Town midfielder Kevin Bru is determined to end the season the way he started it — on a massive high.

Bru, 27, scored the club’s first goal of the current campaign just before half-time at Brentford on the opening day but failed to add to it until Tuesday night when he again opened the scoring, this time at rock-bottom Bolton.

Both games finished 2-2 as Town conceded late goals, this week’s 97th minute equaliser coming courtesy of a penalty conceded by Arsenal loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles to leave Mick McCarthy and his players having to settle for just one point when three looked very much on the cards.

That result cost Town sixth place in the Championship as a number of results went their way, including Leeds’ 2-0 win at Cardiff, a result McCarthy’s men would be pleased to repeat in the Welsh capital tomorrow against a team also vying for a top-six finish to the season.

Fans’ favourite Bru said: “It was hard, the way we lost a goal right at the end, at Bolton. But to be fair they deserved the draw.

“They played very well in the game but when you are leading 2-0, then 2-1 in the 97th minute, you expect to win.

“Of course we are all disappointed in the dressing room but we must move on to Cardiff and look to bring back the three points from there.

“We all felt sorry for Ainsley. Yes, it was a mistake, but we have all made them at some points in our careers.

“He will be okay and will learn from that, as we have all done, and it must be forgotten now because the game that matters is the one at Cardiff.

“Ainsley is only 18 and it is harsh to blame him because he played well before that. He was having a very good game but of course everyone now remembers how he conceded a penalty in the last minute.

“As I said, it was a mistake and they happen in football all the time, but it is in the past now and we cannot dwell on what’s gone. Everyone is looking forward, not back.

“Ainsley has huge potential and has played some really good games for Ipswich this season. Don’t forget, he is an Arsenal player and has come here for some experience.

“He doesn’t need people to blame him for something that happened in a split second and could have happened to anyone.”

A quick glance at the league table underlines the importance of the Cardiff clash, with the Bluebirds just one place above eighth-placed Town thanks to a superior goal difference.

Perhaps crucially, however, Bru & Co have a game in hand — against Blackburn at Portman Road next Tuesday — so a win tomorrow could pave the way for a six-point gap between the sides by then.

Bru added: “Cardiff are one of our biggest rivals so it is obviously a very big game. They have a very good team with some very good players. It will be a hard game for us but I think we can beat them and bring the points home.

“Our next three games are very important — after Cardiff we have Blackburn and Rotherham at home in the space of four days — and our aim will to take the maximum of nine points. To achieve that would be very good but all our focus at the moment is on the game at Cardiff.

“We have just taken seven points from three games and if we did that again from our next three it would be a good return. But we always aim for the maximum.

"We are confident about our chances of finishing in the play-offs but it has to be one game at a time. That never changes.”

Photo: Action Images

Seasider added 10:54 - Mar 11 Well said Kevin
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