Blackpool 1-3 Hull City: Struggling Tigers claim first away win of the season
- Published
- comments
Ryan Longman's first goal of the season put Hull in front
Greg Docherty's superb strike inspired struggling Hull to their first Championship away win of the season at Blackpool.
Dimitrios Pelkas' corner took a touch off Ryan Longman and crept in to give Hull the lead before Kenny Dougall levelled with a neat back-post finish.
Docherty rifled the Tigers back in front with a stunning 25-yard shot which found the top corner on the stroke of half-time.
Regan Slater's powerful strike also found the top corner, albeit via a big deflection, to seal a first win for Hull over the Tangerines since 2004.
A second win for interim manager Andy Dawson in his five-match tenure lifts the Tigers to 19th, three points above the relegation places, while Blackpool drop below them to 21st after a seventh defeat of the campaign.
Aside from an early Gary Madine header which narrowly cleared the bar, neither side looked capable of carving out a chance until Longman's scruffy opener brought the game to life.
Within five minutes Blackpool were level and took control after Dougall's leveller, despite missing suspended trio Marvin Ekpiteta, Dominic Thompson and Shayne Lavery, following their red cards at Sheffield United.
Yet Hull, who had failed to score in six of their seven previous games, restored their advantage deep into first-half stoppage time through Docherty's thunderbolt from the blue.
City had lost seven of their previous eight matches, but their lead never came under threat in a subdued second half, and Slater's first goal in 12 months cemented a first win in 12 meetings with Blackpool.
Blackpool manager Michael Appleton:
"It's a shame, but I thought the game on Saturday took a lot out of the players, certainly from an energy point of view.
"A lot of things went against us, and fair play to Hull, I thought they showed a lot of character.
"The killer blow was the second Hull goal. They got it just before half-time, and that seemed to knock the stuffing out of some of our lads. I feel sorry for some of them - I just wanted a result from somewhere tonight, but it's not happened."
Hull interim manager Andy Dawson told BBC Radio Humberside:
"Today was a real team effort, individually, collectively as a group, supporting each other, both when we had the ball and when we didn't have the ball, and when you get that right it goes to show what rewards you can get.
"I think it's important for them (players). I thought we played really well today, but we've played really well in previous games for periods of them, but unfortunately playing well in periods, if you don't do the dirty stuff, you can get beat. Today was a complete performance.
"We have got good players, but we have to work extremely hard for every second of a 90-minute game and when we do that, with the quality we've got, we will win games."