Blackpool edged out Cardiff City 1-0 at Bloomfield Road this evening to claim their first victory of the Championship season.
Francois Zoko's strike shortly after the hour mark proved the difference on the night as the Bluebirds' recent resurgence came to a halt in Lancashire.
The visitors piled the pressure on in the final 20 minutes, but Blackpool stood strong to pick up the three points which lifts them off the bottom of the table.
Read how the game unfolded with Sports Mole's live coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of the Championship meeting between Blackpool and Cardiff City from Bloomfield Road.
The Tangerines are still winless in the league so far this season, looking up at the rest of the division in their current position of 24th place. Visitors Cardiff have steadied the ship of late, meanwhile, picking up five points from their last three games to close in on a playoff spot.
Kickoff is less than 30 minutes away, so let's take a look at how these two sides line up this evening...
TEAM NEWS!
BLACKPOOL STARTING XI: Parish, McMahon, Rentmeister, Daniels, J.Oriol, Perkins, Lundstram, E.Oriol, Zoko, Delfouneso, Miller
CARDIFF CITY STARTING XI: Marshall, Fabio, S. Morrison, Manga, Brayford, Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Ralls, R. Morrison, Pilkington, Jones
So the big news as far as Blackpool are concerned is that Joe Lewis misses out due to terms in his contract making him unavailable to play against his parent club. Eliot Parish deputises in his place, and he will be looking to impress against his former side this evening.
Jeffrey Rentmeister is fit to start, meanwhile, and he is joined in the Blackpool starting lineup by the returning John Lundstram and Francois Zoko. Ishmael Miller and Nathan Delfouneso lead the line for the home side, with the former of the attacking duo looking to add to his first goal for the club which he bagged in the midweek draw at Middlesbrough.
As far as Cardiff are concerned, Ravel Morrison comes in for his first start since joining on loan from West Ham United at the back end of last month, meaning that Craig Noone misses out once more. On the other side Anthony Pilkington retains his place in a City side that also includes academy graduate Joe Ralls.
BENCH WATCH!
BLACKPOOL SUBS: Milton, Dielna, Cywka, Mellis, Mendy, Zenjov, Ranger
CARDIFF CITY SUBS: Moore, James, Adeyemi, Noone, Le Fondre, Maynard, Macheda
Stand-in managers Danny Gabbidon and Scott Young have opted not to include Spanish striker Javi Guerra among the matchday squad, with Nicky Maynard, Federico Macheda and Adam Le Fondre providing the attacking backups. Nile Ranger is among the Blackpool subs having missed out against Middlesbrough earlier this week.
The backdrop for tonight's Friday night meeting beside the seaside...
It goes without saying just how important each and every game is in this league, although for Blackpool a win really is imperative. Ten games into the season now, and the Seasiders are still without a single victory. It is now all bleak for Jose Riga's men, though, and certain results last month gave supporters just a glimmer of hope, with draws picked up against Middlesbrough, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Draws will only get you so far, however, and if Blackpool are to avoid dropping down to the third tier, then they must start picking up three points sooner rather than later. The gap is already opening up at the bottom, and six points now separate Riga's charges and Wigan Athletic in 21st place.
Pre-season promotion favourites Cardiff are the visitors to Bloomfield Road tonight, and they have just about recovered following a poor start to the campaign. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struggled during his tenure in South Wales, unable to turn the tide with relegation from the Premier League clearly causing a hangover effect which could not be shaken off.
Solskjaer was eventually shown the door 15 days ago, although as of yet the Bluebirds still do not officially have a new man in charge. Russell Slade, who resigned from his role at Leyton Orient last month, emerged as the shock favourite, and he is expected to be unveiled as the new boss this weekend.
For now City legend Scott Young and player-coach Danny Gabbidon have taken charge, and despite a disappointing exit in the League Cup last week, the duo can be pleased with their work having taken five points from three tricky looking fixtures. A win tonight will lift the Welsh outfit into the top half of the table, with a playoff spot within touching distance.
A big evening lies ahead for debutant Elliot Parish against his former club...
