Mick McCarthy's firm message to Blackpool star Josh Bowler after being played out of position against Southampton

The winger was played out of position on Saturday in McCarthy’s first game in charge, as Pool suffered a 2-1 defeat to Southampton in the the FA Cup.

The Seasiders lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Bowler involved in a midfield three.

The Nottingham Forest loanee, who returned to Bloomfield Road at the start of the month, looked a little low on confidence in the early stages as he got to grips with his new role, which involved a lot of tracking back and defensive work.

But he knuckled down in the second-half and began to have more of an impact on the game, helping kick off the move that resulted in Charlie Patino’s goal back.

Addressing his decision to play Bowler out of position, McCarthy said: “He likes to play on the right and cut in on his left foot and he’s apparently brilliant at it.

“But I told him if we’re not playing 4-3-3 and you can’t cut in off the right, then you’re going to have to find somewhere else to play, aren’t you?

“If we play three midfield players, he’s got so much ability…it’s that midfield mentality, you run forward and you track back, you defend and you do all that.

“I said to him ‘don’t let me leave you out of the team because you won’t do the other side of the game’ and for most part I thought he showed he can.

“He was involved in the goal so I was really pleased with that.”