Town boss Mick McCarthy is confident that his squad is strong enough to compete for a place in the top six — as long as they can avoid injuries in the weeks and months to come.

The transfer window closed last night with the Blues having been unable to add a replacement for departing loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe with Leeds midfielder Paul Green understood to have been the target. McCarthy will now look to make the signing when the loan window opens in a week’s time.

"If we keep our players fit, we’ve got a really good squad,” McCarthy said. “And there’s Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to come back, there’s Luke Hyam to come back. We had 16 players out there at training today.

“It’s not a big squad but they can all play, it’s very rare there’s anybody sat up in the stand, they’re all involved and they’re likely to get a game.

“I think that helps give a tight-knit group with a good spirit in them. I’ve not complained about it ever. I like my squad of players, I think I’ve got a good squad players, providing we keep them fit. March is a bit bonkers with games, to be fair, that could be testing, but we’re fine.”

He admits Ryan Tunnicliffe’s departure has had some effect but doesn’t think it’s been too unsettling: “Of course, it’s slightly destabilised things as he would have been playing tomorrow and he’s not, so that’s destabilised it. But has it destabilised the whole ship together? No, I’ll just play somebody else.”

While Jay Tabb appears likely to come into today’s team, the current lack of a replacement for Tunnicliffe pushes Anthony Wordsworth up the pecking order, perhaps giving him a chance to stake his case for a more regular role having recovered from his recent illness.

“He was off with tonsillitis for a while and he’s been back for around two weeks now,” McCarthy said. “He’s OK.”

The Town manager is in no doubt about what he sees as his ultimate target in the remaining months of the season: “My hopes? Playing in the Premier League next year. Simple as that. I might as well not be here if that’s not what I’m doing.

“We’re seventh in the league, we could nick in the play-offs, who knows, and if we do I think we’d be a threat to anybody. We could end up finishing 12th, 14th, I’ve no idea, that’s the way the league is.

“We’ve got 16 players and if I keep them all fit I’ve got a good squad. If I don’t, I could suffer a little bit. I don’t know what’s in front of me, unfortunately.

“We’ve a chance. My hopes are Premier League football and a nice holiday in the summer. That would do me fine.

“I think the players have done remarkably well and are doing well as a squad. I’ll see what happens. We’ve got Bolton next, who have got good players. Let’s see. We’re doing all right. My aspiration is to eventually get promoted.”

A victory today will take the week’s total to a more than decent seven points with McCarthy particularly pleased with the 2-0 win against Reading last Saturday: “I thought the Reading game was a really top result for us because we haven’t beaten too many teams up towards the top of the league, I think someone said they were the first ones we’ve beaten.

“It was a tough game, they’ve got some good players. They had one or two chances, we defended well and scored two really good goals.

“I thought that was a really good, significant result having lost three games including the cup game. And I thought Leeds on Tuesday night was a good performance.

“We had the game by the scruff of the neck when we scored and I think we should have gone on and won it.

“But I can’t really see whether it was a penalty or not but I said to Chambo, ‘if you slide in, you make the referee make a decision’.

“And that’s what happened and the game was fairly even after that. But prior to us scoring we were definitely the dominant team and I think [now former Leeds manager] Brian McDermott would complain about his goalkeeper, to be honest with you.

“Once we’d scored, it was about five minutes afterwards they got the penalty, but we dominated for the next five minutes as well and we should have kept it and we let them off the hook. But a point at Elland Road is never a bad thing.”

Town have now dropped 25 points from winning positions this season, the most in the division, but McCarthy says there’s been no inquisition and is keen to avoid doing anything which might lead to his players putting themselves under additional pressure.

“We don’t talk about it,” he said. “You don’t want to put it in their heads. No, not at all. You know what we could do [to stop it]? Not give a penalty away. That’s the thing.

“But I thought we should have won the first header, I thought we could have nicked the subsequent bouncing ball and it ends up with Chambo one v one [against Cameron Stewart].

“I don’t know, could we be a bit more ruthless on occasions? I’d pull him down, foul him before he gets there, on the halfway line, deal with it. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is, then it doesn’t end up in the back of our net.

