Mick McCarthy was disappointed for the fans that the Blues couldn’t win their home festive fixture against Brighton on New Year’s Day. Overall though, the Town manager was pleased that his side managed six points from the three games during the Christmas-New Year period.
McCarthy said: "It was disappointing for our fans, I felt really bad and I would love to have had three points and a good performance because they come and watch us and they are our lifeblood.
"It was really sad that we couldn’t manage that. But the reality is, you pick your points up. We were bottom with seven however many games ago and now were on 30, five points clear of the relegation zone and in a lot better position.
"Whenever we pick our points up that enable us to stay up between now and May 4th, I’m not bothered, as long we get enough and we keep picking them up.”
He feels that tiredness was a factor in the 3-0 defeat to the Seagulls: "I just think Brighton was a game too many for us with the team I had out playing. That was the best team, we’d won the games, we’d played well, so you leave well alone.
"I think we just got done with the corner kick, we got blocked, which I said is part of the game. My annoyance is that we got blocked for the first one and we got done again [later in the half].
"Then having conceded the goal, the second goal was a good goal by them but I still think we could have defended better and it really was game over then.
"They sat back and were allowed to defend, as they do and were good at it, they’ve got the second best defensive record, and we just didn’t have a pass or a shot or a cross or anything of any great quality that could open them up.
"But I can’t complain, if someone had said to me ‘I’ll give you four points over Christmas’ I would have took it. Three at home, maybe one away.
"Five points I would have been dancing in the street, so to get six and actually to beat two of our closest rivals in Wolves and Charlton and bring them closer to us, [I was delighted]. Brighton are a decent side who should be pushing the top six.”