Boss Mick McCarthy admitted that Millwall deserved all three points after Town’s 1-0 defeat at the Den, debutant Ryan Fredericks netting the winner with a 40th minute cross which eluded Blues keeper Dean Gerken.
"We deserved to lose because they played better and we played badly,” he said. "I thought they played very well, to be honest.
"I didn’t think for a minute that they’ve got a bad squad of players, I think if you look back at my quotes from when we won 3-0, I said I didn’t think it was a 3-0.
"They’ve got a good squad and, fair play to Ollie, he’s got them going today. But it was always going to be the case.
"The crowd were up, they played well and we’ve let a bit of a blooper in. Despite everything else, if you let one of them in, you’re not going to win.”
The Blues boss, who started his management career with the Lions, was in no doubt that the goal was down to a goalkeeping error and said Gerken felt the same: "Yes, and he does himself.
"I think he just misread the flight of it. When he put it in I thought ‘Happy days, it’s going behind’. But I’m not in the nets, the keeper’s there to stop it.”
Immediately after the goal Gerken was spotted remonstrating with his defenders, perhaps, it was suggested, as they’d indicated to him that it was going over.
But McCarthy said that wouldn’t have been the case: "If somebody shouted at him and told him to leave it and he did, I’d be seriously upset with him. No, he’s just misjudged it, he obviously thinks it’s going over the bar.”
McCarthy thought the early injury to Luke Hyam was a contributing factor to his side taking a long time to settle: "It doesn’t help, he’s been an ever-present just about, and it’s a nasty cut he’s got. To be fair, I thought out of all our subs I thought Tabby did great.
"The game had settled down then and the goal came out of the blue, it changes it completely because the game was going nowhere until he picked the top corner out. It just changed the course of game for them, unfortunately.
"He’s got a nasty cut, he’s gone to get it cleaned out, stitched up and we’ll have to wait and see until we get a proper thorough assessment on it to see what he’s done. It’s a real bad cut on his leg.”
The Town boss had no problem with Liam Trotter’s challenge which led to Hyam’s injury: "I don’t get too upset with tackles. I think they both went for the ball. I don’t get wrapped up in all that.”
Hyam later tweeted having been released from hospital: "Thanks for all the messages. Thankfully it was only a bad gash and nothing worse. Shame about the result, back [at] it next week!"
McCarthy also played down a late spat with his Millwall opposite number Ian Holloway: "There was some suggestion that one of our players should have been booked and I don’t get into that. But Ollie and I are good mates, I’ve no problem with him.”
Holloway, who picked up his first Millwall win in his first home game, was delighted: "I’m made up, I think the lads deserved it. We took on a fantastic bloke, you’ve only got to look at what he’s done in the last year or so, it’s almost a miracle.
"I think he’ll be disappointed, if he’s honest, that we were up for a fight, we were ready for it. My question is ‘Where’s that been?’.
"It was a fluke goal, I don’t think Ryan meant to do that, it was a cross. I’m just delighted we held on. Yes, we could have scored a couple more, but I’m very pleased with the lads because what I asked for, they gave me and for me that’s the bare minimum.”
Holloway said he had apologised to McCarthy for their touchline squabble: "We had a ruck on the side, I said that that bloke deliberately blocked somebody so Danny Shittu got smashed into.
"I mentioned booking him and I shouldn’t have said anything because Mick would never do that and I’ve just apologised to him. I was so caught up in things there, I’ve got to make sure I control that or I could be in trouble. But it’s only passion.”