Well the teams are out onto the pitch at Bloomfield Road as we prepare for another weekend of Championship action to get underway. Cardiff have lost just one of their last seven games on the road, and have not suffered at this ground since 2002. Can they maintain that run with a win this evening? Let's find out...
KICKOFF! Here we go then, as Blackpool get us underway against a Cardiff side kitted out in their all-blue strip.
Both sides weighing each other up in these early stages. It will be interesting to see if Cardiff's player test Parish in the opening minutes of this match with this the former Bluebird's first ever game at this level.
Blackpool looking to work the ball out wide, and if not for an over-hit ball we could have had the first real chance of the night. A couple of strong challenges in the opening to this game as both sides make their intentions known.
Jones looked to be in there after picking up the ball on the edge of the box, but Rentmeister read the danger well to cut out the chance.
Cardiff have been out-battled in midfield in most of their games so far this season, despite their array of options in that position, but they will be looking to win in that department this evening.
Tony McMahon managed to cuts inside on his left foot, but his curled effort, which looked to be a cross rather than a shot, bent wide of the target. At the other end Pilkington looked to pull the ball back for Jones who was arriving, yet the ball was cut out.
CHANCE! A first chance for dead ball specialist Peter Whittingham to get a set-piece into the box, and Sean Morrison managed to get his head to the ball, which flew narrowly wide of the goal. Parish looked beaten there.
BLACKPOOL SUBSTITUTE! I mentioned a crunching tackle from John Brayford on Joan Oriol earlier in the game, and the Tangerines man is unable to continue having failed to shake it off. Joel Dielna is the man to replace him.
SAVE! Delfouneso plays in Miller out wide, and the striker gets the better of big-money signing Bruno Manga as he drives inside, forcing David Marshall into making a save at full stretch.
CHANCE! Another opportunity for Miller who is this time in a more central position, and despite rising highest to head a ball into the box, he fails to keep it down with his attempt flying over. Moments earlier a long ball was controlled by Jones inside the area, but his angled strike was never likely to test Parish.
SHOT! Perkins has a strike at goal from the edge of the box, but he didn't get the right connection on it with the ball ended well wide of goal.
As expected the 19th minute has sparked a protest from home supporters who are unhappy with chairman Karl Oyston. The away supporters let out a roar of "We'll always be blue", meanwhile.
Twenty-two minutes into this game and the possession is currently 50-50. End-to-end thus far, although no real clear-cut chances, with Miller's header from close range the game's best opening up until this point.
Fabio managed to swing a great cross into the box with Jones looking a threat as always, but the striker couldn't quite connect with the ball as the chance went begging.
Moments after that dangerous cross from Fabio, Brayford is at it on the other side, although he also fails to pick out a teammate with his cutback. Cardiff just upping the pressure in the last few minutes.
Jones is called into action at the other end of the field now, helping out his team defensively to clear a free kick into the box. The Tangerines given the opportunity to build some momentum, but the resulting corner comes to nothing.
SHOT! A first glance at what Ravel Morrison is all about. He turns on the edge of the box, but after pulling the ball back to Aron Gunnarsson the midfielder blasted well over.
CHANCE! Big opportunity for Blackpool to open the deadlock as Delfouneso brings the ball down in the area, although before he can get a shot away Fabio tracks back to cut out the ball. Oriol tests Marshall with the follow up but the better opportunity past the hosts by. Delfouneso wanted a penalty for the challenge on him, and he has a shout to be fair; Fabio doesn't look to have got any contact on the ball.
Nervy moment at the back for Blackpool as Whittingham's set-piece danger strikes again. Rentmeister and Parish seemed to get a little mixed up leaving a City player with the simplest of goals if they had gambled on a mistake being made, although as it is nothing came of the potential opening.
It is easy to see why Cardiff lose so rarely on the road, as they like to keep things tight. Jones is pretty much playing in midfield at the moment with Morrison the furthest man forward.
