Boss Mick McCarthy feels there is little between the Blues and Championship leaders Burnley, who left Suffolk having won a tight game 1-0 on Saturday. Scott Arfield’s 80th minute goal gave the Clarets their first win at Portman Road since January 1970 and only the second in their history.
"There’s not a great deal between us and Burnley at all,” said the Blues boss. "I’m disappointed that we didn’t get anything from the game. I think Burnley defended well. I should give them a bit of credit.”
Clarets’ keeper Tom Heaton was hardly overworked by McCarthy’s frontmen, but he points out that his own keepers — Dean Gerken was replaced by Scott Loach in the first half due to a dead leg — had similarly quiet afternoons.
"I can’t remember Gerks or Loachy making too many saves either,” he said. "It was a tight game and it wasn’t a striker it was a wide player that’s come and scored with a header.
"We’re playing against the two most prolific strikers in the league and our two centre-backs have been different class and haven’t given them too many sniffs.
"So, the performance has been good, but I’m always going to be disappointed when we’ve lost.”
The victory increased Burnley's lead over QPR at the top of the table to two points, while their start to the season is now their best since 1897. Leeds beating Birmingham at Elland Road on Sunday pushed Town down to 12th.
Several of Sunday’s papers continued to claim that McCarthy is the man the FAI want to take over as manager of Ireland with the Blues boss having added little to his earlier comments after Saturday's game: "There’s nothing I can do about it.
"I’ve been the favourite for jobs before and never been near them when they've come up. I’m genuinely not interested in all the speculation.”
Defender Tommy Smith said the Town squad would be disappointed if McCarthy were to move on: "We don’t want him to go. He’s been really good for us and if he stays then that would be magnificent.
"He’s now had the time to build his own squad. Performances have been good and we’ve got something to build on. If a change of manager happens then you’ve got to start all over again.
"We want to see him stay, definitely. He gets the best out of his players. He’s not shy to have a laugh and joke with us at the right times but when he needs to be serious, he’s that man as well. He’s got good man-management skills.”
Meanwhile, Town's U21s are in action against Bristol City at Portman Road this evening (KO 7pm).
Elsewhere, former Blue Hermann Hreidarsson has left his job as manager of ÃBV back in his native Iceland for personal reasons. Hreidarsson, 39, took over as boss in September 2012.