Town boss Mick McCarthy felt his side deserved to beat Blackpool even if they made rather heavy weather of doing so, but says he's happy to take any sort of victory at this stage of the season.

“We deserved to win and, do you know what, at this moment in time, does it really matter how you get the three points?” he said.

“We’d all love to be sweeping everybody aside, we’ve not done that all season. We’ve made it hard at times.

“We watched the Brentford game and I said with 20 minutes to go that would end 1-1, that they had enough chances to win three games and it’ll end up 1-1, and guess what, it did.

“That was a bit like us, we had enough chances to win two games and it ended up two-all, but we had Christophe on the spot. It doesn’t matter how you get it, it’s just a matter of winning.”

He added: “I knew Blackpool would be a tough nut to crack, I think they’ve got some good players and they suddenly start doing things differently, leaving two up from corners and they can take chances, they’ve got nothing really to lose. All they’ve got is to knock us off our perch, and they came very close.”

McCarthy is pleased to see his side move back into the top six, albeit on goal difference ahead of Brentford and his former club Wolves.

“It’s nice that it’s in our hands, we’ve 71 points, the best total we’ve had since I’ve been here and yet we’re nowhere near being in the top six and in the play-offs because who knows what total that’s going to end up at,” he continued.

“We’ve seen Wolves have lost today and Brentford and Derby drew. It’s all there for us, it’s going to set it up for a big game at Wolverhampton in a week’s time.”

The Town boss says the right Championship promotion race should by now be no surprise to anyone: “I think my mantra has been, and someone said it was a much overused word, that it’s bonkers but I think it fairly sums the league up.

“It really does. All fans will be looking at their teams today and ‘They’ll win’. All our fans think Derby, Brentford and Wolves are all going to win every game and can see all the reasons why we won’t win them.

“Wolves fans, and I know because they’ve been there, are doing exactly the same. And Derby fans.

“That tells you how tough the league is when Derby are fifth with the season they looked like they were going to have, they looked like they were going to run away with it at one stage.”

The Town boss was delighted to see Freddie Sears take his total for the Blues to seven and his tally overall to 21.

“I don’t include Colchester goals in the tally as it’s a slightly different league, but he will,” McCarthy said.

“Whatever he’s scored, 21, is it? It’s a great haul for him, it’s fabulous, but he’s a good player. His first goal was fabulous and, of course, it was needed to get us back into the game.”

The Blues manager says he withdrew Tyrone Mings as he was feeling the pace after two games out suspended.

“He had just got cramp in his legs,” McCarthy added. “He was very good today. At the start I thought he looked like he needed the game, looked like he’d been out for a couple of weeks, which was the case, of course, but he was rampaging forward and he did really well then, he got back on his game.”

He says Jonny Williams will benefit from his spell on the field after his lengthy absence: “I know everybody wants him to be on the pitch, we know what damage he can do but he’s only had these two appearances since he was carried off against Watford in November. That’s a helluva time to be not playing.”

Luke Varney limped off in the first half with what McCarthy confirmed was a tight hamstring and the on-loan Blackburn man is a doubt for Tuesday’s home game with Cardiff.

Blackpool manager Lee Clark was disappointed that his side’s defending allowed a promising position to slip late in the match.

“It was a tough game, I’m a big admirer of Mick and his teams and I think he’s got a group of lads who work extremely hard, create tempo to the game and for us to come here and be 10 minutes or so from getting a draw [is an achievement],” he said.

“Usually if you come here and score two goals you get something from the game. It's a tough one for us, our achilles’ heel has been some of the goals we’ve conceded and we’re disappointed with the goals we’ve conceded today, but I think the players have put in a good effort for us.”

Photo: Action Images

irishtim added 18:36 - Apr 11 Mick. I am one of your biggest fans. Backed you big time i Saipan. Can you do me one favour? Put a right back at right back. Regards. Irishtim.
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Moisha added 18:43 - Apr 11 See... Even Mick says goals scored in League 1 don't count!!!! 😉
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delias_cheesy_flaps added 18:51 - Apr 11 That was hard work..... Fingers crossed Cardiff might be less so🙏🏻
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bluefeast added 19:07 - Apr 11 I like Mick , but watching brentford play today like a perm team ,yes they drew ,but boy was their performance class at this stage of the season ,bournmouth ,watford norwich middlesborough all performing well , along with brentford too. Us and Derby look a little shocked ,people perform when not placed under pressure , So Mick take the pressure off the players ,play a balanced team and let them enjoy themselves.

