Town boss Mick McCarthy felt his side deserved their 2-2 draw at Barnsley and believed they could even have taken all three points. Christophe Berra and David McGoldrick netted in the 81st and 84th minutes as the Blues came from 2-0 behind at Oakwell.

“It looked like being the most one-sided 2-0 defeat there’s ever been with nine minutes to go,” McCarthy said. “We played well in the second half and had enough chances to win it.

“We were profligate and we let them off the hook because we had the ball at the edge of their box, were playing well, we lose it and it ends up as a freekick and then in our net. It came off David McGoldrick. But we deserved it, by a good stretch we deserved it.”

He admitted that it seemed like it was going to be one of those days: “There’s always that thought, but we were on the sidelines shouting that it shouldn’t be one of those days, they should get their heads up, keep running and keep doing it because we were playing well enough.

“There were one or two [whose heads were dropping] and you can do, I’ve been there as a player, that resignation when you’ve played well [and are losing], but they kept going, we rallied them on and they got what they deserved. In fact, I don’t think what they deserved, I think they should have won.”

The Blues boss was again impressed with Stephen Hunt’s display: “We wound the elastic band up again. He was excellent, I thought. He played better when we went to 4-4-2 and he was better in his natural position.”

And 16-goal top scorer David McGoldrick was also praised by his boss: “He’s having a really good season, it was a great piece of business when we got him on a free transfer last year. It looked like it was a good piece of business, it’s turned out to be a great piece of business.”

McCarthy has also been pleased with today’s other goalscorer’s form: “Christophe Berra’s been another good signing. I think the centre-backs had it tough against Nick Proschwitz and Chris O’Grady, they’re a handful those two.”

As for the absent Paul Taylor, who was spotted getting on a train prior to the game, the Blues boss explained: “He’s got toothache, he’s got an abscess under his tooth, his head was bouncing.

“There was no chance he was going to play. He took antibiotics to settle it down, which it did a bit, but as soon as you start moving and the blood starts rushing round, it wouldn’t be any good to any of us. We sent him home, he needs to get that sorted out.”

Overall, McCarthy was pleased to see his side move to three points from the play-off zone but says that’s of little consequence at this stage: “I think we’ve closed the gap, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve got 16 games to play.

“It’s a bloody good point from 2-0 down with almost 15 minutes to play. I thought if we got one back we might win it.”

He was reminded that Town have the best record in the division for winning points from losing situations.

“And we’re the worst team in the league at going in front and giving it away!” he pointed out. “You tell me how we should sort that one out. But it’s still a nice quality to have.”

McCarthy says he enjoys returning to his hometown club, where he started his career, even if he is never given an easy afternoon: “I love coming back, but I usually get my arse slapped when I come back and almost did again.

“You heard them singing ‘Mick McCarthy’s a Red’, I am and I always will be but they don’t give me anything when I come back and I don’t give them anything lightly and I think that’s the way it should be. They wouldn’t have liked me as much as they did when I was a player if I gave things away.”

Tykes boss Danny Wilson admitted that the Blues were well on top after the break: “I'm frustrated rather than disappointed. Being quite honest, I think in the second half we had our backs to the wall for long periods.

“The wind took its toll, just like it helped us in the first half. We knew we were going to be on the back foot, particularly with the strike force that they’ve got.

“But I thought the two goals were the disappointing part, if anything. The performance wasn’t disappointing.”

Photo: Action Images

Hiltzkooler added 18:33 - Feb 8 Mick sort Taylor out and get him in the team...we need him....none of your precociousness mind, just because he's a seemingly errant chap.....this isn't the ECB you know!!...
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NoelTheDub added 18:42 - Feb 8 Mick you said it yourself 442 is best, give your pal frank a break. We are dropping points clearly with the 433 formation,we are better than that..
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oscarwhiting added 19:01 - Feb 8 i think i speak for most people when i say at the start of the season that we were screaming for mick to change formation. i take it back now, 433 doesnt work for us. we always seem to drop points at 433, and we are so much more solid at 442. on another subject, please mick can you stop playing nouble. he really doesnt bring anything to the party. i dont get to watch us very often but on the 6 or 7 occasions that i have this season i have been very dissapoitnted. would much rather see taylor play because he makes me feel like hes going to do something. he also does the one thing that the rest of our squad doesn't do ( not counting didsy), and trys to run at the deffence. anyway, today i am happy with a point considering that we were 2-0 down with 10 to go. as im sure you all agree. bring on next week, COYB

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Michael11 added 19:04 - Feb 8 I think that's one if the worst first half displays i've ever seen from us. Tabb and Nouble are just painful to watch. Simply bot good enough for this level. After the break we were much better, mainly because Mick played everyone in their natural position. For some reason Murphy was playing left wing with Hunt in central midfield! As soon as Hunt went wide and Murphy went down the middle we were so much better.

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alfromcol added 19:10 - Feb 8 I get the impression that MM and TC are still playing around with this squad to get the best combination. However, he seems to start games with what doesn't look like the best combination??
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Walk_the_Wark added 19:13 - Feb 8 Well I'm not sure what game Mick was watching. We were awful in the first half. Barnsley could have gone in 3-0 up. We don't even to set out to attack the worst team in the league away from home… Barnsley will feel aggrieved that they did not win. Anyone who thinks we will get in the play offs is having a laugh. Awful. Truly awful.
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warbeat78 added 19:50 - Feb 8 @walk the wark, And Sleep!!!
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TimmyH added 19:56 - Feb 8 Glad we got something out of this game but how many times this season can we say we've played better than the opposition for most of the game? probably not many, too many shabby 45 minute performances, and unfortunately costing us some points, think Charlton, Watford, Millwall. Not enough points off the struggling sides. I thought Tabb was 'transformed' not going by today's performance he wasn't ! Jay mate 1 or 2 games of somewhat better play doesn't make you this and as for Nouble bet he can't believe his luck he's still a regular starter. Glad to see McGoldrick keeps doing the business.

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Keaneish added 20:14 - Feb 8 This doesn't add up. Taylor has an abscess so he had to get a train back without watching his team mates??? A - why not get the bus back with the whole squad? B - why travel up the day before if you have an abscess that prohibits you from playing? C - why not watch your team mates and then go back as a team seeing as we have a 'great team spirit'… D - why get a train back to Ipswich on your own to sort an abscess out that could be sorted out a drop in centre in Barnsley??? This gets weirder… Good point given where we were in the 80th minute. Good resilience. Disappointing not to win. Opportunity missed given Reading lost!

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Ipswich121 added 20:36 - Feb 8 Keanish- And.. E: if he has an abscess then why was he holding a subway and a bottle of full fat coke before he got back on the train.
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del45 added 20:39 - Feb 8 Paul Taylor standing behind me in Nacton Road fish shop tonight at 6 30 must have recoved M M ?
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roytheboy added 21:23 - Feb 8 Frank Nouble gives 100% and is powerful and quick, so he does give the team something extra, however Paul Taylor has much more quality overall, you might just as well tell us the truth Mick as it will be known in the long run, today we finished with a good point but clearly we could have won if we had kept up the pressure to the end, I am disappointed that we hold on to get a draw so often when we could get all three points.

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Robbie12345 added 21:24 - Feb 8 Remember Mick is one of the honest managers in the game.. He would say Taylor had a attitude problem if he did and would of got rid of him in Jan.. Support your player! Yes Taylor hasn't helped himself by not looking after his teeth (coke ect) and could be the reason why they are sore.. But no need to make judgements on people without knowing them personally or having experienced it.. Mick will know if he has a future here or not.. Which I would think he would think so. Maybe he was just visiting a friend or a family dentist? Won't know the reason behind it unless you ask him..

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billlm added 21:34 - Feb 8 the taylor story will come to a head quickly if hes spoken out at mm and tc which I belive he has but with nouble consistently in front of him he may have a point,say against Bolton I did agree with mm playing nouble there a big team but in general taylor may have a point
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PSGBlue added 21:51 - Feb 8 I am prepared to give Taylor the benefit of the doubt on this one, knowing how bad a tooth can get - I could not even go for a cycle last year due to a bad tooth! If the antioyotics are working he can eat fish and chips. I went to Oakwell today, very poor first half but the change to 442 did the trick. Credit to MM to change it, if RK or PJ had still been in charge we would have lost. But Nouble is not up to this level, his touch was awful today and in one instance for shrugged off the ball by a smaller player. Didn't the change from 442 to 433 come about when Murphy was injured at the start of Jan. MM revert back to 442, especially when away or 433 at home with Taylor starting instead of Nouble.

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PSGBlue added 21:51 - Feb 8 I am prepared to give Taylor the benefit of the doubt on this one, knowing how bad a tooth can get - I could not even go for a cycle last year due to a bad tooth! If the antioyotics are working he can eat fish and chips. I went to Oakwell today, very poor first half but the change to 442 did the trick. Credit to MM to change it, if RK or PJ had still been in charge we would have lost. But Nouble is not up to this level, his touch was awful today and in one instance for shrugged off the ball by a smaller player. Didn't the change from 442 to 433 come about when Murphy was injured at the start of Jan. MM revert back to 442, especially when away or 433 at home with Taylor starting instead of Nouble.

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peteswindon added 23:28 - Feb 8 Mick, the least we deserve is a win against struggling teams like Barnsley.
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BuriramBlues added 02:34 - Feb 9 What does Jay Tabb add to the side have watched him and he is not up to it,With him in the starting line up we ain't going now where.
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NoelTheDub added 03:33 - Feb 9 Why every week are we saying nouble was awful or tabb is not up to it .MM selection has to be questioned why these guys get a regular start .We havent got the best of squads but if its not right from the start we give the Millwalls Charltons andBarnsleys of this world a fighting chance
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Wickets added 12:33 - Feb 9 Full Fat Coke and then Fish and Chips??
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RaymondovicBlue added 13:05 - Feb 9 been there ... really painful and on top of this the pain killers and antibiotics mess your stomach up. you don't need the noise of a stadium when your head is banging.... but you also need to eat! anyone else realise that fish and chips don't need a lot of chewing??? wake up and be reasonable
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theobald1985 added 18:50 - Feb 9 we should be the sort of side who want to play barnsley off the park with quick attacking pass and move football.this is not good enough fot our club.stop the hoof ball and be more postive. nouble would not have a place if we where trying to play properly
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Fellingham added 22:03 - Feb 9 taylor needs a good run in the team then he'll be showing us his full potential. And if your on antibiotics and your tooth isn't hurting and your getting hungry, you go get some food, probably wasn't thinking about his tooth at that point.
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Sindre94 added 01:07 - Feb 10 It was me who spotted Taylor, Ive got a pic with him @eliassensindre
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Beattiesballbag added 12:11 - Feb 10 Robbie12345 added 21:24 - Feb 8 Remember Mick is one of the honest managers in the game. It should be obvious to every one by now who doesn't wear blue tinted spectacles that MM never says he's dropped anyone for what ever reason, poor form, not good enough, a fall out! they always have a slight knock or need a rest. He doesn't air dirty washing or drop players! He was reminded that Town have the best record in the division for winning points from losing situations. “And we're the worst team in the league at going in front and giving it away!” he pointed out. “You tell me how we should sort that one out". Just shows once behind & it's forced upon him that the players are capable if given a positive formation & instructions. "Once in front & giving it away" is because of the negative attitude of trying to hang on to what you have, It invites teams to attack you. the same as once we got the point at Barnsley, instead of going for the win in the last few minutes.

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