Boss Roy Keane admitted that his Town side were very much second best to QPR as Neil Warnock’s men left Suffolk after a 3-0 victory. Despite his team’s comfortable win, Warnock felt Portman Road had changed for the better this season.
Keane had no argument with the scoreline: "It was probably a fair result. I don’t think we turned up tonight, we never got going. The second goal killed the game for us.
"I took a few gambles in the second half, which was the only way we were going get back into the game. It was either that or we were going to lose by four or five, it was one of those nights.
"Credit to QPR, they took full advantage of that and they did a good job on us. That’s what good teams do.”
The Blues boss says few of his team impressed: "It was one of those nights where I don’t think many players can say that they were at their best. Márton made some good saves, Connor did well when he came on, but other than that we all looked like we were at 90% and we’re not good enough to get away with that.
Despite the defeat, Keane says there’s no need for too much gloom: "It’s important that we chill out and stay relaxed. Over the last few weeks we haven’t felt that we are that good a team and all of a sudden this evening I don’t think we’re that bad a team. It’s football, it happens.”
Keane says there should be news on the targeted loanee, believed to be Sunderland's Jack Colback, on Thursday.
A buoyant Neil Warnock felt it was important to begin the game strongly: "I knew we had to start well today. Ipswich have had a great start to the season and there’s nothing better football-wise than playing an evening match at Portman Road.
"I was pleased to see the rain bucketing down, it was a great evening to be a forward tonight I thought. We started well and took the game to them and I was delighted when the first goal came and I think it calmed us down and gave us that belief.
"I think we played very well tonight and I don’t think anybody could have coped with the way we played."
Warnock says he expects the Blues to bounce back against Cardiff: "I think you’ll see a different Ipswich performance on Saturday, but on the night we played very well and Roy will be the first to say that.
"But you can see the club has changed this year, you can see the optimism, you can see the fans raring to go and I think it’s a far better place now down here than it was last year.”