Town boss Mick McCarthy felt the Blues 1-1 home draw with Birmingham was a “real scrap” but thought his side had the chances to win it in the second half.

“I’m not sat here thinking we played brilliantly, I have to be honest,” he said. “I think it was a real scrap, a real tough, competitive match against a team who are well organised. Gary’s got them playing well, and they’re a good side.

“It’s hard to come from behind - again - and take the points but we could have nicked it in the second half with some of the chances that we had, but it wasn’t to be.

“I’ll take the point, it might have been the reverse, we might have drawn at Leeds and won here and we’d all be feeling better tonight, but don’t get beat in that game, make sure you don’t lose it.”

He added: “We did have a few openings. At that stage, I was thinking ‘Don’t let one in the other end’ because that is the problem when you keep having chances, you keep having chances, you keep having chances.

“Their goal came from a slip anyway and ours was from a penalty. Just don’t lose it. If you’re not going to score another one, take the point.

“We didn’t sit back, I had Freddie on, Ryan on, my two centre forwards, it wasn’t me saying ‘Hold onto that and keep a draw’, I’m trying to win it, but with a bit of common sense - don’t lose it.”

He said his players kept going right to the whistle, as they always do: “I’ve no doubts about that. they’re a great bunch of lads, very professional and very hard-working. They’re always going to do that.

“For somebody to beat us they’ve got to work hard. And I have to say, Birmingham did tonight, they did both of those things, and we perhaps could have nicked it but it wasn’t to be, so we’ll take the point.”

Regarding the penalty decision, he backed referee Keith Stroud: “It was an impossible position for me to see it, so I’ve looked at it purposely and I think it’s a penalty.

“The reason I think it’s a penalty is because whoever’s tackling him has slid in to tackle him, he’s not just slid straight down the line of it to block it.

“And if that was done outside the box and Ainsley was crossing the ball, his momentum is a foul, and he’d give a foul.

“If that’s done on the halfway line, if he nicks it past somebody and his momentum takes him [into him], it’s a foul. So why is it not a foul in the penalty area? I think it is.

“He went to tackle him and he didn’t get the ball, the ball was crossed. I think it is a penalty, as harsh as it might seem to them.

“It was a fantastic run. It takes something different at times to get a result, and something that excites. It might be a tackle, it might be a great pass, anything in the game that’s gets us going and that did.

“I’ve watched it enough now and it’s a foul, his momentum takes him down. I know it seems a strange place to get it and it seemed a strange decision at the time but I think the referee’s got it right.”

McCarthy says he switched his strikers as Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick both played the whole game at Leeds.

“That was because of the fact that Didz and Murph played 96, probably almost 100 minutes on Tuesday night and we were playing on Friday,” he continued.

“And I’ve got two really good strikers who are fresh. And I have to say Freddie’s been the top man, he’s been the best of them all this season, without a doubt.

“He was unlucky not to be playing at Leeds. I think Brett’s had a good game, he put the penalty away with real authority.

“I’ve got good strikers, that might be difficult because they’ll all want to play. But if I have to rest them and play players with fresh legs, I’ll do it.

“Ryan Fraser wouldn’t have played if the game was yesterday because he was so sore [having picked up a knock at Leeds]. I gave him a chance.

“He is our player for the season but I don’t use and abuse anybody’s players, and certainly not my own.

“I just thought it was prudent to give him a break and actually in the last 15 minutes he came on and he could have changed the game for us.

“But Larsen Touré played instead of him and I think he had a great game. I think the fans took to him. He’s got to play, I can’t just keep whipping the same ones every week.”

Birmingham manager Gary Rowett felt his team began the game slowly: “I thought we started a little bit sloppily, I thought we allowed their intensity to dominate the second balls. As we knew, they put you under a lot of pressure.

“It took us about six or seven minutes to get going and then I felt we did and we started passing the ball a little bit better, which is very difficult on an evening like this.

“It’s always difficult against Ipswich to have time on the ball to do that because they pressurise you so much and they get in your face all over the pitch.