“But that’s not always been the case with the goals we’ve conceded. They’ve generally come from mistakes, it’s not teams dominating us and carving us up.

“Anything we can do about it? No, we‘ll just keep playing. I think Reading had better chances than Leeds and yet Leeds end up getting a one-all draw through a penalty. We’ll just keep picking up points.”

Photo: Action Images

rambohambo added 06:03 - Feb 1 'very rare players sit in the stand' ..... Paul Taylor who everyone's dying to see play
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stiff_talking added 06:50 - Feb 1 There is a marignal difference between success and failure. Ipswich have lost 25 points from winning positions but still MM has us in 7th place with only 16 players. What an effort..... Agree with "rambohambo" that Paul Taylor is worth the entry fee and has more moves than a warehouse full of chess sets! However he may not be the greatest team play in the universe.....and MM has his rules...

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battyblue added 07:22 - Feb 1 Okay fair comment if we don't get injuries and yellow cards mount up to hopefully no red ones if we are a little more attack minded as against Reading we could just make top six but most other teams in the championship have boosted there squads we have not so there could also be some turnarounds to come Taylor needs to play every week in my eyes and so do Hunty and Wordsworth need to be getting half an hour or so then i will be happy, Nouble can go out on loan as soon as possible

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warkonthewildside added 07:42 - Feb 1 I agree with battyblue, even 1 or 2 injuries can make a big difference between a play off place and a slide down the table. If you look around the league most clubs have done some business and there have been one or two good midfielders moved around (Trotter)! I hope this doesnt come back to bite us on the bum, even Bolton have got some loanees in. A good solid team performance is required today and Wordy definitely needs to step up IMO. 3-0 to the Blues would be very nice please.

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buryblue77 added 07:52 - Feb 1 It just goes to show the difference in quality between Mick, PJ and Keane. MM has us up there competing with having spent no money on any of the first team squad and only £20k on a youngster who's not ready for first team yet. If only we didn't have FFP coming in and PJ and Keane hadn't scared Evans off from spending some money I think we could be pushing for automatic places right now if Mick had half the amount of money available to him that Keane and to a lesser extent PJ had.

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Wickets added 08:10 - Feb 1 Injuries please NO injuries!!
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mow_the_lawn added 08:30 - Feb 1 This is Wordsworth's chance now to impress MM. I'm not disappointed to see Tunnicliffe go, his effort can't be questioned but with him Hyam and Skuse also playing deep, it left the team more trying to stop the opposition play than forcing ourselves upon the opposition. Wordsworth needs to use this opportunity or he could find he doesn't get another chance this season. Tabb hasn't been great in his last few appearances as I think MM is trying to make him too defensive too. 2 from Anderson/Taylor/Hunt/(possibly Edwards) on the wings every game until the end of the season and keep Nouble away from the pitch as much as possible and I think we have a great chance of grabbing a play off spot.

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bigolconnor added 08:39 - Feb 1 It's actually pretty cool having a small squad in many ways. The players all know each other. They are fighting for the same cause. They all believe they can get promoted. Had MM managed to get two or three loans in the squad size would have been boosted but morale would not. The only thing I find odd about the whole window is that we got a right back in. I'd rather Edwards wasn't on from the start so we have chambers as captain. This Richardson signing makes me think that in the near future Berra will be made captain, chambers will be dropped to the bench and Richardson will be right back. For me chambers and smith proved last season that they should start in the middle. Berra should be on the bench and Hewitt and Anderson should be running up and down the right. Skuse and tabb/Hyam in the middle. Cresswell and Hunt will be handfuls on the left and McGoldrick and Murphy up front with Taylor off the bench.