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TimmyH added 19:10 - Apr 11 'Does it really matter how you get the three points'? - sort of wraps Mick's footballing philosophy up in a nutshell...not just at the present time but in general. 3 points yes agreed! - but wouldn't it be great to see a few commanding performances (as per Brentford away to Derby, although very unlucky not to win) before the seasons out?
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AYACCA added 19:13 - Apr 11 i shaved my beard off after the game, it was getting long.
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rinkydinkpanther added 19:18 - Apr 11 I presume 'Happy to Take Any Sort of Win' will be the name of McCarthy's autobiography.
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constable added 19:20 - Apr 11 Wood was about to come on prior to the berra goal.Said to my brother this will not go down well. So as we scored wood sat down Par came on. thank you christophe
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Walk_the_Wark added 19:35 - Apr 11 Rinydink- I totally agree!
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TractorBeezer added 19:36 - Apr 11 Listened on Player and have read many comments. It sounds as though the defence was not properly organised for their first goal..it's .basic stuff and to think that during the first part of the season our back line was a real strength. Similarly all of this hoofball. We can play better as demonstrated in the first half of the season. Don't get me wrong. I am delighted with the three points today but we need to take much more control of individual games which in turn will enable us to take more control of our destiny. And well done Freddie!

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battyblue added 19:44 - Apr 11 Lets have parr back in the starting team instead of Anderson if you will not change the center half playing at right back please.
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muccletonjoe added 19:50 - Apr 11 Mm is right, remaining games for Brentford derby and wolves will be as edgy as ours. Safe to say now that next week's game at molineux will be the seasons decider
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jert16 added 19:57 - Apr 11 In Mick we trust! if i was offered 71 points after 42 games i would have snapped their hand off! We need to put things into perspective and get right behind our manager and team! COYB
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essex57 added 20:00 - Apr 11 Congratulations to MM and the team not pretty but another 3pts i would rather be in our shoes than Brentfords let the minus arrows fly
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billlm added 20:03 - Apr 11 Tough nut no, we were crap murph n sears good back 5 rubbish disgrace but 3 points to the bigger picture, enough said
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alex2kj added 20:07 - Apr 11 I can't believe there a people saying they wish we had put in a 'performance' like Brentford did today. We got 3 points, they got 1. We're in the playoff spots now, they're not.
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topguy added 20:48 - Apr 11 Well the reason is when we play a game were we win and move into the playoffs with all be it a hard earned 3 pts they have nothing to moan at so they want to pick at the performance as that's all they have then it would be harping bk to huddesfield if that was there some fans just need to moan, but we got 3 pts are in the playoffs and the season is still in our hands trust me id rather be a town fan tonight than wolves Brentford or derby

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nadytractor added 20:53 - Apr 11 I just feel that we become too complacent in regards to teams that lower than us in the table. I went to the Bournemouth match and we were a solid unit and quite frankly unlucky to draw that match, however looking at the Huddersfield goals and being at the match today we seem so much more relaxed at the back and are unable to defend against teams that are lower than us in the table! I just think we need to remember if we were a bit more clinical today we would have been 3 or 4 up by the time they equalised. There are positives from this game.

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ChestnutSe added 21:01 - Apr 11 Well done Mick, Christophe, Freddie and the lads. Great entertainment, my poor old heart.
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Mick_Thrills added 21:10 - Apr 11 Are people really on here moaning? We won and we're back in the top 6!! We battered them and could have scored 5 or 6 today. It's not McCarthy's fault we didn't convert the chances to kill the game earlier.
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Pip50 added 21:33 - Apr 11 Hate McCarthy management hate our style of football hate some of our very ordinary players but we are in top 6 and 4 to go its in our own hands and the lottery of play offs beckons. No one will remember our football next year if we are Prem. but fail and we need to move on!
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shedboy added 22:18 - Apr 11 Freddie gets the headlines today and rightly so but for me Skuse there he is would be literally running him a close second for MOTM. He would be one of the first on my team sheet. I would love him to score as this would get the biggest cheer of the season on this issue If lack of goals is levelled at him then I think people don't appreciate what he brings to the team
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carsey added 00:14 - Apr 12 yes 3 points yes back in the top 6 but come people as a team we were awful and lucky that Berra popped up when he did McCarthy is an ok manager at Championship level and got us out of a hole 2 years ago but he is not the future whether in the top tier or 2nd division. What we are watching is not football by todays standards and it won't attract the youngsters to come and support the team/club when us older fans are gone

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HARRY10 added 01:05 - Apr 12 "...put in a 'performance' like Brentford did today. We got 3 points, they got 1" Because we were at home to a team already relegated by a mile. Brentford were away to a fellow play off contender. We looked like we were not even good enough to beat that failing team, our win was rather fortunate. Brentford outplayed a playoff contender, and were unfortunate to only draw. Luck can only last so long, and certainly not over seven games, assuming we are hoping to go up.

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karls_dad added 09:50 - Apr 12 Sorry our performance is to unpredictable every game, nil consistancny, play offs, hmm i doubt it, yes i,m negative, that would scare me to death if we were to get promoted, can you just imagine our back line facing Chelsea, no we are not anywhere near ready for promotion and will not be until ME spends some money, I guess i,m a realist!
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