Manager Roy Keane was pleased with his side’s character and desire during the 2-1 opening day defeat at Coventry City. The Blues boss said he was taking a lot of positives from the match despite the loss.
Keane said: "I had no qualms really about the character and desire to get back in the game and even when we were 2-0 down. I felt that if we kept our heads and kept probing away, and we got back into the game at 2-1.
"In the second half we pretty much dominated. Obviously we left a few gaps at the back, as you’d expect, but there were a lot of positives”
Keane was unhappy with Coventry’s goals and thought his team need to be more clinical: "We gave two very poor goals away and lacked sharpness in the final third, but that will come in the coming weeks and months.
"The first goal came from a goalkick and the starting position of everyone was very poor.
"And the second one, Clinton has headed it at knee height. If you're a defender and he heads it that low you take his head off, it's as simple as that.
"I'll be down tonight, but the day my appetite isn't affected by defeat I'll be out of the game. I am trying to learn from my experiences at Sunderland and not get too downhearted but I will not get home, put my feet up and have a whistle.
"But I've been like that since I was eight or nine-years-old. The beauty of it is that we have a game on Tuesday night so that can cheer me up.
"There will always be disappointments in football but I will be OK - don't worry about me.
"This will put a dampener on my birthday [on Monday] for sure but Roy Keane's birthday is not, and should not be, important in the grand scheme of things."
Keane says he was looking for someone to pop up with a goal towards the end: "I will constantly be asking my players who the man is to get a goal in the last five minutes. They didn't answer that today but they will have to learn how to soon.
"We’ll have to reflect on the defeat over the next few days, but I try and look at the positives. I’m disappointed with the goals we conceded, of course I am, but we’ll look to bounce back on Tuesday and we’ve another big league game next Saturday.
"I’ve no problem with the players, we’ve just got to stop giving away the silly goals.”
Keane says midfielder David Norris, who was replaced in the second half after colliding with Jon Stead, will undergo a scan early this week: "We'll know more on Monday. We're hoping it's not ligaments.
"He may have opened up his knee or is could be a dead leg. We're not sure yet, but it looks like he will be struggling for the Carling Cup game at Shrewsbury on Tuesday."
Town are already without Tamás Priskin and Gareth McAuley, who are away on international duty in midweek, while Keane has already said he plans to make changes.
Coventry manager Chris Coleman hopes the result can instil some positivity at the Ricoh Arena: "Throughout pre-season there has been a lot of negativity around us.
"We've lost two very good young players which the club never wanted to do but if Manchester United can lose their best player then Coventry City certainly can.
"All the talk before the game was about Ipswich and Roy Keane and where they will finish, but I prefer that.
"We won't come up against a stronger side and we were flustered at set-plays, but we got through it and no one went missing in my side.
"I'm sure Roy will go back home and kick his cat because he hates losing but that's a feather in our cap."