Blackpool drew 1-1 with Wigan Athletic at Bloomfield Road.

Ian Evatt states it was ‘vital’ for Blackpool to come away with something this weekend following their 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic.

An early opener from a Olly Casey header was cancelled out by an Owen Moxon strike at the end of the first half as the points were shared on the Fylde Coast.

The result leaves the picture pretty similar for both sides at the bottom end of the third tier, with further games against clubs around the relegation zone still to come for the Seasiders this month.

“It was a hard game to build momentum in,” Evatt said.

“It was such a derby game, and an intense atmosphere. Both teams are at the wrong end of this league, and they shouldn’t be with the size of the clubs and the fan bases we’ve got. It felt nervous in the terraces and it felt nervous on the pitch - it was that type of game.

“We got off to a great start, and we managed them well generally. I don't think they created loads, but the one time we were a little bit too eager and dived into a couple of challenges, we conceded a chance and we conceded a goal.

“We reacted okay after that. We got to half time and reset, and there wasn’t a great deal in the second half.

“There weren't a great deal of chances in the game. We knew they were on an upward curve with the new manager bounce - I had it at the end of October. They’re energised, and you can see that.

“We started the game great, scoring from a set play was fantastic, and we looked like a threat from set plays. We changed things up in wanting to be a little more pragmatic, especially from dead balls.

“When a team is struggling with confidence, we’re not the side we want to be in possession. We’re not the side we were in December at the moment, but that’s only natural when we’ve just been beat 4-0 by Lincoln - even if we felt it was a little unjust.

“When it’s so competitive, going into my head, you’re thinking about the attacking changes you can make, but when the game is so tight, it’s hard to impact it, because if you end up losing it, it carries a lot of regrets - which would be more detrimental to us at the moment than a point is.

“It’s not how I want us to be - I want us to take risks and get attackers on the pitch. With the position we’re in, it was vital today that we didn’t lose the game. It’s a point gained.”

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