Substitute Steve Brooker pilfers the points for Bristol City with a dramatic 90th-minute goal.

Promotion hopefulls Bristol City got off to the perfect start after stunning the Seasiders 1-0 with a last-gasp winner at Bloomfield Road. Steve Brooker replaced Dele Adebola in the 80th minute and stole all three points for the visitors when his fierce left-foot shot beat keeper Paul Rachubka from 12 yards out. His injury-time winner gave Gary Johnson's side an ideal start to the new campaign after the game looked destined to end in a goalless draw. Claus Jorgensen and Keith Southern both wasted chances for new-look Blackpool and City talisman Ben Burgess squandered a pair of good opportunities, first seeing his well-struck effort sailing over the crossbar and then heading over from 12 yards. City handed a debut to striker Nicky Maynard following his £2.25m move from Crewe, and Seasiders boss Simon Grayson named four debutants in his starting line-up in Rob Edwards, Adam Hammill, Mo Camara and Jermaine Wright.

Toothless

But Blackpool failed to find a way through against last season's beaten Coca-Cola Championship play-off finalists and were largely toothless in attack. The hosts went close when Claus Jorgensen hit a dipping left-foot volley from 20 yards that sailed narrowly wide, but Maynard served notice of his threat when he tested Blackpool goalkeeper Rachubka. Midfielder Keith Southern then sought to find the breakthrough for Blackpool when he drilled in a left-footed shot from 20 yards and City goalkeeper Adriano Basso saved comfortably. In the 27th minute, the pendulum swung back towards the visitors when McIndoe volleyed right-footed and Edwards produced another fine block. Maynard then went close on the stroke of half-time with a right-footed shot from 20 yards that Rachubka saved well. City were forced to make a goalkeeping chance at the break, replacing the injured Basso with Chris Weale. But it was Blackpool stopper Rachubka who was called on first when the second half got under way, tipping over a vicious free-kick from McIndoe. The lively McIndoe then blasted the ball over the crossbar in the 48th minute but Blackpool gradually hit back as the game wore on. On-loan Liverpool winger Hammill hit a right-foot shot that Louis Carey did well to block, but with time running out, Brooker stunned the home side with a shot from 12 yards that flew into the back of the net.