Mick McCarthy reflects on Blackpool's first Championship win since October

His side produced a 1-0 victory over Stoke City at Bloomfield Road, courtesy of Ian Poveda’s seventh-minute strike, to end their 14-game winless run in the Championship.

McCarthy states the Seasiders have finally got their reward for the amount of hard work they’ve been putting in since he arrived at the club.

He said: “I didn’t need any reminding about this being my first win, that’s for sure.

"I was a bit emotional at the end, it was my first win for a long time.

"The lads have been brilliant, and when I went in I said ‘it was never in doubt.’

"They’ve been brilliant, they’ve given me everything in every game.

"If you keep doing the hard work then you will get a break, and we had that today.

"We deserved it and earned it.

"I’m not bothered about when we score, as long as we keep a clean sheet.

“We couldn’t get this win at any other time, it’s the importance of today.

"It just gives us a chance.

"I keep saying to the lads if we get a win then we’ve got momentum to go forward.”

“The games are coming thick and fast, I think it’s eight games we’ve got in February.

"It’s been tough for the lads, but they’ve been brilliant, I can’t ask any more of them.

"If we keep working like that, with the endeavour they had and the togetherness then we’ve got a chance of staying up.

"Everybody is at it, and long may that continue.

"It’s about treating players like people.

"With have a bit of a routine where I shake people’s hands everyday and say ‘hello.’

"I just care for them, but then I whip them as well because we want to get the best out of them.

"You can see they are all willing to do it, and you just keep giving them the same messages, with discipline, standards and doing the right thing.

"All of those things seem old fashioned at times, but if you don’t have players doing that then the tail starts wagging the dog.”