GARY Bowyer bemoaned Blackburn Rovers’ lack of ‘killer instinct’ after they failed to beat relegation-doomed neighbours Blackpool at a frustrated Ewood Park yesterday.

Rovers looked a shadow of the side that put Stoke City to the sword in thrilling fashion one week earlier in the FA Cup.

But they still managed 24 attempts at a Blackpool goal that did not truly come under siege until late on in the 1-1 draw.

Only two, however, were on target, and only one, the recalled Jordan Rhodes’ 14th-minute opener, beat the largely untested Seasiders goalkeeper Joe Lewis.

But, after Grant Hall equalised three minutes before half-time, Lewis did save from Rhodes after Rudy Gestede twice saw headed efforts hit the bar.

And afterwards Rovers boss Bowyer, whose team host Norwich City on Tuesday, said: “We’ve had enough chances to have won two games.

“The number of chances we created were excellent, it was just the converting of them.

“The game is very simple sometimes and today’s assessment of that is exactly that – we weren't quite ruthless enough to convert the chances we created.

“We just needed that killer instinct in the final execution and unfortunately for us we did not have that.

“We’ve hit the bar twice, their goalkeeper has made a good save from Jordan Rhodes and then he had a great chance from a fabulous ball from Jay Spearing, and even at the death, Alex Baptiste has had a chance.

“We kept going and full credit to our lads for that. They’re sat there frustrated and disappointed, of course, but if you look at the chances we’ve created we have to take the positives from that and bounce back on Tuesday against Norwich.”

Hall’s first goal of his senior career was the fourth Rovers have conceded from a set-piece in their last five matches.

And Bowyer, who lost Corry Evans to a knock and his replacement Chris Taylor to a toe injury, said: “The frustration is the manner of the goal we’ve conceded.

“We didn’t win the first header or the second header, which is disappointing.”

Rovers are now 12 points off the play-offs after they had to settle for a share of the spoils with a Blackpool side who remain without a win away from home in any competition this season.

Seasiders boss Lee Clark, whose team are now 12 points adrift of safety, said: “Blackburn, this time last weekend, were beating a really good Premier League team here.

“In normal circumstances this would be a really good point but we’re not in a scenario of normality at the moment.

“We’ve just got to keep going. I know this game, I’ve been it in long enough, things can happen that are absolutely outrageous and from now until the end of the season we could go on a ridiculous run of wins that do it for us.

“While there’s the possibility of doing it we've got to hope we can.”