Mick McCarthy on 10-man Blackpool's draw against Huddersfield Town, Gary Madine's red and Charlie Goode

Josh Bowler struck a last-minute equaliser to salvage a point for the Seasiders in their huge encounter against their relegation rivals.

Despite losing Gary Madine to a straight red in first-half stoppage-time, McCarthy’s men showed bags of character to get something from the game to give them a lifeline in their fight against relegation.

Here’s what McCarthy said after the game:

Thoughts on the result

“The lads have had to work exceptionally hard.

“I thought the first-half was pretty even, there wasn’t anything in it but we gave away an awful goal which has been a bit of a narrative throughout the season.

“We had our chances and at half-time I told them we’ll go 4-2-3 and we won’t just sit back and let them dictate things.

“The lads were brilliant. They pressed, they forced them into mistakes and I think we deservedly got a point out of it.

“It was a real stab in the heart when they went 2-1 up after doing what we did, but they still showed great resolve and determination to get back again.

“We showed that energy, willingness to work and aggression and if we keep doing that then we’ve got a chance.”

Was this game must-not lose?

“It’s not, is it? Because there’s so many games left. But if you don’t get something out of the game when you’re against your nearest and not so dearest, then quite clearly you have to get something out of it.

“We haven’t gained any ground on them but we’ve not lost any.”

Fans

“What we have got is fans who believe in the team, they were awesome.

“They couldn’t have done any more and I don’t think the team could have done any more either because there’s one or two very tired players in there.

“They both deserved each other tonight. The players deserved that backing and the fans got a performance back.”

Gary Madine red card

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen it.

“I just had to think about how I rearranged the team and I thought it was the right thing to take Sonny Carey off, who had actually done alright.

“I had to apologise to him at half-time, but sometimes it’s that way. When someone gets sent off you end up having to take somebody else off. It’s just the way it is.

“There’s not much we can do about it now, we’re going to be missing him so we need somebody else to step up.

“If I had come out with a 4-4-1 and tried to soak it up, I don’t think the crowd would have been too appreciative of that. I wouldn’t have been because it’s never been my way.

“I thought it was the right thing to do and thankfully it’s turned out our way.”

Charlie Goode’s injury

“It’s Charlie not-so-Goode, isn’t it?

“It’s unfortunate because he’s been different class around the place, in the building, around the training ground and on the pitch.

“Let’s hope it’s not too serious.”