Town manager Paul Jewell felt his side never recovered from conceding Ben Marshall’s freekick moments before half-time during their 2-1 home defeat to Leicester City. Jason Scotland had put the Blues in front four minutes before Marshall’s injury time goal with David Nugent netting the winner for the Foxes in the second half.
Jewell said: "In the first half we played well, we were in the ascendancy and were the far superior team — lots of crosses, lots of shots.
"Then to go in at half-time after the manner that they equalised was a right kick in the teeth and in the second half we didn’t seem to recover from it. We were laboured, we got stretched and we went out with a whimper really.”
The Blues boss wasn’t quite sure how Marshall’s freekick made it beyond the wall but thought keeper Arran Lee-Barrett ought to have saved it however it did so: "It took a deflection, I’m not sure whether it went through the wall or by the side of it.
"If it went through the wall, it’s disappointing and if it did so the keeper should save it, it’s a long way out.
"It was a cheap freekick we gave away. As I say, that kicked us right in the teeth. It was almost the last kick of the first half.
"It’s the worst time to concede a goal. It gave them a lift because I thought we were decent in the first half. Second half they came out, made a couple of changes and picked up the tempo.”
Jewell admitted that it wasn’t the first time his team had faded after the break in recent matches: "In the first half against Watford and against Derby were excellent and today was excellent.
"But in all those second halves we haven’t performed, but you’re never going to be on top of a game for 90 minutes.”
The Liverpudlian made four changes to his starting line-up which he says was to give a few players rest with games having come thick and fast recently: "We’ve kept the same team for quite a while. I know they kept their same team from Saturday, but I thought the lads needed a bit of a breather, one or two have been a bit jaded of late. So I made a few changes, it didn’t work but after 45 minutes we were looking good.”
Jewell was pleased with debutant Ryan Stevenson: "He was absolutely knackered, that’s the only reason we brought him off.
"I thought he showed great tenacity and great endeavour but that’s his first game since December and he had to come off as he was in danger of pulling something.”
The Blues boss says Leicester are a decent side who he expects to reach the Premier League before too long: "They’re a good team. If they don’t go up this season, I feel they’re certainties to go up next year with the squad they’ve got - not just the team, the squad. They’ll think they’ve got a chance of getting there this season.”
Jewell is well aware of David Nugent’s record against the Blues: "You always fear when the crowd boo him because players like that thrive on it. He was always going to score.”
Foxes boss Nigel Pearson was pleased with his team’s display which leaves them three points from the play-offs: "We’re still hanging in there. It was a great result for us. We certainly played a lot better than we did on Saturday.”
Pearson made two changes at the break as he thought his side seemed jaded in the first half: "I just felt that we didn’t really look to have the energy levels that we needed, so it was a case of making a couple of changes to inject some fresh legs into the team.
"I thought Paul Gallagher had an immediate effect in terms of what he brings to the team quality-wise.
"I thought it was a good second half for us and I never felt we were in any danger. I thought we could have won it more convincingly.”
Sub Andy King was booked for a dive, a decision his manager thought referee Tony Bates got wrong: "Not particularly happy about the booking of King but you’ve got deal with decisions like that during a game.
"The player couldn’t understand what the referee was talking about. We felt that there were a number of incidents which were a bit odd, but that’s life. We didn’t let it affect us.”
Pearson said he wasn’t aware of Nugent’s record at Portman Road and against Town: "I never look at stuff like that.”