Fulham are 45 minutes away from going nine points clear of the drop zone in the Championship after taking in a 1-0 lead at half time against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.

The relegated Seasiders went close inside four minutes when Henry Cameron's effort cannoned back off the post.

Cameron then forced Marcus Bettinelli into a save moments later after bursting through on goal.

However, the home side were caught cold when Matt Smith struck his 17th goal of the season as he nodded in Sean Kavanagh's cross from the left.

Smith was causing the Blackpool defence a whole host of problems, and the striker controlled Ross McCormack's cross before lashing the ball off target before heading Kavanagh's corner.

A mix-up at the back almost let Andrea Orlandi in for Blackpool, but Dan Burn did well to get back and clear the danger before the half-hour mark.