Bartosz Bialkowski is taking each game as it comes and isn’t thinking about whether he’ll keep his place once Dean Gerken returns from his shoulder injury.

Bialkowski, 28, was Town’s man of the match at QPR on Saturday, making a number of impressive saves during a first half in which the Blues were under the cosh.

The Pole made his first Championship appearance since August in last Tuesday’s 2-1 home win against Reading, Gerken, 30, having suffered his injury late on at Birmingham.

The former Colchester and Bristol City man is expected to be fit again in time for the home match against Hull City on Tuesday 23rd February and manager Mick McCarthy will then have what's become a regular dilemma regarding two keepers he rates equally highly.

“I’m not thinking about that at all, I’m just trying to do my job as best as I can, taking one game at a time and we’ll see,” Bialkowski told BBC Radio Suffolk.

“Injuries happen in football. Deano’s been outstanding this season and I supported him. We’ll see what’s going to happen. Obviously I want to play, and so does Deano. It’s good competition for one place.”

Reflecting on the defeat at Loftus Road, he added: “Maybe it wasn’t our day, but we’re really confident and we know we still believe and we’ve got another chance next week.

“We just need to forget about this game, learn the lesson and play our football next game.”

Meanwhile, Town assistant manager Terry Connor was beaten to the Coach of the Year gong at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards on Saturday by Sivakumar Ramasamy, the Great Britain Taekwondo coach.

Connor was shortlisted alongside Ramasamy and Baldip Sahota, who coaches wheelchair fencing’s world numbers one and two.

Photo: Action Images

Surco72 added 11:28 - Feb 8 2 good solid games from Bart and defence looks more confident in whats behind them certainly Berra .
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prebsa added 11:32 - Feb 8 Bart has to stay in, we all agree it was unfair in the way he fell out of the team and Mick stayed with Gerken even when he was poor (yes he did improve). Bart has been solid in the last 2 games and there is no reason as to why he should be loosing his place!
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iaintaylorx added 11:43 - Feb 8 He is without doubt our best keeper. Yes, Gerks did well over the last few months but after that performance againt QPR, albeit we lost, it could easily have been 5 or 6 without him. Like Surco, the defence looks so much more confortable with Bart between the sticks. Would be so harsh if Gerks gets the nod ahead of him.
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iaintaylorx added 11:44 - Feb 8 Also seems like a genuinely nice bloke! Go on lad, get that No.1!
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Count_Arthur added 11:48 - Feb 8 Bart has to stay in, no question. We could have easily been 3-0 at half time on Saturday, with any decent keeper in goal. He did nothing wrong to lose his place and no disrespect to Gerkin, but Bart's been treated harshly and more than deserves his time as first choice keeper. And I'd imagine it he IS thinking about whether he'll keep his place, which isn't cut and dried knowing MM's weird logic of picking his mates, otherwise there wouldn't be a story here.

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BoredWithThisNow added 12:01 - Feb 8 Genuinely looks like a decent Championship player...........so expect him to be dropped when dodgy 'Gerks' is fit again
5

Penguinblue added 12:10 - Feb 8 I think there is only one man in Ipswich who thinks that Gerkin is the better keeper
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BLUEBEAT added 12:12 - Feb 8 This is the real MM test for me. If Gerken comes straight back in it will show the manager has favourites and will play them irrespective of whether they make the team stronger. Bart is by far the better keeper and has been biding his time as a true professional. He deserves to be the regular No.1 How many goals would Gerken have conceded v QPR?
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cornishblu added 12:13 - Feb 8 ....penguinblue....presuming that you don't mean gerkin himself!! We all wait with baited breath to see what MM does when Gerkin is fit .....could be yet another tipping point for many if he does what so many of us think he will !! COYB
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jas0999 added 12:28 - Feb 8 Best keeper. Must keep his place.
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sidtheswan added 12:38 - Feb 8 Agree with everyone in Ipswich apart from MM Bart is the best and genuinely a good championship keeper .
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roytheboy added 12:39 - Feb 8 Myself and many other supporters that I speak with have always favoured Bart for first choice, however Mick will probably put Gerken straight back in once he's available again, I hope not, Gerken is a good keeper but in my opinion Bart is the best of the two.
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blueboy1981 added 13:10 - Feb 8 Bart's no fool - in Goal or not - he knows what he is having to deal with.
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Vizslaraner added 13:27 - Feb 8 Bart should be in between the sticks every week without fail. Far better keeper, distribution better, kicks well either foot and as was evident Saturday comes off his line for long balls and collects without the centre half having to worry. How many times has Gerken just looked at Berra and left him under pressure to clear! If Gerken does reclaim his place it will prove Mick has favourites. BB was unlucky to lose his place initially

