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McCarthy Happy With Point and Hails Williams For Impact - Ipswich Town News

Town boss Mick McCarthy was happy with a point after the Blues drew 1-1 at Sheffield Wednesday and felt the game was set up for re-signing Jonny Williams to come off the bench to score the equaliser.

"It was hard-fought, hard-earned, a deserved point and I’m pleased with a point,” he said.

"I thought we had some nice football in the first half and kept it but they were letting us do it and we didn’t really hurt them.

"We had a nice spell just before half-time with a couple of good chances. I think on reflection it was probably even on chances.

"I know they had a couple in the net. I don’t know why [Kamil Zayatte’s] goal from the other corner was disallowed, perhaps he pushed him. The other one was offside. If they are, they are, that’s the way it is.

"I was disappointed with the goal we conceded because that’s unlike us. But maybe I can take a bit of stick for that because we deal with the near post and perhaps it needs explaining a little bit more. It will get done now.”

As for Williams’s goal, the Town manager was unsurprisingly ecstatic: "I thought it was absolutely flipping brilliant! It’s the equaliser so if it had gone in off his backside it wouldn’t have bothered me, but it was a good goal.

"He knows how to make an impact. It was set up for him, wasn’t it, having done so well for us last season and having come back.

"He was never going to start, not with how well we’ve been playing. Neil Warnock asked me ‘Will he play?’. I said ‘He’ll play’ but I told him I’m not so sure where, but he’ll play, we’ll get him on the pitch. He had an instant impact.”

Did he think Williams handled the ball as he took it down? "Absolutely not! Not got a flipping clue, couldn’t see it.

"What do you expect me to say? I thought both their disallowed goals were offside and a foul and I thought our goal was perfectly great.

"If I could actually see them, I would be brutally honest about it. If we’ve been crap I’ll say we’re crap. If we’ve been deservedly beaten, I say we’ve been deservedly beaten.

"I don’t know. The referee makes his decisions honestly and I’ve said that when they make the against me as well. I’ve no idea.”

McCarthy explained why Williams switched to a blank shirt from his number 50 prior to coming on: "I think we put him down as 15. I think TC probably couldn’t believe he was number 50, so he had the wrong number on, but hey ho.”

As for the 20-year-old’s exit two minutes before the end, McCarthy added: "He had a bit of a groin, he shouldn’t have because he had a good warm-up at half-time. It wasn’t like we just stuck him on. I’d primed him that he was going on.

"But we’ve got Nottingham Forest on Sunday and then we’ve got a two-week break, so he’ll be fine.”

Meanwhile, Williams told the club site: "That was a great debut and one I won’t forget quickly!

"It was a great feeling to score so soon after coming on and it was fantastic to celebrate with the lads and, of course, the fans, who have been brilliant with me.

"I signed on Monday and to be honest it doesn’t really feel like I’ve been away. It was great to see so many familiar faces and I felt we deserved the point tonight.

"Sheffield Wednesday are a good side so it has to be seen as a good result, although it would have been nice to get the win.

"I came off towards the end as I just felt my groin, but I’m hoping I will be okay for the Forest game on Sunday. I’ll be in tomorrow to work with the physio team.”

Wednesday boss Stuart Gray says he expected Town to be tough proposition: "I saw these play at Wigan and credit to Mick, he plays to his strengths. He gets the ball forward to the three big strong lads up front. He’s got midfield men running on.

"But it’s the quality from back to front. They don’t really play through the midfield and when I saw them at Wigan they dominated the game.

"Credit to my players, especially when we lost Kamil Zayatte with a hamstring.

"You know before the game when you’re delegating players to pick up at set plays, every one of them is taller than us. But to be fair to my players we caused them problems at set plays. We got our noses in front with a good goal from Atdhe Nuhiu.

"I haven’t seen the second and the third one that the referee or the linesman disallowed. I just felt that Atdhe’s second goal looked onside.”

He added: "I think he disallowed the second for Kamil climbing over Chambers. As for Atdhe’s one, I can’t see him being offside there but the linesman was very quick to get his flag up."

Regarding Town's goal, he felt his side might have done better: "I think it was tired minds because they got the ball forward so many times.

"Maybe it was just one tired clearance that just dropped to the boy Williams, who had just come on.

"I’m a little bit disappointed that my midfield aren’t smothering him but he’s ended up getting a shot in and it’s dropped into the bottom corner.”

Did the Wales international handle the ball as he took it down? "I saw probably 100 fans in that corner appealing for a handball. It’s normally one or two, but when it’s about 100 you think it must have been handball.”

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