Michael Appleton admits it was a step-up in ability for his players to contest with on Thursday evening, as his Blackpool side succumbed to a 4-0 defeat to Leeds United.
The Premier League side showed their class at times, scoring three in the first half, before Blackpool grew into it in the second 45 minutes, despite conceding a late fourth.
"It's one of them when you play the Premier League teams," he said.
"When you come up against a side like that who are up for it, it's always going to be tough. Apart from their international lads who were missing tonight, they played a really strong side and they were up for it and knocked it around really well. Of course, I'm not going to make excuses for our defending from set-pieces at times, as that was poor, and we still have to do better there.
"When you're up against strong opposition who you know are going to have a lot of the ball, you have to frustrate them during the game and make it difficult. This creates a bit of anxiety in their play and makes it difficult for them, but we didn't do that.
"Having said that, there were a few of the younger lads who didn't do themselves any harm and looked to be really competitive and that was good to see."
One of those players who impressed Appleton was young defender Jack Moore, who came on half an hour into the game to replace Brad Holmes.
"I thought Jack was excellent, as was Rob Apter," he said.
"They were two of the lads who impressed for me, they were competitive and showed a bit of composure at times. Yes, they got done with their athleticism and pace, but they're up against Premier League players. They'll learn a lot from tonight.
"There's a real honesty to this group and we need to come together between now and the Reading game. We need to sharpen up our instincts and the next three pre-season games over the next few weeks will be crucial to that process."