9

essexboy added 14:24 - Feb 8 It's just a shame he has to think like that.He is by far the better keeper,but then MM does have his favourites.!!
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Daz added 14:31 - Feb 8 Based on how gerks got bk in goal, bart has to to stay even if he have a few bad games. One rule for one or same rule for all?
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dubblue added 17:14 - Feb 8 Agree Bart is the better keeper. Why was he dropped in the first place? I know his father died and Bart went back to Poland for a short while but was he injured after that?
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Count_Arthur added 17:22 - Feb 8 dubblue It's a mystery why he didn't get his place back after he returned from his compassionate leave, especially as Gerkin's early games were terrible. If it was any other job, if you took time off for the death of a parent you wouldn't expect to lose your position to your replacement when you returned to work. Brilliant man management from Mick!
7

Dissboyitfc added 21:12 - Feb 8 I really rate Bart, i really fear he will lose the keepers spot when gerks is fit, would be so unfair on him!
4

christiand added 01:52 - Feb 9 Really hoping Bart continues with the same level of performance until Gerken is fit, this will then test MM's logic that 'possession is 9 tenths of the law!' If Gerken then just gets straight back into the side, then if I was Bart I'd be asking for a transfer and I wouldn't blame him as he is certainly not competing on a level playing field.
4

IpswichT62OldBoy added 09:48 - Feb 9 By MM's stated selection criteria Bart should stay, he was first choice keeper before his Father's death and played a blinder on Saturday so is in form now. If MM goes back to Gerks it will change my view of him.
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roytheboy added 10:00 - Feb 9 Everyone on here including myself, appears to favour Bart, so why doesn't Mick ? it will be interesting to see what he does when Gerken is available.
3

Fatboy added 13:02 - Feb 9 I don't understand why people think that MM favours Gerken. He has repeatedly stated that he has two equally good 'keepers and has consistently applied his policy that whoever is in the team stays in the team until either injured, away on compassionate leave etc. or suffers a serious dip in form. If I remember rightly (I'm sure I'll be corrected if wrong), he's only applied the last of those once and it was Gerken who was dropped for Bart after a succession of poor performances a season or two back. Personally, I believe Bart to be the better of the two and I'm glad he's got his place back in the side. It was harsh the way he was dropped but now he's back I'm sure he will keep his place even once Gerken returns to fitness.

1

Fatboy added 13:29 - Feb 9 OK, I was wrong, it was Bart who was dropped for the Brentford match last March, which most posters seem to have agreed with at the time. Gerken injured himself in the next match at Middlesbrough and Bart returned for the rest of the season and the start of this season.
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bohslegend added 00:40 - Feb 10 I also think Bart is better, but only slightly, and I don't get to see him train every day. Of course managers will have preferences, how else would they ever pick a team? An opinion on one player over another is something everyone who watches football is guilty of. This nonsense about MM having his favourites is just the usual criticism of the manager in lieu of any facts which may get in the way. If Gerks is in, we should support him, same for Bart, goalkeepers more than any other position in my opinion are more vulnerable to criticism from fans in how it affects their confidence.

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