Terry McPhillips: League position can only spur my Blackpool high-flyers on

Nathan Delfouneso scores Blackpool's winner against Charlton

Blackpool 2-1 Charlton Athletic: Matt Scrafton's match verdict on crucial win in...

While Pool remain eighth, they are now level with the Addicks and just one point behind Doncaster Rovers, who occupy that final play-off spot.

Asked if he takes any notice of the league table, manager McPhillips said: “It’s the first thing you look at, isn’t it?

You know your score and then you go in and look. That’s human nature.

“So it’s a great win. We’re level on points with them now but they’ve got a better goal difference than us.

“The players are buzzing. They’re not daft – they know it’s a hell of a win.

“It’s got to motivate (the players). If it doesn’t, you shouldn’t be in it, should you?

“Are we capable of beating teams in this league? Yes, we are. Anyone that plays us is getting a hard game, like Charlton did.

“But all the games are so tight. They’re going to have their spell and when they did it was impressive – they knocked it round. But all in all I thought we thoroughly deserved to win.”

The game was played in torrential rain on a sodden pitch, which strangely seemed to add to the spectacle.

“That was part of the message before we went out – play to the conditions.

“I think we played a little longer, and we got the ball to the front men quickly and supported them. In the end it’s worked for us.

“I think they’d won the last four in the league and Lee Bowyer won manager of the month. You don’t do that unless you’re on a good run.

“They play the diamond and they do it very well. We were well aware of their diamond, which has caused us a few problems before, so we went with the 3-5-2.

“That opened the game up, which I thought it would, and I thought we were by far the better side first half.”

McPhillips revealed that striker Mark Cullen is likely to be out of action for at least six weeks after a scan showed the 26-year-old has suffered a stress fracture in his leg.

Jay Spearing, who missed his first league game of the season with a twisted ankle, is expected to be back for Saturday’s trip to Oxford United.

The man who took the captain’s armband in Spearing’s absence, Curtis Tilt, hobbled off with a hip injury during the second half but the full extent of his knock is not yet known.