CHANCE! Panick in the Cardiff defence this time as a mix-up at the back almost allows Oriol to bundle home from close range, yet Manga manages to get a foot on the ball to clear it away. That all came about after some powerful running from Miller down the right. He looks in the mood to add to his goalscoring account tonight.
CLOSE! Whittingham with a free kick from about 30 yards out which just lacks enough dip to test Parish. Blackpool can't afford to give away too many set-pieces around their own area.
Three quarters of the ground thought Miller had given Blackpool the lead after he helped on Perkins's long-range drive towards goal, but it ended inches wide of the target. As it is the linesman had already signalled for offside.
SHOT! Jones tries his luck with a weak shot from distance as the game enters two minutes of additional time. Parish was never likely to be troubled with that one.
HALF TIME: BLACKPOOL 0-0 CARDIFF CITY
Goalless at the interval then following a relatively evenly-matched first 45 minutes. Blackpool had the better of the chances, you have to say, with Miller in particular looking a real threat when on the ball.
Cardiff's most likely route to a goal at the moment seems to be through a Whittingham set piece, and Sean Morrison perhaps should have done better with his first-half header which was the Bluebirds' best chance of the game so far.
MATCH STATS! In terms of possession the teams are almost perfectly matched, with Blackpool just about edging it with 51% of the ball. The hosts have had six attempts to Cardiff's one in the first half, although the only shot on target came from a visiting player.
That solo on-target effort came from Jones in the closing stages of the half, and it was an effort that barely broke Parish's stride. More is needed from both teams in terms of chances being created, although Blackpool will be the happier of the two.
Blackpool did have a strong penalty appeal turned down as well don't forget, which could have changed the complexion of this one completely at the break. As it is, though, it is all-square heading into the second 45 and very much all to play for.
DID YOU KNOW? Blackpool have lost four of their five home games. The only game in which they avoided defeat was a goalless draw against Wolves in the Championship on 13 September.
BENCH WATCH!
BLACKPOOL SUBS: Milton, Cywka, Mellis, Mendy, Zenjov, Ranger
CARDIFF CITY SUBS: Moore, James, Adeyemi, Noone, Le Fondre, Maynard, Macheda
Jose Riga's side have already been forced into one change this evening, of course, with Dielna replacing the injured Joan Oriol. Cardiff still have a full set to chose from, and with Maynard, Le Fondre and Maynard on the bench, they will still feel confident at this stage that they can take all three points back to South Wales.
SECOND HALF! Cardiff get the second half underway at Bloomfield Road. Will we see a goal in these next 45 minutes?
The hosts coming out the stronger of the two at the start of the second half, Oriol's run into the box causing a few problems which City just about manage to deal with.
Morrison needs to make more of an impact in this half...
I made the point earlier regarding Kenwyne Jones dropping deep to help with the build-up play, but he's now closer to his defence than up front! Morrison needs to make more runs in behind, although that's not happening at the moment.
Slow start to the half in truth. Events off the field creating more attention now as we reach the 53rd minute; 1953 marking the year Blackpool won FA Cup final, hence the protests in the 19th minute and now eight minutes into the second half. Let's just hope that it doesn't distract the home players.
A first corner of the night for Cardiff is cleared easily enough by Miller at the front post. Meanwhile, a small minority of supporters are continuing to leave the stadium as part of the protest against chairman Karl Oyston.
CHANCE! Fantastic link-up play by former Manchester United players Morrison and Fabio. The duo exchanged passes on the edge of the box, and the former managed to lay the ball off to his teammate in a decent position inside the box, although Fabio failed to find the target.
CARDIFF SUBSTITUTE! That has to go down as the Bluebirds' best chance so far this evening, and Fabio should really have done better. City look as though they are going to up the tempo a little now with Jones being replaced by another ex-Red Devil in Federico Macheda
Macheda instantly involved as a sliced Blackpool clearance allows Gunnarsson to pick out his teammate on the edge of the box, but the substitute sees his shot blocked.
GOAL! BLACKPOOL 1-0 CARDIFF CITY (ZOKO)
What a time for Zoko to net his first goal for the Tangerines! The forward was allowed to run at Cardiff's defence, and Morrison simply didn't get a challenge in, allowing Zoko to fire low and hard past Marshall from a slight angle to give Blackpool the breakthrough.
