Town boss Mick McCarthy says he expects the Championship promotion battle to go right to the very end this season just as it did in the last campaign. The Blues are currently top of the table after the first three games on goals scored from Hull City.
McCarthy says he’s not concerned that fans are starting to get excited about the prospect of automatic promotion at such an early point in proceedings: "It doesn’t bother me one way or the other.
"We want to get automatically promoted, don’t we, so it’s better that they’re talking about that rather than saying we’re going to get relegated.
"But realistically, we’ve had three games. We’ve seen how fickle this league can be with our first game [at Brentford] and with the results on Wednesday night, all the goals that were scored late on and matches ended up as draws or somebody was winning and got beaten.
"That’s going to go right to the very end again. There are no certs, we’re going to have to play as well as we’ve played in the last three league games and we’re going to have work as hard for another 43 and keep fit and carry a bit of luck and all those things that go with it.
"But I believe I’ve got a good squad and I’ve got a good team and when they’re all fit they’re great.”
McCarthy has no problem with there being a bit more pressure this season, the Blues having finished in the play-offs last year: "If that’s the case that’s it. I prefer that they expect things from me and they expect things from my team and from us, that we’re going to be successful as opposed to turning up with apathy and not being bothered about the place.
"I think I’m old enough and wise enough and long enough in the tooth to be able to cope with that.”
McCarthy was delighted to see his team record their first clean sheet for 12 games in all competitions on Tuesday, which he says is something which is significant for his backline: "That’s really important for defenders.
"Me, as a player, and you still tend to judge things on how you played, if I came off and we’d had a 0-0 draw, I might not be happy that we’d missed chances but [I would be that we’d got the clean sheet].
"I don’t want to win 3-2, I like to have a clean sheets because it reflects badly on you, as a back four, as a goalkeeper, a back five if you keep conceding goals.
"And you’re likely to concede more because you don’t play with the same confidence. Clean sheets give you confidence as well.”
The Blues boss was delighted with keeper Bartosz Bialkowski’s performance, but says it wasn’t just an isolated good display from the Pole.
"It wasn’t just Tuesday night, he’s in the team and he played all the games towards the end of last season and he’s started this season,” McCarthy said. "He’s a very good goalkeeper and he’s keeping a very good goalkeeper out.
"He’ll have to pull his finger out of his backside and play well because I’m afraid Gerks is prowling around him ready to pounce, make no bones about that. If he doesn’t play well there’s a really willing and able one just waiting to get in.”
He added: "It was a fabulous save [from Michael Keane’s header close to the end on Tuesday] but he does that in training on a regular basis. He pulls saves off where you just wonder how he could even conceivably get something on it.”
The Town manager is pleased with the way Cole Skuse and Jonathan Douglas have immediately clicked in central midfield.
"I’m obviously delighted but it’s no surprise to me,” he continued. "Skusey’s been outstanding since he walked through the door and Jonny Douglas has played I don’t know how many league games. I tried to sign him a long time ago when I was at Wolves.
"They are just two good midfield players, very solid, very organised, they’ve really balanced off one another, if one’s gone forward, one’s sat. They’re really experienced and they’ve played very well together and I’m delighted with it.”"
McCarthy says his team is one full of captains: "I think that’s been the case now for a while. I think last season was the same. If you looked at the back four we had Chambo, Tommy and Christophe. OK, Ty was a young ‘un but both goalkeepers have got a lot of experience.
"In the midfield areas we’ve got it and with the front lads, all the strikers. Freddie’s not that old but he’s had plenty of experience in terms of playing. It’s a good experienced squad.”