Boss Roy Keane blamed a silly five-minute spell just before half-time for the Blues’ 2-1 defeat at Watford. Town conceded goals from Stephen McGinn and Marvin Sordell shortly before half-time, the Blues having shaded what had been a tight game up to that point.
Keane said: "A silly five-minute spell in the first half has cost us. Like on Saturday, the first goal was particularly disappointing and to concede the second just on half-time was a big blow for us.
"Second half I thought we responded pretty well, we knew if we got a goal back we’d have a chance and I think the players deserved a touch better than what we got tonight. Our second half performance was very good, our first half performance wasn’t exactly poor.
"But they were two poor goals to give away, although having said that I’d give the boy credit for the second, that was a good finish.”
Keane was pleased with the way his team started the game after the recent habit of beginning matches slowly: "Jason and Tamás had some half-chances and generally there wasn’t much in the game.
"At half-time we’d have taken that with the way our season’s panning out with us better in the second half. The first goal was disappointing, but then the second one more so.
"You go in at 1-0 and you’re still in with a chance. We could have done with scoring a touch earlier but I still thought there was plenty of time to get an equaliser and we nearly did it, but as you all know, nearly never made it.”
Keane confirmed that keeper Márton Fülöp missed out due to a back injury he has been carrying since going away with Hungary and could be a doubt for Saturday’s game at Nottingham Forest.
Hornets boss Malky Mackay was happy with his side’s second home win of the season, a victory which has taken his team to third in the table: "It was really pleasing to get three points at Vicarage Road, get another win under our belts and it was especially pleasing after the performance we put in on Saturday at Portsmouth.
"With the way we went down there and applied ourselves I was disappointed we didn’t get something from the game, so to come here tonight against a good Ipswich team who have been flying high and come out with a result, I’m delighted.”