Ian Holloway kept his players locked in the dressing-room for 45 minutes after goals from Nicky Maynard and Danny Haynes condemned Blackpool to defeat against Bristol City this evening.

Bristol-born Holloway has always struggled for friends at Ashton Gate due to his Bristol Rovers past - he played for and managed the Robins' bitter rivals - and this was a miserable night for the Seasiders boss.

Holloway finally emerged from the dressing to say: "I don't rant, but I've given my lads plenty to think about on the coach journey home.

"I didn't like what I saw out there tonight. There were players whinging at one another and showing a lack of respect, which I won't tolerate.

"We didn't close down City's back players quickly enough, and allowed them to do as they liked for 40 minutes.

"When we started to play our proper game in the second half, we penned them back and created a fair bit of pressure.

"But if we'd stayed out there all night, I don't think we would have scored, and I'm far from happy with the overall performance."

Maynard broke the deadlock on 28 minutes with a spectacular overhead kick from 12 yards after controlling the ball with his back to goal.

And it was the £2.25million striker who set up City's clincher on 57 minutes with a clever back-heel into the path of substitute Haynes, who drilled home a left-footed shot from the edge of the box.

City face a trip to Newcastle United on Saturday, and manager Gary Johnson was delighted with the boost ahead of that game.

"It was a really important match for us tonight," he said.

"We knew if we won it, we would go to Newcastle hot on the heels of the top six, and if we lost, we might have been looking over our shoulders.

"Nicky has produced two great touches to score a goal and make one, but overall I felt we were the more positive team and the more likely to score.

"It's a huge game for us on Saturday, and one the players can now look forward to. We had one or two playing tonight not fully fit, and all credit to them for getting through the 90 minutes.

"Blackpool are a very decent side, and we had to play well to win."

Maynard's double contribution came after he had missed a gilt-edged on 20 minutes, shooting wide of an unguarded net after strike partner Alvaro Saborio had set up the opportunity.

Blackpool came into their own just before the break when Ben Burgess had a header tipped over, and David Vaughan and Keith Southern shot inches wide.

City goalkeeper Adriano Basso had to make a fine late save from Jason Euell, but Blackpool's finishing never matched their energetic approach play.