Boss Mick McCarthy wasn’t dwelling on Tuesday’s 5-0 defeat at Crystal Palace as he prepared for Saturday’s game against Burnley, his first home match as manager of the Blues. Despite the size of the loss, the former Wolves and Sunderland boss was able to take some positives from the trip to Selhurst Park.

McCarthy said: “Yes, we got beat, but I’m not dwelling on that. We went to Birmingham and won and if someone had said to me that I’d be sat here with three points from two away games, I’d have been delighted.

“We had a really tough, hard-fought win at Birmingham and we went to Palace and, you know what, there were some positives from it.

“After they’d started well and had a chance, for 25 minutes we were OK, I thought we’d had our best bit of football, then we made a mistake, which seems to be a thread running through the whole season which has cost us.”

At half-time he was relatively pleased with the display: “What was pleasing was that we didn’t compound that by conceding another goal straight away.

“At half-time I was not unhappy with the way we’d played, in fact I was pleasantly surprised at the way we’d played.

“We started the second half well and it wasn’t a penalty, actually. I’ve watched it enough times, it’s not a penalty, although I can understand why he gave it with the speed [Wilfried Zaha] runs.

“But then what is disappointing was the way that it all unravelled and became a mess and we gave two more penalties away. From that point that is obviously the thread that has been running through the club all season long.”

Senegalese international Guirane N’Daw was left on the bench for the Palace game having impressed at Birmingham, the Blues boss feeling his fitness was an issue: “I decided not to play him because he’d got cramp in both legs on Saturday which is because you’re not really match fit, and I decided to change it.

“Perhaps we did [miss him at Palace] but none of the goals came through the middle of the park so that you could say we were weak in there.

“The first goal is a mistake, the second goal is a penalty down the wide area, the third goal is another penalty, the fourth is the most awful defending you could ever wish to see. And the fifth is just daft as we get caught on the break.

“But none of the goals came from there and I thought the lads in midfield played OK, but he is a presence when he’s fit. If he’s not, then he can’t get about the pitch.”

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls