Town boss Mick McCarthy was disappointed with the Blues’ 3-2 defeat at Colchester, feeling his side didn’t play well enough in the second half. Town were twice in front against the U’s via Kevin Bru and David McGoldrick (pen), but late goals from Alex Gilbey - who had netted Colchester’s earlier equaliser - and Gavin Massey won the game.

“It was just another bit of fitness,” McCarthy said. “I don’t like losing games. Fair play to Colchester, they won it in the end and good luck to them.

“Certainly in the second half, we didn’t play well enough, which was strange with the players that went on. But it’s pre-season.”

He added: “It always irks, I never like to lose. I can’t say we deserved to win the game really. We had a spell at 2-1 where we were playing but we emptied the midfield for two of the goals, I don’t know why.

“I think we were running about just playing football and not doing it properly. Fair play to them.”

He was disappointed that the result put a dampener on what was shaping up to be a good evening for the 2,372 Blues supporters who made the trip across the border into Essex.

“I just said to them, the only thing that really annoyed me... actually a few things annoyed me, but what really annoyed me was that our fans were having a good night and we’ve annoyed them by getting beaten by our nearest and dearest.

“It doesn’t matter what we think, it won’t have any bearing on the result when we play Brentford away [on the opening day] or the performance because it’s a league game.

“They want to see us win and they were enjoying it. You can see the relationship how quickly it can come and go. It took a long time to get all those crowds in last season, some really good performances and you can soon lose them if we play like we did in the last 15 minutes.”

Cole Skuse missed out with an achilles injury but McCarthy says it’s not serious, while Bartosz Bialkowski is ill: “I’m hoping Skusey will train on Thursday. Bart is poorly.”

Trialists Giles Coke and Larsen Touré have both impressed and the Blues manager will be taking a longer look at them: “Cokey’s all right, I thought he did well. I’m quite pleased with him.

“We’re a little bit bare in that department, so he’s fine. He’s going to stay and be involved on Saturday.”

Regarding Guinean international Touré, he added: “I quite like him, actually. He was knackered after 30 minutes, he’s not been playing and he trained hard yesterday.

"It was difficult for him but I like what I saw yesterday and I’m going to keep him and have a look at him.”

The Town manager said he withdrew ex-Colchester man Freddie Sears as he’d previously been suffering with a niggle: “He had a bit of a thigh injury so I took him off at half-time. He’s all right but he was injured at the start of the week.”

He says Teddy Bishop is continuing to have a problem with shin splints: “He’s struggling a bit with his shins, which he was at the end of last season. I think I saw that in the second half, he didn’t really get about.

“He’s having to look after them and train when he can and that’s not enough at this stage of the season.”

Photo: Action Images

GiveusaWave added 05:24 - Jul 29 Toure wasn't just knackered- his legs were completely gone. Brentford will rip us apart if we don't sign quality and quick. Awful display from both trialists.
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muccletonjoe added 05:33 - Jul 29 I think mick is well aware that you can only go so far with loans and freebies, we really do need some investment in the first team or a very disappointing start to 15-16 awaits
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jas0999 added 06:34 - Jul 29 The reason Mick is we don't have a big enough squad to make so many changes. What it proves is after our starting eleven, on the whole we have insufficient options in terms of experience and ability to cope at championship level. A couple of injuries and we are knacked. We also lack a couple of quality additions to that starting eleven as well. Sadly, until the club realise other clubs don't care a jot about FFP we will get left behind. The club surely had a plan A, B, C etc for transfer targets. Are they seriously suggesting every single one rejected us? This is January all over again and I seriously wonder if Evans - despite the spin - has any intention of signing players. We have less senior players than last season. 17 inc keepers won't win you promotion, whilst the youngsters are proving they aren't quite ready. Disappointing stuff.

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bluefeast added 07:25 - Jul 29 So , basically our pre season regime has seen skuse , bishop , sears ,hyam all go down with injuries of some sort. Managing injuries during pre season is important , especially when we have bare bones as a squad. I suspect a 1 year deal will be offered to coke simply because micks targets are saying no or their clubs are saying no. But we new in may what was needed. Leaving it late just adds to the buy price as those players will be part of a first team elsewhere.

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babyblueboy added 08:08 - Jul 29 Shocker ! we need reinforcements in defence and we need them now ! Brentford will maul us ! delaying renewal of season ticket as are several others, unless money is released and quality players brought in I will not renew, cant face another season of being nearly men ! due to lack of investment.
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bluefeast added 08:23 - Jul 29 Its also midfield ,protectors needed so defence can be held together , break up play types ala skuse
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happybeingblue added 08:38 - Jul 29 maybe we should have hung onto ando after all as we seem to be unable to buy anyone
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brian_a_mul added 09:08 - Jul 29 What worries me is the amount of niggles and injuries that are already creeping in to the squad. It seems it the midfield that is taking the brunt of the fitness worries (Skuse, Hyam, Bish). Looks as if Cokey will be needed and may start against Brentford if Bish and Skuse are still struggling. Good to see Didz playing and getting a goal.
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essextractorboy93 added 10:35 - Jul 29 Calm down people, nobody likes to lose games but its pre season when teams experiment, give younger players a chance to impress, neither side really cares about the results unless someone got thrashed 6-0. We didn't play overly well but people read way too much in pre season at every level, people are just desperate for a bit of football at this point of the summer so we over analyse everything. Mick like the rest of us is frustrated by the lack of signings but he won't bring in a player just for the sake of it and disrupt the team spirit or allow someone in with ridiculous wage demands. First half we had a second choice midfield and second half we had pretty much a youth team back four except for Berra.

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I_AM_GOD added 10:57 - Jul 29 Yes it is disappointing to lose any game, whether pre-season or competitive, but at least with pre-season, it is not a disaster. Everyone has complained for ages that young players are not being given a chance by numerous managers at Ipswich who rely on too many older loands, and as soon as one of them does, everyone complains we have no experiemce in the squad and the young players won't cut it. Seems no one is ever happy watching Ipswich any more.

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coolcat added 12:27 - Jul 29 Agree with above. I came up from London to see it. Yes was a poor second half but not reading too much into it. It's about training, giving younger players a run out, etc. Notice there are a lot of new faces this time. I'm sure MM will sort it out. Was a good atmosphere tho'.
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BackTheBlues added 14:05 - Jul 29 Some of the comments on here make me die... This squad is no different to that that finished 6th last season bar Mings - so saying we'll be ripped apart by Brentford is laughable. In fact this squad is better on paper as we have Didz fit and Pittman! Last night was friendly in which colchester barely touch the ball for the first 20 minutes of both halves before becoming scrappy and competitive. Both halves contained 5 players who didn't play last year - bugger me - the 3 goals Col U scored had only Berra as the recognised defender! My only real criticism I can read into is Gerks - every shot at him was palmed out back down the middle as opposed to wide - Bart is definitely safer - but another would be preferable! But jeeze calm down guys! Don't panic - the season hasn't started yet!

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maninashed added 18:10 - Jul 29 It's great to see the 'realists' are out and about. Regarding transfers who knows what is going on. Who new Berra, McGoldrick, Sears for instance were being signed before the deals wee more or less completed?
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Lathers added 21:58 - Jul 29 Let Anderson go and potentially keep Ambrose and offer Coke a deal ffs! Finishing top 6 and having a few quid to spend should make us a club most would want to join. No one wanted to sign for Paul Jewell and maybe I just have high expectations of MM but it's starting to look like déjà vu on the 'we can't nail down our transfer targets. Our current squad as of today won't make top 6. Maybe top 10.

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