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A second-half goal from Jamie O'Hara gave Championship bottom club Blackpool their second successive home victory as they beat fellow strugglers Brighton.

Midfielder O'Hara curled in a superb 75th-minute free-kick to score his first goal for the Tangerines.

Lee Clark's side are nine points from safety but with renewed hope of clawing their way out of the relegation zone.

Defeat ended Brighton's three-game winning run away from home and saw them slip to 21st in the Championship.

Millwall, in the final relegation place, are just two points adrift of the Seagulls after a surprise 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

The visitors started strongly at Bloomfield Road, going close in the eighth minute as Sam Baldock pounced after Tony McMahon allowed a long ball to slip through his legs, but Peter Clarke blocked his shot.

Brighton went close again when Gordon Greer met Danny Holla's free-kick, but his header was saved superbly by home keeper Ell Parish.

The deadlock was finally broken at the other end as former Tottenham and Wolves midfielder O'Hara curled home a left-footed free-kick from 35 yards.

Brighton threatened an equaliser 10 minutes from time but Clarke cleared Solly March's cross before Joe Bennett's return ball was headed wide by Leon Best from six yards.

Blackpool assistant manager Alan Thompson:

"We're not going to throw the towel in. We've only been beaten here by Bournemouth and Ipswich who are flying high so the home record is decent. But we need to try and get something on the road."

Thompson on the poor state of the pitch:

"The conditions make it difficult with the surface. We have a few players who like to play football, the manager likes to play football and you know we've played in teams over the years who like passing it. But it's difficult.

"Unfortunately it doesn't look attractive but we've got three points."

Brighton boss Chris Hughton:

"I think with the state of the pitch it was either going to be a real scrappy goal that won it or a wonderful strike.

"What we weren't able to do was impose ourselves on the game the way we would have liked. They play very direct. It's very difficult to play any other way on a pitch like this."