals came at a good time for us.

“He (Dembele) is a brilliant footballer I love watching him play as the supporters do. He is exciting, he does something different and is something different in this league.

“He is really courageous, he takes the ball in any area of the pitch, he backs himself.”

Shrewsbury head coach Paul Hurst had mixed emotions.

He said: “We were beaten by a better team with very good players but there wasn’t much in the game.

“I feel the goal knocks us, it looks like it takes belief out of some of the players which I am not accepting of.

“I have said the fans here are great, they keep behind the players. I said it when I was here last time, it is kind of a nice place to play for a home player.

“I’m sure there will be an odd comment which you are bound to get but they don’t get on your back so that shouldn’t knock confidence.

“I don’t feel we committed to everything in the game and that maybe is summed up with Dan’s (Udoh) chance – which I know was offside – which he heads and the keeper tips it over.

“They can’t have a ball in the box from a corner and their player swing and misses it and it bounces and they still get the next touch to the ball, that is impossible.”

Goals from Karamoko Dembele and Hayden Coulson secured Blackpool a 2-0 victory at Shrewsbury to keep their League One play-off hopes alive.

Just before the 20-minute mark, Tom Bloxham sent a first-time cross into the box for Shrewsbury, which found Dan Udoh but his diving header was kept out by Dan Grimshaw.

Blackpool was awarded a free-kick in the 40th minute, which reached George Byers on the edge of the box. His headed effort looped over the Shrewsbury backline but it found the hands of Harry Burgoyne.

Three minutes later, the Tangerines opened the scoring after Coulson received a pass in the box and cut the ball across goal for Dembele, who fired past Burgoyne at the back post.

Shrewsbury went close just before the hour mark when Udoh sent a low cross into Jordan Shipley, who fired over from just inside the box.

Blackpool doubled their advantage in the 84th minute when Dembele’s cross found an unmarked Coulson in the box and he headed home.

Leyton Orient kept their Sky Bet League One play-off hopes alive as Ollie O’Neill scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Blackpool.

Both teams battled hard in the opening half in a vain attempt to gain supremacy without managing to break down resilient defences.

The visitors almost nosed ahead after 11 minutes when Karamoko Dembele raided down the right side and delivered a cross into the box that just eluded Jake Beesley.

At the opposite end, Orient striker Shaq Forde raced clear but instead of shooting for goal, he opted to overhit a pass which gave the Tangerines chance to retreat.

The second half was just seven minutes old when O’Neill opened the scoring. Collecting a pass from Ruel Sotiriou he drilled a left-footed shot into the far corner to record his third goal since joining from Fulham in January.

Blackpool’s woes continued when, shortly afterwards, substitute Andrew Lyons pulled up whilst chasing the ball and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

The visitors failed to manage a shot on target in the second period as Orient’s defence, superbly marshalled by Brandon Cooper, comfortably protected their lead.

Peterborough’s promotion push faltered yet further as Karamoko Dembele’s stoppage-time winner consigned them to a fourth consecutive defeat at home to Blackpool.

Dembele, the younger brother of former Posh hero Siriki, fired in just three minutes from time to give Blackpool a 2-1 win, just their fourth away from home this season.

The hosts had led at the break thanks to Hector Kyprianou’s clever near-post header from Harrison Burrows’ corner that took goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw by surprise.

The hosts were in control until the 56th minute, when keeper Jed Steer conceded a penalty having rushed from his line to attempt a punch but fouled Kyle Joseph in the process.

Shayne Lavery stepped up and smashed his effort into the corner as Steer correctly dived to his right.

The Tangerines were in control from that moment on and claimed the three points in the 91st minute when Dembele saw a powerful effort from just outside the box deflected by Posh defender Romoney Crichlow to wrong-foot Steer.

Blackpool were too good for National League high-fliers Bromley as they secured a 2-0 FA Cup first round victory at Hayes Lane.

Neil Critchley’s Seasiders made sure of their place in the draw thanks to clinical first-half strikes from Shane Lavery and Karamoko Dembele.

Bromley made the worst possible start when they conceded after just five minutes as Lavery charged on to Kylian Kouassi’s measured through-ball before burying a super shot high into the roof of the net.

The hosts created their first clear opening in the 18th minute but Corey Whitely could not quite divert his side-footed effort on target.

That was a rare foray forward, however, and it was no surprise to see Blackpool double their lead shortly before the half-hour mark.

The impressive Dembele, on loan from French outfit Brest, tucked a shot past Grant Smith from a tight angle following a tidy one-two with Kouassi.

Bromley had the first chance after the interval, with Ayodeji Elerewe fizzing in a low strike which veteran Blackpool goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell dived full length to beat away.

The Seasiders responded almost immediately and Owen Dale turned smartly inside a defender before forcing Smith into an eye-catching near-post save.

Time was running out for Bromley and Michael Cheek’s near open goal miss in the 89th minute capped what proved to be a miserable evening.