Paddy McCarthy believes last week’s heartbreaking Carling Cup semi-final defeat will stand Crystal Palace in good stead for a Championship play-off push.

The Eagles missed out on their first major cup final in 22 years when they lost on penalties to Cardiff City having held them to a 1-1 draw on aggregate after McCarthy was sent off for two yellow cards in the second half.

With the club already out of the FA Cup, it leaves them with just the league to contest this season and McCarthy believes they are well poised to make a strike for the top six.

“Every game has to be a cup final now and we must try to get three points from each,” said the Palace captain.

“If we can have a run of games with three or four wins on the bounce, that will see us up there or there abouts.

“It has been refreshing for everyone this season – the players are enjoying their football, the coaching staff have been second to none and everyone, including the supporters, are enjoying the journey we are on at the moment.

“But we are selfish people and we want more and more.

“We are working hard to be the best we can be and that means we want to get to the Premiership sooner rather than later and this club has enough about it to get there.”

McCarthy’s red card last week meant he was forced to watch the agony of penalties from the changing room, with only kit man Brian Rogers for company.

“It is quite a lonely feeling when you are sent off,” he said.

“One minute, you are playing in front of 30,000 people, then the whole world seems to stop and you are left sitting there alone wondering what might have been.

“I am bitterly disappointed with the sending off but I have been knocked down before and always come back stronger.

“The lads did everyone proud and showed exactly how far we have come over the past couple of years.

“As a team, we have enough character in the squad and around the club that we will bounce back.”