x

McCarthy Pleased Town Seen as Set-Piece Threat - Ipswich Town News

Boss Mick McCarthy is delighted that opposition managers see the Blues as a potent threat from set pieces.

Reading boss Nigel Adkins and Birmingham manager Lee Clark both commented on the height in the Town side and the Blues' potency from freekicks and corners, although McCarthy says teams tend to be bigger in the Championship these days.

Town came within a whisker of claiming a point at the Madejski Stadium when Tyrone Mings's late header was diverted onto the bar from Paul Anderson’s corner.

Then at St Andrew’s on Tuesday Christophe Berra’s first equaliser came from an Anderson freekick.

"It’s part of the game, isn’t it?” McCarthy said. "I stand in the tunnel with both sets of players and I used to get called ‘Big Man’ when I was up in Scotland, but I don’t know where that came from, I’m smaller than most of them in both teams.

"I didn’t see any of the Birmingham back four that were midgets. Did anybody see any small ones in their back four or their centre forwards, who won lots of headers?

"I think they’ve got a fairly big team, Lee Novak must be 6ft 1in tall, so I think that’s a bit of a [exaggeration] to say we’re a huge team.

"And apparently we have the smallest player in the league [Jay Tabb], who despite that gets his foot stuck in, according to the Birmingham programme.

"It’s part of the game, freekicks and corners, throw-ins whatever it is. However you can score your goals, it doesn’t matter to me how we get them.”

Meanwhile, Town striker Jack Marriott was pleased to make his Carlisle debut as they drew 0-0 at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old, who was replaced after 82 minutes, joined the Cumbrians on a month’s loan earlier in the week.

"It was good to be involved at Cheltenham,” he told the Carlisle official website. "This is a move I’ve looked forward to because I feel I’m ready to play league football.

"I loved my time at Woking and I’ve got a lot of time for that club because they did a lot for me.

"However, I’m now ready for the challenge of League Two then, hopefully, I’ll get back into the Ipswich Town first team.”

What to read next:

Hirst: Childhood Dream to Go to a World Cup
Blues striker George Hirst says Scotland qualifying for the World Cup is a childhood dream, Steve Clarke’s side having secured their spot at next summer’s finals via a remarkable 4-2 victory over 10-man Denmark on Tuesday evening at Hampden Park, netting twice in injury time to claim the three points they needed to top the group.
Knapper: Selling Nunez to Town the Right Decision
Norwich City sporting director Ben Knapper has insisted selling midfielder Marcelino Nunez to the Blues in the summer was the right decision.
Ireland Travel to Czechia, Wales Host Bosnians and Swedes at Home to Albania in World Cup Play-Offs
The Republic of Ireland will travel to face Czechia in their World Cup qualification play-off semi-final, while Wales will host Bosnia & Herzegovina in theirs and Sweden will be at home to Albania, the draw having taken place at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland this lunchtime.
Walle Egeli: When I Heard Ipswich, It Was Clear That Was Where I Wanted to Go
Town forward Sindre Walle Egeli says his eyes were set on Portman Road from the moment the Blues showed an interest over the summer transfer window.
[Podcast] Life's a Pitch TV - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Life's a Pitch TV team is now available.
Schwartz: Resources Will Be Available in January
Ed Schwartz, CEO of ORG, the majority shareholder in the Blues, says the there will be resources made available for whatever is needed to be done during the January transfer window.
Ashton: We Must Shape the Regulator
Blues CEO and chairman Mark Ashton believes football should shape the new independent regulator and revealed that the governing bodies use Town’s ownership as an example of how they would like clubs to be run.
McKenna: The Championship This Time Around is Different
Boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking about the differences between life in the Championship this season, when the Blues were among the pre-season favourites, and two years ago when Town came up from League One as unfancied outsiders, citing the reduced ball-in-play time as symptomatic of the way teams’ approaches have changed.
Negri Named in England U23s Squad
Town Women’s keeper Natalia Negri has been named in the England U23s squad for their November fixtures.
International Round-Up
Another busy international break has passed with five of Town’s first-team players involved. Here is the round-up of all the November action.