Boss Mick McCarthy felt the Blues’ 3-3 draw at Notts County was a game of two halves, affected by the inevitable pre-season substitution.
McCarthy said: "Two different halves completely, wasn’t it? First half, I thought we were excellent and probably should have been out of sight with the chances we had.
"Then I made a load of changes. I was conscious of getting other people games. It doesn’t help the continuity. They did as well.
"Tayls’s goal should have sealed it and then they gave a freekick here which was never a freekick, but we should have defended it better.
"It told me a lot about individuals and us as a team. But in the first half we were different class.”
Whether his starting line-up is the side which will begin the game at Reading next week, the Town boss was remaining tightlipped: "If it was do you think I’d tell you?
"I said to them all, I said ‘I’ll be taking most of you off after 45 minutes and in your 45 minutes give me something to think about’. As I said, they were excellent in the first 45 minutes, and they were.”
McCarthy gave Ryan Tunnicliffe his first appearance for Town as a sub in the second half and outlined what sort of player the loanee is "He’s a good footballing, but energetic, powerful midfield player, who can play in the Championship, that’s what he is, with a view to going back and getting into the Man United team. So it’s a great opportunity for him.”
Regarding injuries, left-back Aaron Cresswell would appear to be a doubt for the season opener at the Madejski Stadium having been substituted after nine minutes against the Magpies: "He’s had a bit of a thigh strain [throughout pre-season].
"We didn’t train him yesterday to get him ready for today. He said he was fine and he was. It was such a shame as he was very good in the bit of time he was on.
Midfielder Anthony Wordsworth was brought on at half-time and lasted an even shorter time: "Calf tightened up,” McCarthy explained.
Skipper Carlos Edwards was still absent having been away with Trinidad and Tobago at the Gold Cup in the US but his manager says he will be back with the squad this week: "He should be back in on Monday.”