Blackpool 1-0 Wigan Athletic - Seasiders keep up slim Championship survival hopes
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Blackpool's Jerry Yates has now scored four goals in each of his past four appearances for the club
Blackpool kept their slim Championship survival hopes alive with victory over fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic in the battle of the bottom two.
Striker Jerry Yates made a triumphant return from a hamstring injury which kept him out of the Easter fixtures to score inside two minutes.
Defeat means Wigan could be relegated in midweek if they fail to win at Stoke and results elsewhere go against them.
Yates' 14th goal of the season was enough to hand interim Blackpool manager Stephen Dobbie victory in his first home game in charge.
The Seasiders coped easily with a toothless Latics attack to rack up only their third win in their past 25 league games, and take three points that leave them four points behind Cardiff, who lost at Sheffield United in the early kick-off.
Yates' absence was keenly felt as Blackpool suffered defeats by fellow strugglers Cardiff and promotion hopefuls Luton over the Easter weekend, but he quickly made his presence felt here.
Wigan contributed to their own undoing as Omar Rekik's careless pass caught Will Keane on his heels on halfway and Keshi Anderson nipped in to steal.
He charged forward and slid a neat pass down the right side to find Yates' run, and he tucked it away off the far post.
Both sides suffered potentially damaging injuries to centre backs as Wigan lost Jack Whatmough to what appeared to be a lower back problem, and Blackpool's James Husband was forced off with a head wound after being caught by the studs of teammate Curtis Nelson.
Wigan staged fightbacks at the end of each half and were denied big penalty shouts, with Nelson twice giving referee Thomas Bramall a decision to make.
At the end of the first half he parried the ball, flinging his arm up as he jumped to try to meet Callum Lang's cross, and in added time he was again fortunate as James McClean's header struck his forearm.
Moments earlier, McClean had missed a great chance for a late equaliser as he could only turn Max Power's deep cross into the side netting.
Blackpool interim manager Stephen Dobbie told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"It was a long afternoon, especially when they put nine [minutes added time] up at the end. But the crowd got us through it, they energised the players which we needed. It was fantastic.
"All week we've been on about this being a must-win game, when you're down there. It doesn't matter how it looks as long as you get the three points and other results go for you, so we gave ourselves a little fighting chance for Tuesday night [v West Brom].
"I'm proud of the players as there's been a bit of unrest with Michael [Appleton], then Mick [McCarthy] and myself coming in and it's a short space of time to get your ideas into the guys, but they fought to the end and I'm just buzzing.
[On the goal] "We've been working on that this week as we know Wigan like to pass the ball across the back and when the time was right to jump in and win it Keshi did that. Great ball through and Jez does what he does.
"Obviously it was the third minute, so 96 minutes to go, but we got the three points.
[On James Husband injury] "It's a nasty cut, very nasty and he's away at the hospital already, so we'll know more later.
Wigan Athletic boss Shaun Maloney told BBC Radio Manchester:
"Today's game probably epitomises everything that's wrong with the club at the moment. We under-scored that.
"At times we got into really dangerous areas but if you look at the data, and also with your eyes, we are the worst attacking team in the league.
"It's a really clear point that I knew from day one. I knew we had to improve defensively to have any chance, and we have, but in reality we are lacking a lot in an attacking sense.
"Once you are in the dangerous area you need certain profiles. You need speed, one-v-one ability, otherwise it becomes what it was.
"Blackpool have players like that. They had one chance and scored.
"I can only apologise to the fans that came."