Boss Mick McCarthy says he’d be happy with another 42 performances like last week’s display in the 1-1 draw with Norwich City or in the 0-0 stalemate at Wolves in the previous match. Town are again in home action against Preston North End on Saturday afternoon.

McCarthy was delighted with his side’s showing against the Canaries and would be pleased if the Blues could repeat it during the season’s remaining games.

“I would, I’d also take another 42 like the one at Wolves, to be honest,” he said. “We’ve had two good performances.

“I thought on Sunday it was an excellent performance. Probably a fair result, on reflection. I think we probably had more of it, the chances, certainly in the first 20 minutes, but they showed some real bits of quality that they’ve got.

“I think their goal was a real bit of quality. We made the mistake to start with but they did pick a hole in us.

“They’re a very good side, we had to play really well to get a result out of them and we did.”

He says supporters of both clubs will have enjoyed Sunday’s derby: “It was a great game. It was a terrific game of football and I think both sides contributed to that, to be honest.

“But the majority are our fans and it’s always great when there’s a good atmosphere, everybody said before the game in the warm-up that the atmosphere was great. It was a good game of football.”

McCarthy is a big fan of his Preston opposite number Simon Grayson, whose side recorded their first league win of the campaign at QPR last week, where they ran out 2-0 winners, having lost all three of their previous Championship games by a single goal.

“He’s a great guy, I really like Simon,” the Town manager continued. “He’s done the rounds, he’s done his badges, he’s got all his stuff and learnt the trade.

“Wherever he’s been he’s had an impact and done a good job. His teams are always well-organised, they’re disciplined, they work hard and they try and play their football off the shape of the team, whatever they’re doing and they’re a difficult nut to crack.

“We’ve had some really tough games against them and I think, especially being down in the capital and getting a great result at QPR, they’ll be coming here full of confidence.”

He says the win at Loftus Road will have given the Lilywhites a lift: “I would imagine - and I haven’t seen the games - that in the defeats that they’ve had they’ve had chances.

“They might feel it’s not been deserved, the results, the performances have deserved better.

“But you’ve got to get that win, and when you do get that win it tends to take the pressure off a little bit and you can relax and play. Hopefully that’s not the case here on Saturday.”

The game will see the Blues face Ben Pringle, who was on loan at Portman Road in the latter part of last season, making nine starts and one sub appearance, scoring twice before joining Preston in the summer.

McCarthy was pleased with the 27-year-old during his stint at Portman Road: “He was good for me, I enjoyed having him here.

“But he had a year left on his contract at Fulham. He’s gone there and he’s quite happy.”

The Town manager seems likely to stick with the 4-3-3 formation he has utilised in the last two games and probably virtually all the same personnel.

If that's the case, keeper Bartosz Bialkowski will play behind a back four of skipper Luke Chambers, Adam Webster, Christophe Berra and Jonas Knudsen.

In midfield Cole Skuse and Jonathan Douglas will be joined by either Teddy Bishop or Kevin Bru.

Up front, Daryl Murphy will be flanked by Grant Ward to his right and Freddie Sears to his left.

The former West Ham and Colchester man has now gone 31 competitive games without hitting the net - although he did score at Shelbourne in pre-season - but McCarthy is confident that the 26-year-old will be back in the goals soon.

“We all work towards that and try and help him, TC especially,” the Blues boss added. “I remember Didz also going 11 games one season and he didn’t score a goal, but he kept getting picked.”

Does Sears put in work which sometimes gets undervalued? “It does and it doesn’t. I think you’ll find that at the Player of the Year do I gave them my Player of the Year because he plays up front, he plays wide right, wide left, he does it selflessly and it is appreciated.

“It might go unnoticed by people that don’t understand the game as much but for people who do watch it and understand it a bit better, they’ll understand that he tracks back, he does his job, he does his shift and maybe he’s suffered because of it, but he’s had to do it, and he’s in a team.

“It’s not a game of golf this, it’s not one man on his own. He’s been a very good purchase.”

Conor Grant (groin), David McGoldrick (ankle), Luke Hyam and Giles Coke (both knee) remain on the sidelines.

Preston boss Grayson says he has a selection headache after last week’s 2-0 Championship win at QPR and then a number of fringe players impressing during Tuesday’s 2-0 EFL Cup win at home to Oldham.

