ATLANTIC CITY — After suffering a season-opening loss last weekend, the Atlantic City Blackjacks aimed for their first win in franchise history in their home opener Saturday.

And it turned out to be a great debut for the new fans.

The Blackjacks had a strong second-half performance en route to a 42-35 victory over the Columbus Destroyers at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in front of an announced attendance of 6,139 fans.

Both Atlantic City and Columbus are the newest expansion teams in the Arena Football League. The Blackjacks improved to 1-1, while the Destroyers fell to 0-2.

“I think our players were very much pumped for the game,” Atlantic City coach Ron James said. “Just because the history of the building. We talked about it, (but) they didn’t realize just how historic the building was (at first), so it was great to see them react that way.

“We stumbled out of the gate. ... I felt that Columbus came here to play, and they certainly gave us everything they had. Despite making some stellar plays, we were able to rebound and do the things we needed to do to get a victory.”