Town defender Tyrone Mings has lifted the lid on his recent dust-up with Brazilian counterpart Fabio in the recent home win over Cardiff.
The pair clashed just after the hour mark in a game which Town won 3-1, the flashpoint resulting in bookings for both Mings and the ex-Manchester United player, who was also immediately substituted by Bluebirds’ boss Russell Slade.
Mings revealed: "It was nothing really. He just kicked me and I said ‘Don’t do it again’. He just lost his head and I’m not really quite sure why I got booked. Maybe it was for winding him up.
"He didn’t speak any English the whole time and I don’t think he was best pleased about being subbed.”
The Town left-back may be relatively new to the professional game but he has little to learn when it comes to distinguishing between his off-field persona and the person he becomes once the referee blows his whistle to signal kick-off.
He smiled: "I remember the scout who signed me for Southampton telling my mum that I was a lovely guy off the pitch then adding ‘But when he gets on it he’d kick his own gran’. I guess that sums it up quite well.
"It’s a competitive atmosphere when you’re out there and I thrive on it. You’ve got to get the better of your opponent and by any means necessary. The trouble is, it doesn’t always work and sometimes I only wind myself up.”
Meanwhile, Mings has praised manager Mick McCarthy and his assistant, Terry Connor, for the huge part they have played in his development since being signed from non-league Chippenham.
He added: "The manager is very level. Everything he does is always very measured — I don’t know, but I guess that comes with age and learning from mistakes, just like everyone. He instils that in everyone, the calmness, because if you could see nerves in him it might affect you.
"He’s a very good man to be around when you want to get something done, like this week and the game against Nottingham Forest that could confirm our place in the play-offs, because he is just the same as he was in the first week of the season. He’s very good like that.
"Both him and Terry Connor have done everything I could have asked for. Obviously, they have given me my chance in professional football and they are very much like father figures to me, in terms of whether I need something off the pitch.
"When I first came up here Terry and his family were very welcoming because I was living down near the docks and so were they.
"Around Christmas time the manager was very quick to put his arm round me if there was something that wasn’t going my way.
"He says I have a look of arrogance on the pitch, which he likes, but he also says he has to remind himself that I have only made 36 starts in the Championship this season.
"He knows I am still learning and there is more that I can do, but he’s very good in terms of not letting things get to me. If there’s any stick flying about he usually takes the brunt of it.
"He is very quick to defend his players — he’s very loyal like that — and I couldn’t have asked for much more.
"He’s also taught me a lot in terms of defending and where I should be, and obviously everything that he’s done in the game can only benefit me if I keep listening and learning. He’s certainly been good for me.”