“I thought we did that really well and we started to have a little period when we started to control the possession and move the ball well and cause them one or two problems.

“And obviously we got the goal, a little bit fortunate with the slip but we’ve still then got to time the pass well.

“I thought Andy Shinnie had under-hit it but he actually timed it quite well and it was an excellent finish from David Cotterill, which he does so often.”

Rowett was less than impressed with the penalty decision: “To get 1-0 up away at Ipswich is something you don’t get very often. I think the way we lost the lead which was the thing which galled me the most really, that was the most disappointing bit.

“For Keith to be 60 yards away from the tackle, for the linesman to be 20 yards away. You don’t see penalties given for those types of tackle.

“I know people can have an argument and say that if that was in the middle of the pitch it would be a foul, but that’s not the point, is it? It has to be a definitive foul to be a penalty because it’s such a big moment in the game.

“That was my disappointment, for them to get back in the game so easily when you’ve worked so hard, that was particularly galling.”

He added: “I don’t think one Ipswich player appealed, so again when that happens and you’re that far from the action why make a controversial decision like that unless you’re 100 per cent sure.

“Keith has made the decision, that’s the way of the world. I was very, very frustrated for 10 or 15 minutes but managed to calm down slightly in the second half.”

Rowett, who praised his side’s second half defending, said he spoke to the referee about the penalty decision after the game.

“I waited in the tunnel for Keith and just said ‘I’m not sure how you can give that as a penalty’ and he said “I saw it as a foul and anywhere else on the pitch it would be a foul’.

“I said ‘Why does every other ref in the country not see it as a foul, because you see it every single week, every single game’.”

Meanwhile, skipper Luke Chambers was ordered to pay £600 in fines and court costs and had three points put on his driving licence earlier today having been caught travelling at 36 mph in a 30 limit in his Mercedes in Playford Road close to the Blues' training ground on May 8th.

Chambers, who the court revealed earns £6,000 a week, was initially offered the chance to pay a fixed penalty or go on a speed awareness course but having failed to respond within the time limit was summonsed to South East Suffolk Magistrates Court.

The 29-year-old pleaded guilty by post and didn't attend court, where he was fined £335, ordered to pay prosecution costs of £85, £34 to the victims' fund and £150 in criminal court costs, in addition to having three points put on his licence.

Photo: Action Images

dirtydingusmagee added 21:09 - Sep 19 entertaining game, we could have one it ,but it wasnt to be , i thought on the whole we played well. Very impressed with Toure, cant make my mind up about Knudson ,He has had some worrying moments . and will be glad to see Bal ,back in goal . Im happy COYB
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coolcat added 11:53 - Sep 20 Agree with that dirtydingusmagee . Travelled up from London to see it, like I always do for every home game. For their goal it looked like Knudsen should have dealt with it before their striker got there who was still a long way off. We had lots of chances to go ahead but wasn't to be. But enjoyed the game overall.
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Razor added 10:25 - Sep 21 Birmingham a tough well organised team but we must beat Bristol next week as they are not in same class----that will keep us nicely in top 6. Not sure why Bart is not in goal and Knudsen still a lot to do. I guess we see Bru, Bish and Parr at Old Trafford for starters----its a funny old game and you never know!!
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BackTheBlues added 11:58 - Sep 21 We've got a great squad of players, probably the best squad I've seen in a decade I'd go that far... the problem I think, is Mick doesn't know his best team yet. Strikers aren't hitting top form every week - hence the rotation. The midfield picks itself, becasue the rest aren't back from injury. The defence are in a bad rut! Aslong as we keep picking up points, keeping tabs on the leaders until we figure it out, we'll be alright!

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Pabloisgod84 added 12:29 - Sep 21 the majority of the reason it was a scrap is because the back 5's distribution of the ball is shocking. everytime a small bit of pressure is applied they hoof off for a throw or lose possession or go back to keeper who then boots out for a throw. we need to play forward as much as poss and use the midfield. its possibly partly because skuse and douglas dont come looking enough for it. douglas adds nothing to this team for me. chambo not a right back so can play with ball. all in all we were disappointing i thought.

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