"That's the way it has to be, the worst scenario for us is that players who are coming in are not doing their jobs or the team that has started on a Saturday not doing their jobs because it all becomes a mixed bag of what you try and pick,” Grayson told Preston’s official website.

"The last two results have been encouraging, we know we've still got to keep working hard, the players know what they need to do and it's just nice to have those options.

"By the time the window shuts as well it would be nice to have another couple of options for the long term of the season."

He added: ”We know what to expect, Portman Road is always a difficult place to go. But if we can perform like we did there last year, and like we did last weekend against QPR, being hard to beat but play when we get chance to play and be ruthless in both boxes, then it gives us a great opportunity so we are looking forward to it.”

Anders Lindegaard, who had a shoulder problem, and Jermaine Beckford, Paul Gallagher and Bailey Wright, who had minor knocks, all missed Tuesday’s game but are expected to be fit.

Ex-Blues loanee Pringle is a doubt with an ankle problem, but Stevie May and Calum Woods both remain long-term absentees, due to knee injuries.

The Lilywhites have had the better of the Blues historically, winning 13 games (11 in the league) between the sides while Town have been victorious on 10 (nine) occasions and eight (seven) matches have ended in draws.

The teams last met at Portman Road in January when Daryl Murphy’s eighth goal of the season seven minutes before the break saw the Blues to a 1-1 home draw with Preston North End, Daniel Johnson having put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute.

That result and the scores elsewhere saw Town, who were denied what looked a clear second-half penalty, drop out of the play-off places.

In August last year, Brett Pitman and Ryan Fraser netted as the then-top-of-the-table Blues won 2-1 to record their first league win at Deepdale since January 1966.

Pitman put Town in front with a header against the run of play in the 24th minute but Johnson hit back for the home side before Fraser sealed it with a brilliant strike on 65.

Saturday’s referee is Tim Robinson from West Sussex, who has shown 10 yellow cards and one red in three games so far this season.

Robinson’s most recent Town match was the 1-0 win at Derby on the final day of last season in which he booked skipper Luke Chambers and Adam McDonnell and two Rams.

Prior to that he was in charge of the 2-1 home victory over Reading in February in which he booked Christophe Berra and two visiting players.

Robinson’s only other competitive Town game was the 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough in December 2015 in which he again yellow-carded Berra and two visitors.

Before that he refereed the pre-season friendly at Crawley in the summer of 2013 in which he awarded the Blues a penalty, which was converted by David McGoldrick in a 2-1 victory.

Squad from: Bialkowski, Gerken, Chambers (c), Emmanuel, Knudsen, Kenlock, Berra, Webster, T Smith, Digby, Skuse, Douglas, Bru, Bishop, Dozzell, Ward, Sears, Murphy, Pitman, Varney.

Photo: TWTD

TimmyH added 21:28 - Aug 26 @keanish...being saying that for sometime (going back last season) that we just don't play for 90 minutes...I'd guess an average of 20/25 minutes a game and in a few last season not until the final 10/15 minutes, until Sunday we hadn't even scored a 1st half goal.
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jonbull88 added 06:45 - Aug 27 For people banging on about the last 2 games correct me if I'm wrong but didn't we have 2 perfectly good goals disallowed, meaning if given we'd have won both, fine lines. If we play like we did against Norwich we would win 90 times out of 100.
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Brownie added 09:41 - Aug 27 Very profound re the human race.. Why is MM a rubbish manager? Took over when we were bottom, finished 15th, 9th,6th & 7th with a squad put together on peanuts against clubs spending millions. Sounds dreadful to me.. Could the team have more flair? - yes so perhaps that is why Ward & Grant added to Bishop might make a difference. Was last season boring? Yes and MM has admitted and such and might just be trying to address that problem. I would love us to spend big but we won't. That is not MM's fault. At the risk of sounding like his agent how about we give him a chance to improve the team and give us what we want - goals, entertainment & wins. If he fails then so be it but lets give him some support whilst we wait to find out. He deserves that in my view.

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Razor added 12:12 - Aug 27 This proves the man is not very good-----we did not win either game and the chances we created in both games, clear chances,you could count on two hands. Quite amazing but apparantly true!!
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sidtheswan added 14:52 - Aug 27 That's his problem no ambition
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