That was the home side's first effort on goal this evening, and as solid as the strike was, the defending was poor from the Welsh side. You can't allow a player to run at you inside the box like that. Blackpool are heading towards their first victory of the season as things stand.
CHANCE! Ralls delivers a delightful ball into the box, but there's no Cardiff player around to tap it home. Seconds later the youngster provided another inch-perfect delivery, this time down low, but Macheda was just edged to the ball by Daniels whose touch took the ball out of the striker's path.
CARDIFF CITY SUBSTITUTE! Ravel Morrison and Joe Ralls depart with Craig Noone and Adam Le Fondre coming on as Young and Gabbidon use their final two changes. We now know what to expect in the final 20 minutes or so...
CHANCES! Yet again a Whittingham delivery into the box causes real panic. There was a scramble at the back post, but a home player managed to clear the ball away. Moments later Gunnarsson was picked out inside the box, but Perkins put in a strong block to deny the Iceland captain.
YELLOW CARD! Dielna has done very well since coming on, although it has been pretty much all Cardiff since that opening goal. Blackpool do manage to earn a temporary reprieve, though, with Fabio earning the game's first booking for bringing down Zoko.
CLOSE! For all of Cardiff's possession, Lundstram almost doubles his sides lead. Gunnarsson was needed to block the effort which was heading towards goal.
Noone has yet to get into the game since coming on a short while ago. He offers Cardiff some real directness which is something they have lacked at times. Meanwhile, Macheda charges into the box only to see his cut-back cleared away. He wanted a penalty following Perkins's pull down, but the referee is having none of it.
SAVE! Bryaford forces Parish into a save down low at his near post. The effort lacked any real conviction, however, and Cardiff need to do more than that. This is a goalkeeper playing at this level for the first time, remember, yet he has had next to nothing to do all evening.
Eight minutes remaining for Cardiff to find a way through and deny Blackpool. They are seeing a lot of the ball unsurprisingly, yet struggling to create any real openings.
BLACKPOOL SUBSTITUTE! Goalscorer Zoko limps off the field, with Nile Ranger the man to replace him. The striker has a point to make after being left out of the squad in midweek.
Whittingham continues to get brilliant deliveries into the box, but Blackpool's players are putting their bodies on the line now. No way through for the Bluebirds at the moment!
YELLOW CARD! Tony McMahon becomes the first Blackpool player to enter the referee's book.
CHANCE! Pilkington sees his free kick blocked by Blackpool's wall, and the hosts hit their opponents on the break with Miller leading the charge. The striker used his strength to burst into the box before composing himself and picking out Delfouneso for what looked to be a tap-in at the back post, but Marshall is quick out to produce a fine stop.
CHANCE! What a chance for Le Fondre to level it at the death! A cross into the box was not dealt with, and the ball fell perfectly for the striker in the centre of the box but he completely skied his effort over the bar
BLACKPOOL SUBSTITUTE! Jacob Mellis is introduced for the final three minutes or so in place of Oriol, who has put in a good shift this evening.
Blackpool supporters can sense the victory now as we enter the final couple of minutes. Can Cardiff muster one more big chance?
YELLOW CARD! Ranger is shown a yellow for holding onto the ball in a ploy to eat up time.
Cardiff work the ball out wide, but the cross into the box is cleared away. It comes back in once more but a grateful Parish holds onto it. Surely that is the end of Cardiff's hopes?
FULL TIME: BLACKPOOL 1-0 CARDIFF CITY!
The referee blows his whistle to signal the end of the game, meaning a first win of the season for Blackpool. The Championship's bottom side have edged out one of the favourites for promotion courtesy of Zoko's strike shortly after the hour.
Cardiff failed to test debutant Elliot Parish as much as they should have, and in the end the Seasiders were good value for their win, even if they had to ride some late pressure.
Well that's all from me for this evening, but stick around on Sports Mole as we bring you all the latest reaction from Bloomfield Road.
