Neil Critchley hailed a brave Blackpool performance as the Seasiders beat promotion rivals Barnsley 3-2 to boost their League One play-off chances.

Goals from Sonny Carey, James Husband and Hayden Coulson put the hosts 3-0 up but John McAtee pulled one back for Barnsley, before Adam Phillips’ late strike set up a nervy finish.

Blackpool need to win their final game of the season away to Reading, and hope that both Lincoln and Oxford drop points in order to secure a place in the top six.

Blackpool are bang in form and have now won their last four games, with Critchley proud of their battling display.

“We don’t do things easy, but I thought we were outstanding up until they scored their first goal. Even when they scored their first goal, we had chances to make it 4-1,” he said.

“We looked a really good team. Our mentality was excellent, we played with confidence and took the game to the opposition. I’m not sure how it ended 3-2, but we won and we take it down to a very exciting and interesting last day.

“It was on par with our best of the season the first hour. We played with a calmness in possession and with an intensity without the ball. We were dangerous.

“I didn’t enjoy the end to the game, but I’m grateful we got the three points.

“We had to win this game, so we took the handbrake off and went for it. The only blot on the copybook today was the goals we conceded.”

Carey gave Blackpool the lead on 12 minutes with a curling shot from 25 yards out that found the corner, while Husband headed in Karamoko Dembele’s pinpoint free-kick before Coulson smashed one into the roof of the net just after the restart.

McAtee pulled one back for Barnsley to give them a glimmer of hope midway through the second half, steering into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Phillips then set up a nervy finish in added time when he fired into the corner, but Critchley’s side held on.

Barnsley know a win on the final day will secure them a play-off place but manager Neil Collins knows they can not relax.

“I think we just got overwhelmed at the start of the game and we created our own problems right from the start – poor clearances, poor in tackles, poor defending,” he said.

“We came out second half, and again we made poor decisions and went 3-0 down. It would have been very easy for the players to feel sorry for themselves, and were it not for some of the officiating we should be standing here with a point.

“Performance wise, it wasn’t up to standard. But the spirit the players showed was really good, and again we were on the wrong side of a couple of decisions.”

Blackpool kept their play-off hopes alive with a 3-2 win over fellow promotion chasers Barnsley.

Sonny Carey gave Blackpool the lead on 12 minutes with a curling shot from 25 yards out that found the corner.

A James Husband header from Karamoko Dembele’s pinpoint free-kick put Blackpool 2-0 up on the stroke of half-time, while Hayden Coulson smashed one into the roof of the net just after the restart.

John McAtee pulled one back for Barnsley to give them a glimmer of hope midway through the second half, steering into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Adam Phillips then set up a nervy finish in added time when he fired into the corner, but Neil Critchley’s side held on.

The Seasiders need to win their final game of the season away to Reading, and hope that both Lincoln and Oxford drop points in order to secure a place in the top six, while fifth-place Barnsley know a win will be enough.

Jordan Rhodes was sent off for the first time in his 17-year professional career as battling 10-man Blackpool clung on for a precious point in a goalless home draw with Portsmouth.

The Huddersfield loan star was controversially dismissed two minutes before the break by referee Edward Duckworth for leading with his left arm in an aerial challenge with defender Joe Rafferty.

The decision looked incredibly harsh on the Seasiders’ 15-goal leading scorer but, to their credit, the hosts dug deep for a hard-fought draw at Bloomfield Road and extend their impressive home unbeaten league run to eight games.

Midfielder Hayden Coulson rifled wide for the home side early on, while Rhodes shot wide from a tight angle.

Rhodes was dismissed just before half-time and the visitors came within a whisker of going ahead when midfielder Abu Kamara’s fierce strike struck a post.

Blackpool goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw thwarted Jack Sparkes with a fine save shortly after the hour mark, before saving from midfielder Owen Moxon in the 80th minute.

Grimshaw denied substitute Kusini Yengi in the dying stages as the hosts showed real character to ensure they maintained their long unbeaten run at home in the league.

Blackpool boss Neil Critchley was delighted to have kept a clean sheet after his side secured their third League One win in four matches with a 2-0 victory at Shrewsbury.

The hosts’ best chance of the game came just before the 20-minute mark when Tom Bloxham’s first-time cross found Dan Udoh in the box but his diving header was kept out by goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw.

The Tangerines broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute when Hayden Coulson cut the ball across goal for Karamoko Dembele, who fired in at the back post.

Blackpool doubled their advantage with just six minutes remaining when Dembele’s cross found the unmarked Coulson in the box and he headed home.

Critchley said: “I felt we played with more belief in who we want to be, passed the ball better, controlled the game from the back better, built the play and that allowed us to build confidence in the game and get control of the game.

“We have won the game with two moments of quality and we have limited the home team to little and it was nice to keep a clean sheet.

“Even though we were comfortable and they didn’t look like scoring, we know it just takes one moment and they are dangerous at set pieces so it was nice to get the second goal and both goals came at a good time for us.

“He (Dembele) is a brilliant footballer I love watching him play as the supporters do. He is exciting, he does something different and is something different in this league.

“He is really courageous, he takes the ball in any area of the pitch, he backs himself.”

Shrewsbury head coach Paul Hurst had mixed emotions.

He said: “We were beaten by a better team with very good players but there wasn’t much in the game.

“I feel the goal knocks us, it looks like it takes belief out of some of the players which I am not accepting of.

“I have said the fans here are great, they keep behind the players. I said it when I was here last time, it is kind of a nice place to play for a home player.

“I’m sure there will be an odd comment which you are bound to get but they don’t get on your back so that shouldn’t knock confidence.

“I don’t feel we committed to everything in the game and that maybe is summed up with Dan’s (Udoh) chance – which I know was offside – which he heads and the keeper tips it over.

“They can’t have a ball in the box from a corner and their player swing and misses it and it bounces and they still get the next touch to the ball, that is impossible.”

Goals from Karamoko Dembele and Hayden Coulson secured Blackpool a 2-0 victory at Shrewsbury to keep their League One play-off hopes alive.

Just before the 20-minute mark, Tom Bloxham sent a first-time cross into the box for Shrewsbury, which found Dan Udoh but his diving header was kept out by Dan Grimshaw.

Blackpool was awarded a free-kick in the 40th minute, which reached George Byers on the edge of the box. His headed effort looped over the Shrewsbury backline but it found the hands of Harry Burgoyne.

Three minutes later, the Tangerines opened the scoring after Coulson received a pass in the box and cut the ball across goal for Dembele, who fired past Burgoyne at the back post.

Shrewsbury went close just before the hour mark when Udoh sent a low cross into Jordan Shipley, who fired over from just inside the box.

Blackpool doubled their advantage in the 84th minute when Dembele’s cross found an unmarked Coulson in the box and he headed home.