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Rentaghost added 08:56 - Feb 1 We had a small squad under Lyle twenty plus years ago and went up. What was squad like under Burley. Was it small or big?
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BlueySwede added 08:58 - Feb 1 Fingers crossed that we can avoid injuries in the coming months. I like Mick, even if I think that he could have a little more faith in attacking football. In the QPR and Reading games it was evident that the team has some attacking qualities. Come on Ipswich!
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theobald1985 added 09:03 - Feb 1 dont think taylor fits with are current style of play as otherwise he would be in for sure-was the same with JET if we were playing passing game with a 4231 they would be great but not for this 442 long ball style. we need to be a bit more positive if we are to make the play offs
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bluey123 added 09:22 - Feb 1 What a load of garbage compared with the likes of Forest, Derby we are miles behind them McCarthy is towing the Evans line. We had a great chance of building a decent side after the start we have had still Evans refuses to back his manager.
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Surco72 added 09:28 - Feb 1 Maybe in your opinion MM , still say lower mid table finish ,hope you can prove me wrong , playoffs a dream with this squad , all teams strengthened in window we weakened !!
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warktheline added 09:56 - Feb 1 Surco72 don't forget the loan system opens in a couple of days.This transfer deadline day is just a load of hype by sky sports.I have no doubt we will finish top 8,keep the faith pal.
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bluemikey100 added 09:59 - Feb 1 yes its a great season wen was last time we up this high gettin dizzy lol gona be hard looking like only 1play off place up for grabbs and reading playing well so cmon town well done in keepin diddy cant wait for sylvan get fit
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verulam added 10:01 - Feb 1 Fascinating fact No. 99: In 1962 we won the old 1st Division under Alf Ramsey with just 16 players.
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pazelle added 10:11 - Feb 1 Mick's biggest transfer fee was £100k for Wordsworth who has been unlucky with injury - thought he did well when he was fit last season. I still think Woody and Taylor will have a big part to play in the second half of the season - hopefully we stay injury free and I think we've got a great chance.
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algarvefan added 10:12 - Feb 1 I think Mick is right about small squads and to be honest with what resources he has and the players he's got .he & TC have done a really good job. One of Ipswich's most successful periods under Sir Bobby was with a small squad in the top flight, but in the end injuries did for them winning the title. Lets just hope we stay injury and card free and who knows we could make the play offs which would be one hell of a result!!!

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calypso_blue added 10:13 - Feb 1 Town boss Mick McCarthy is confident that his squad is strong enough to compete for a place in the top six of the clubs just below the playoffs.
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gibbo added 10:16 - Feb 1 same as last season then when we lost mcgoldrick before the end of the season because of the 93 day rule, not great if we are pushing for the play offs. when was the last time we signed anyone on deadline day?
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jas0999 added 10:42 - Feb 1 Mick has done very well to get us to 7th with this small squad. However, I doubt when he accepted he job (considering at the press conference clegg said he would be backed financially as per he previous two managers) he expected to be working with just 16 first team players. It's pretty obvious that we need at least a couple of new additions. The problem now is loans will be for only 93 days, so if by sheer luck we don't get injuries and make the play offs the loanees will not be available to play. Very poor by Evans in my opinion.

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TimmyH added 11:10 - Feb 1 'as long as they can avoid injuries' and there lays the problem, I should think a lot of the managers whose teams are attempting play-offs/Champions league/promotion etc. allow for such circumstances as it will practically always happen to varying degrees. A few more faces needed, and expect the loans to come in otherwise we won't have the squad!
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DiamondGezzer added 11:47 - Feb 1 Call me old fashioned, but is it possible that when Mick says he's happy with the size of the squad and just picking up other players as and when he feels they are needed, he actually means it ?
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Bergholtblue added 11:55 - Feb 1 With Wolves having a "January everything must go clear out" I'm surprised that MM didn't get at least one of his old mates in. Not too disappointed that we got no-one in. After all the emergency loan window opens next week. I watched Sky news till the deadline closed just praying that the names Cresswell and McGoldrick didn't crop up!
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Seasider added 12:14 - Feb 1 Hope players dont take Mick literally when he says should have fouled player before Leeds goal,as we dont want to have players sent off. Have only just got enough first team players to fill the bench as it is;but could bring back both Marriott and Hewitt now I believe. Still hopeful of getting in play offs as Mick seems to be,reading above.
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