Ex-Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers full-back Andy Lyons grabbed his first goal in English football on Tuesday night, and it was a crucial goal for Blackpool.
Blackpool took on Huddersfield in a relegation six-pointer in the Championship, with Huddersfield sitting in 22nd and Blackpool one point behind in 23rd.
Lyons started the crucial dogfight on the bench for Blackpool, but did not have to wait long to make his way onto the pitch. He replaced the injured Charlie Goode after just 27 minutes, and would go on to play a pivotal role in clinching a point for the Tangerines.
Andy Lyons scores cracking goal for Blackpool
Andy Lyons found game time hard to come by in his first few months at Blackpool, but has slowly started to work his way into the team in recent weeks.
He got a massive chance to prove himself on Tuesday night, when Charlie Goode's hamstring injury forced manager Mick McCarthy to introduce Lyons with less than half an hour played.
McCarthy - who was appointed manager shortly after Lyons' debut for the club in January - saw his side spend much of the game 1-0 down, but his decision to bring on Lyons was to turn out well when the Irish full-back hammered home a brilliant equaliser with just under ten minutes to go.
[Andy Lyons' goal comes at 1:15 in the below video]
Lyons was the most alert in the box and finished with aplomb to bring Blackpool back on level terms, before a dramatic final ten minutes saw both sides score again, in an ultimate 2-2 draw.
Speaking to Blackpool's official club website after the match, Andy Lyons was thrilled to have gotten off the mark for his new club. The 2022 PFAI Young Player of the Year said he had enjoyed the goal, even if he had some regrets about his indecisive celebration:
I just saw the ball bouncing and I just hit it and the North Stand enjoyed it, I certainly enjoyed it. I'm not so sure about the celebration but we'll take it!
We were on the front foot then and we've got ourselves back into the game originally and then we went and showed that spirit and that character to get back into the game and thankfully we got a point in the end.
Lyons also praised the character of his Blackpool teammates, who fought for a crucial point despite playing much of the game both a goal and a man down, after Gary Madine's first half red card added to their woes.
The ex-Bohs and Hoops man said that Blackpool had emerged from a "battle" and that he felt the team had earned a "good point":
It was certainly a battle, I think it showed with the intensity of it when we went down to ten men. It felt like a bit of a scrap starting off in the game, then Charlie got injured and they scored a scrappy goal from a set piece but then we get back into the game.
The fans seemed like they enjoyed it, it was certainly intense. It was obviously nervy at times but it was a good point in the end, especially considering we went down to ten men in the first half.
Lyons and Mick McCarthy will not have time to rest, as Blackpool now turn their attention to two more games in the next week. They host Rotherham on Saturday afternoon, before travelling to south Wales to face Swansea on Wednesday evening.
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