In 1969, Hatton joined Les Shannon's Blackpool for £40,000. He made his debut for the club on 6 September 1969, in a 3–2 victory over Swindon Town at Bloomfield Road. He went on to play in all of the remaining 35 league games of the 1969–70 campaign, at the end of which Blackpool were promoted to Division One as runners-up.
