Boss Paul Jewell was pleased with what he felt was a gritty 0-0 draw at Leeds United. Town started brightly but after the early stages the home side were the greater attacking force but without overly testing Blues keeper Márton Fülöp.
Jewell said: "I think we were all over them in the first 10 seconds! I thought we did OK in the first half. We started the game pretty well.
"Obviously Leeds score loads of goals but it was at the back where we tried to get at them. I thought early on we were doing that but we couldn’t get the finishing touch.
"It was a scrappy game on a very difficult pitch, there wasn’t an awful lot of football played and it was a gritty performance.
"I was disappointed with our attacking play in the second half but defensively I have to say we were excellent. They’ve had a few long range shots but other than that I don’t think they caused us too many problems."
Jewell had particular praise for centre-half Gareth McAuley: "I thought he was excellent today, he even got angry in the second half, that’s the first time I’ve seen that.”
Leeds felt they should have been awarded a penalty when the ball struck McAuley in the first half from an Andy O’Brien shot but the Blues boss says he missed the incident and had praise for referee Darren Deadman, despite the home crowd giving him a hard time in the first half: "I didn’t see it. I thought the referee was good.
"I thought the referee stood up because I know what Leeds are like, every time the ball goes in the box they want a penalty and it’s quite a vociferous crowd and I thought the referee stood up to them quite well.”
Overall, Jewell wasn’t too disappointed to be returning to Suffolk with the draw: "I’m never happy, but I’m pleased with a point at Leeds. I’ve said before when we’ve lost games that we’ve got to turn those defeats into draws.
"It was never a classic 0-0 but it was the type of 0-0 we’ve been lacking, certainly since I’ve been here and 0-0 away from home is never a bad result.”
Leeds boss Simon Grayson was pleased with his side’s display, if not the result: "It was frustrating in terms of the attacking side of the team.
"I thought we played well, we passed the ball around, created some good chances, defended well, both individually and collectively as a team, but we just didn’t quite get the breaks in the 18-yard box when we needed a goal.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game today. We knew that we had to stay in the game for large periods and that there wasn’t going to be much between the teams. With the individuals Ipswich have got in Bullard, Wickham, Priskin and Kieron Dyer, I thought it was going to be a tough afternoon for us.
"We kept plugging away, the manner of how we played was very good and it rounded off a good week.”
Grayson felt Town started strongly but his side quickly got on top: "For 20 minutes I thought they dictated for large parts but we got a foothold on the game. We passed it around, kept them penned in and had some half-decent opportunities.
"I thought we had a really strong claim for a penalty in the first half and in the second half we looked like the only team that was going to win it, but we didn’t quite have the finesse to break them down or get the breaks when it mattered, but the players can be really pleased with how they played today.”
The Whites manager wasn’t surprised that Paul Jewell, who signed him on loan when he was Sheffield Wednesday boss, had praise for the referee: "Jagger will do, won’t he!
"It’s difficult to comment. I thought we should have had a penalty when [Gareth McAuley’s] hands were down by his side and then O’Brien shoots and they’re up to stop the ball with it goalbound.
"It’s a difficult job, but they do frustrate you at times and they do have to be strong because it’s a difficult place to referee at this club. But Paul will be happy and we might be a frustrated about a few of his decisions.”