Boss Mick McCarthy has hailed Richard Stearman’s first half challenge on Crystal Palace left-back Jonathan Parr as a game-changing moment during Tuesday’s 3-0 home victory over the Eagles. The on-loan Wolves man made the very firm but fair challenge on the Norwegian in the 25th minute of the game midway inside the Blues half with the Palace man leaving the field due to injury soon afterwards.
"It was a game-changing tackle,” McCarthy said. "A number of things happened around that. I changed the way we were playing and put Jay in the centre of the park, but that lifted the crowd and lifted the team.
"I didn’t want to see the full-back get injured but the two of them tackled and he got the ball. There were no complaints from anybody about it. It was a fabulous tackle.
"It’s one of those that you have to get right because if you miss it you’re coming to sit with me or in the stand. It was a terrific challenge but I’m sorry the guy got injured, because I don’t want to see that.”
McCarthy also praised Frank Nouble’s two-goal display: "He’s only been denied his opportunities because when David McGoldrick and Murph were playing together I thought they were OK, I thought they were a decent partnership.
"Frank wasn’t perhaps ready when he walked in the door. He had his cameo at Peterborough and played really well and he would have stayed in the team, but he hurt his hamstring.
"And since then he’s been kind of missing and he deserved his chance, he’s been training very well.”
He says he’s not surprised that the 21-year-old is becoming popular with supporters: "I don’t know any fans that don’t like people that work hard. Your first port of call should be that.
"We all come in here and train every day and if we’re not fit enough to run around, it’s a disgrace. He’s got that, but then you’ve got to have the mentality to want to do it, and he has. He was great.
"But let me tell you, in the first 30 minutes there were none of them playing particularly well, except the back four and goalkeeper because we were fighting a good fight. Then after that he was terrific, his goals were excellent.”