Kaspars Gorkss headed the winner at Bloomfield Road as Blackpool grabbed a vital three points off an unusually poor Scunthorpe side.

It was a fully deserved victory and the Seasiders were unlucky not to win by a bigger margin.

Scunthorpe were disappointing and it was a match which was dominated by the home side, with the 1-0 scoreline flattering them slightly.

The first half onslaught began after just nine minutes as Keigan Parker stayed just onside to find himself one-on-one with the keeper. It was a chance which the Scotsman would have dispatched with ease last season but his current goal drought seemed to be playing on his mind and he tried to place it, only for the ball to be scrambled clear.

A minute later Parker pulled the ball back for Andy Morrell who could only hit it over the bar. By this point the home fans were crossing their fingers and hoping it wasn't going to be yet another day of rued missed chances.

Then, on 24 minutes hopes were raised and dashed again. Parker went on a great run and whipped a ball into the box which the Scunthorpe defence failed to deal with. In the ensuing scramble Claus Jorgensen manged to find the back of the net and began running off in celebration, only to be met with the linesman who was holding his flag aloft and shaking his head.

After a word between the ref and his assistant, the man in black gave a free kick and gestured handball, much to the annoyance of Jorgensen.

In fairness it looked like the right decision, but it certainly gave the impression that it was going to be one of those days.

Blackpool soldiered on and enjoyed most of the possession for the remainder of the half, without really having any clear cut chances to show for it. Only a chance for Parker had the crowd on their feet but it was saved adeptly by the keeper who got both hands behind it to knock it over.

No doubt the Scunthorpe players got a hammering at half time, while Simon Grayson simply had to demand more of the same from his team.

Whatever the managers said, it made for a good second half. Scunthorpe came out looking a little better and the game was more of an even contest.

It was Jorgensen again who had the first chance of the second half, his long range effort well saved just a couple of minutes after the restart.

Ten minutes later Johnathan Forte hit just wide for the visitors, before Shaun Barker was carded.

The stand-in skipper did well in the absence of Michael Jackson, but in the 59th minute he dragged down Forte, who looked to be away. Thankfully the player was just about going away from goal and the card was merely yellow.

After that Blackpool had another good spell and finally reaped the benefits on 73 minutes. A corner kick found the head of Gorkss after it was poorly dealt with by the Irons defence, and Blackpool were in the lead.

It set up a nervy final twenty minutes, but the tangerines held on well and claimed a fully deserved three points.

The team as a whole played well once again, and Tony McMahon, on loan from Middlesborough for a month, fitted in well. Stephen Crainey even made a cameo towards the end and although he didn't have time to get into the game, it was good to see him back from injury.

Scunthorpe's undoing was the fact that they didn't start playing until they had gone a goal down, but that won't bother Grayson who can breathe easy for a couple of weeks as his team sit outside the bottom three once again.

Blackpool had to win this game because no-one wants to face two weeks off whilst in the relegation places.

With Jackson set to return, as well as Ian Evatt and Ben Burgess approaching fitness again, it promises to be an interesting game at Southampton in a fortnight.