Blackpool 0-2 Cardiff City: Seasiders fall to defeat on their first home league game of the Championship season

Second-half goals from Leandro Bacuna and substitute Kieffer Moore sent the three points to South Wales.

While there was no shortage of effort or endeavour from Neil Critchley’s men, they were deservedly beaten by a Mick McCarthy side that has their eyes set on promotion to the Premier League this coming campaign.

The Seasiders were under the cosh for the whole of the first-half and were fortunate to remain level heading into the break.

While the men in tangerine improved in the second 45 minutes, they were powerless to stop Bacuna heading the Bluebirds in front from a long throw, something Pool struggled to deal with all afternoon.

Pool threw men forward in the dying stages looking for a late equaliser - and they had their chances too - but Moore came off the bench to head home Cardiff’s second and decisive goal.

Blackpool - hosting Championship football for the first time in six yars - know they must improve and they have another chance to do exactly that on Tuesday when they host Coventry City.

After making wholesale changes in midweek during the convincing Carabao Cup win against Middlesbrough, Neil Critchley reverted back to the side that started the league campaign at Bristol City last weekend - with one change.

Kenny Dougall was the man to come into the side in place of Reece James, who dropped down to the bench.

It comes after the Aussie made a successful return from injury in midweek, getting 45 vital minutes under his belt.

Elsewhere, Josh Bowler and Shayne Lavery were surprisingly left out and named among the substitutes despite their eye-catching displays in the cup.

Instead, CJ Hamilton and Tyreece John-Jules kept their place in the starting XI, the latter playing alongside Jerry Yates in attack.

Daniel Gretarsson is now back from his shoulder injury, but the defender was still left out as he builds up his fitness.

Matty Virtue (ACL), Kevin Stewart (ankle), Demetri Mitchell (knee) and Gary Madine (groin) remain sidelined, while Teddy Howe, Oliver Sarkic, Bez Lubala and Joe Nuttall continue to be overlooked.

As for the visitors, Mick McCarthy opted to make just one change to the Cardiff side that drew 1-1 against Barnsley last weekend.

Bloomfield Road, packed to the rafters for the first time in years, was absolutely rocking before kick-off.

Despite the spine-tingling atmosphere in Pool’s first home league encounter of the season, the game got off to a fairly muted start, with both sides feeling each other out.

The away side were the first to threaten, Aden Flint heading weakly at Chris Maxwell from Sean Morrison’s long throw.

The Bluebirds looked odds-on to score three minutes later when Ryan Giles broke clear on goal.

But Maxwell stood tall to make a superb save down to his left, which earned a huge roar from the North Stand behind him.

The Seasiders continued to live dangerously early on as Cardiff continued to pose a huge threat from balls into the Pool box.

The hosts failed to deal their lines with one particular delivery, the bouncing ball falling kindly for Flint whose acrobatic volley hit the crossbar.

The Seasiders slowly but surely grew into the game, Luke Garbutt having a 30-yard free-kick blocked by the wall after the North Stand had chanted “there’s only one Charlie Adam”, referencing that famous Wembley moment in 2010.