Manager Mick McCarthy admitted that Town’s final day of the season 2-0 defeat at Burnley lacked the intensity it would have had if the Blues had still needed points to stay up. Second half goals from Junior Stanislas and Martin Paterson saw the Clarets to victory.
"It didn’t did it?” McCarthy conceded. "I thought we had a decent first half, I thought we were the better team in the first half, we started really well.
"But neither team had the edge and they got a wonder strike which changed it. It took a deflection, I believe. That just changed the course of the game.
"We had an objective to stay up and it happened last week and with the best will in the world, it’s hard work to come back in on the Monday or Tuesday and crack on.
"I thought we did all right but then the goal went in, although we had a few chances after that, I thought Jack Marriott did all right, had a good shot and a good header, but they did. It looked like it was going to peter out to a 0-0 until Stanislas smashed that in.”
As well as having praise for Marriott, McCarthy was pleased with the other debutant Tyrone Mings: "I thought Tyrone was excellent, I was really pleased with him. But had we been needing something it wouldn’t have been that team, I wouldn’t have done that.
"Do you know what? I’m not really bothered about the game. I’m not, because that wouldn’t have been the team I would have played if we’d have come up with an edge to us, and I thought we played well enough.
"I think our fans will understand me playing the team I did and having a look at one or two. It gave me the opportunity and I’m glad nothing was resting on it. I think we were worthy of a draw, but it didn’t happen.”
He added: "In no way shape or form am I going to come in and start criticising them and giving out to them.
"They have been fabulous, they have been amazing, to get 53 points from the games that we’ve had and I can’t knock them.
"We had that objective and once you’ve reached that objective it’s a little bit hard to keep your foot to the floor. It’s a fair achievement to end up where we’ve ended up.”
Burnley boss Sean Dyche was pleased to finish on a winning note: "Of course. There have been a lot of questions asked over the last few months, so I can answer them as best I can and the answer is 11th in the Championship, arguably the toughest ever Championship. Certainly in my lifetime. That’s an achievement itself.