THERE ARE few worse places than Blackpool in January.

The tourist trade is non-existent, the deserted promenade looking perpetually like the morning after the summer before, while the howling wind does nothing for the spirit.

And the 2,126 Middlesbrough fans who made the New Year trip across to the Fylde coast were given little reason to make a return trip as they saw their team battered at the seaside.

Defeat at Bloomfield Road was Boro’s first in six games, as Tony Mowbray’s patchedup side endured a horrific second half which will do little for confidence, goal difference or more importantly their promotion bid.

Goals after the interval from Matt Phillips, Lomano Lua Lua and an own goal from Seb Hines ensured Boro got 2012 off to the worst possible start.

Richie Smallwood was handed his first league start of the season as Nicky Bailey missed out through injury, while Boro will fret about the condition of Kevin Thomson, who did not feature at Bloomfield Road with yet another injury in what has been a nightmare spell at Middlesbrough.

Defeat– or more importantly the manner of defeat – will give Mowbray and the Boro board the greatest indication yet that their squad lacks the strength in depth required for a promotion bid.

In conditions more akin to a links golf course than a football ground, Boro and Blackpool traded numerous chances in an intriguing first half.

The Tangerines waited just six minutes before registering their first chance when former Newcastle United striker Lua Lua collected a long ball, took it past defender Matthew Bates and angled a shot over the bar.

Then Thomas Ince, son of former Boro midfielder Paul, saw a shot saved well by Steele after Lua Lua had made the best of a slip by Bates stepping out of defence.

On 17 minutes, Ince, more of a tricky winger than the midfield playmaker of his father, broke through Boro’s defence and guided a shot past the post.

Boro took 20 minutes to create a chance when Scott McDonald received Justin Hoyte’s through-ball, although his first touch was poor and was shepherded out for a corner, from which Rhys Williams saw his volley saved by Blackpool goalkeeper Mark Howard.

Faris Haroun’s pass found McDonald on 29 minutes but the Australian dragged his shot across the goal, before Blackpool began to take the lions’ share of possession before the interval.

First Ince put Joe Bennett under pressure and rifled a shot over the bar on 30 minutes, then LuaLua’s shot took a wicked deflection and dropped just wide of Jason Steele’s near post.

Two minutes before halftime, Phillips had a shot wellsaved by Steele as Barry Robson cleared, while Williams had to be on his toes to clear off the line from Lua Lua’s effort on the stroke of halftime.

The second half started in much the same way as the first ended, with both sides having a chance to take the lead within two minutes of the restart.

First, Lua Lua saw his shot blocked by Bates after ghosting into the box – a goal which would have been harsh on Boro considering that Robson was fouled in the build-up.

Then the Scotland international saw his shot from the right-hand side hit the post as Boro counter-attacked.

Boro survived claims for a handball against McMahon, but their luck ran out on 50 minutes when Phillips struck a decisive shot from 20 yards past Steele. Bates claimed foul in the build-up, but referee Scott Mathieson was unmoved.

And seven minutes later, the Tangerines made it two when Steele saved Baptiste’s fizzing effort after the rightback robbed Bennett, only for it to fall to the feet of Lua Lua to slot home despite the best efforts of Bates.

The extent of Boro’s thin reserves strength was no more prescient when Adam Reach came on as a secondhalf substitute, two weeks after completing a loan spell at Blue Square Bet Premier side Darlington.

The visitors did have the ball in the net when McDonald stabbed in, but the Australian was offside, then Blackpool scored their third on 70 minutes when Hines, on as a substitute, diverted Phillips’ shot into the net.

Bennett went close with a curling effort two minutes from time, but Boro were unable to find a way back into the game.