Town boss Mick McCarthy says today’s 0-0 home draw with Cardiff City was the type of match the Blues might have nicked all three points from last year. Despite recording their fourth home draw in a row - and their second successive 0-0 at Portman Road - McCarthy was pleased with his side’s performance and to have kept a clean sheet.
"We’ve got attacking players on the pitch, it’s just not happening for us at the moment but we’ve got a chance to build on it if we keep a clean sheet,” he said.
"If we’re one down and we have to get back into a game all the time that puts added pressure on them. I’m pleased with the clean sheet, delighted with the clean sheet, as I’m sure the lads are.
"We’ll just have to keep working and turn it into a win. Last year we would probably have nicked that, I keep saying that, but it’s just not happening at the moment.”
He added: "We’ve played well against a good team, they’re a good side. I’m not coming in here saying we deserved to win by a hatful, it was going to be a goal either way.
"They’ve only conceded 11 goals, they’re a tough nut to crack and the more we pushed the more you leave yourself a little bit open to the break and we got done a couple of times. But overall I thought we played well, it was a good performance.”
McCarthy feels his team has been more like themselves in recent games: "We’ve been far more competitive.
"We didn’t start competitive [today], it took me and TC to start barking at a few, I think, [for them to start] chasing things and hunting things down and competing for everything, because that’s the league.
"And when we did it, we got to grips with it in the first half, I thought we played really well and it was a far better performance.”
Striker Daryl Murphy came close to breaking his duck for the season when Cardiff keeper David Marshall tipped his header on to the woodwork, while the Irishman had a couple of other chances but found himself closed down before he could get in a shot.
McCarthy says it's no surprise that last season’s 27-goal top scorer might be lacking in a bit of confidence.
"It doesn’t matter what job you’re doing, if it’s just not happening for you at a certain period of time then your confidence will hardly be flowing,” he continued.
"He needs to find one from somewhere, he had a couple on his right foot where he’s checked back and tried to put it on his left and they defended them well.
"On a different day, maybe when he’s scored 20 goals, he swings his right foot and it flies in the net. But that is football, that’s strikers.”
McCarthy’s continued faith in Dean Gerken paid off with the keeper impressing and arguably Town’s man of the match: "I was asked a question the other night about being loyal to people and he was one of them.
"He’s been outstanding Gerks, he’s been fabulous. I’ve felt sorry for him with goals going in because they’ve not been his fault and he’s played well again today, as has their goalkeeper I might add.”
He added: "Gerks is a good goalkeeper. I’m very fortunate I’ve got two very good goalkeepers.
"And when one gets in it’s hard work for the other one, however it happens. Whether it’s because he got injured or there was a bereavement or somebody gets injured while his wife’s in hospital watching the game and he gets carried off on a stretcher with oxygen on his mouth.
"It’s been bizarre how they’ve [lost their places], neither one of them has been left out because of poor performances. I’m very fortunate goalkeeping area.
"Malcolm Webster, the goalkeeping coach, should take a lot of credit for that, he was the one when we brought them in that recommended them and he works with them.”
McCarthy had no issue with the second half penalty claim which saw Kevin Bru booked: "No. I had a complaint because I thought it was a foul on Murph [outside the area] before and I was appealing for the foul when Kevin went down.
"We were all having a look at it and it was one of them that could have been given, so I said ‘Kevin, was it a penalty?’ and he said ‘No’, so that cleared that up.
"I don’t want to be coming in here and bemoaning it and I don’t want to be going to the referee and bemoaning it because it was one of them that you can see it and see it, you can keep looking at it and you could make a case for it being a penalty.
"But I don’t want to be making a case for it, I want to know the truth and he said no, so it’s saved me all that embarrassment and growling at people.”
The Town boss praised the Portman Road crowd for the backing they gave his side: "They were brilliant, I think there was an added bit of support for us all there today, it was lovely.”
McCarthy says his side suffered no new injury problems with Jonas Knudsen expected to be available again after the hamstring problem which saw him miss today’s match.
However, he says Teddy Bishop is still a little way off a return to the senior side: "Bish has no chance for Tuesday, he’s only had the 90 minutes for the U21s and that doesn’t equip him well enough to play in the first team on Tuesday.”
The Blues manager says that despite the disappointment of not ending the winless run, the result and clean sheet are something to build on when Bolton are at Portman Road on Tuesday: "Absolutely. Providing we keep going like that and scrapping away and playing like that because we played well and we created some chances, something will drop for us. It’ll turn.”
Cardiff manager Russell Slade was pleased with his side’s continued solidity at the back but disappointed with their lack of penetration at the other end of the field.
"Somebody’s just told me that it’s the first time since 2005 we’ve had four clean sheets on the bounce,” he said.
"We’ve got that side of it right at the minute, clearly our problem is at the other end really.
"I think we had one more shot than Ipswich today, a couple of good chances in the second half Sammy Ameobi, Craig Noone in the dying minutes could probably have gone with his head rather than attempting to volley.”
He added: "I do see it that as a good point. Ipswich is always a difficult place to come and it’s been a difficult place for Cardiff to come. I think we’ve lost 21 and won 12, history will tell you, I was just looking in the programme.
"It’s always a difficult place to come and Mick McCarthy’s sides are always very difficult to play against.
"They’re fighting to turn their form around. Don’t forget, they were in the play-offs last season, that was the standard and we came here and got beaten 3-1.”