Town boss Mick McCarthy was delighted with his team’s performance despite being disappointed to lose 1-0 to Derby County in a “close-fought game” at Portman Road. Tom Ince’s 40th minute goal - which video evidence suggests was offside - was the difference between the teams.
"It was a pretty good game, a close-fought game, there wasn’t a lot in it except we’ve [conceded],” McCarthy said.
"It’s always a good goal when you score it, but it’s a bad goal from our point of view, we’re in possession.
"I think it took a deflection [off Jonas Knudsen] in the end and went past Gerks, that’s the bit of good fortune.
"I’ve looked at it and I think it is offside, but I’m not complaining about that. I’ll complain about that in my report to the referee and his assessors.
"If it is, that’s their good bit of luck and good luck to them because we’ll get one somewhere along the line as well.
"I thought we played well, I’m delighted with the performance, really pleased, just disappointed with the end result.”
VIDEO: Mick McCarthy gives us his honest assessment of Town's 1-0 defeat to @dcfcofficial this afternoon #itfc
https://t.co/XS1bNjmtUO– Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) December 19, 2015
He added: "I think they’ve got the best away defence in the league, they’re a good team.
"I’m not going to criticise my players. There were times when we might have had a better pass, a better cross, a bit more composure, a different choice, but when we stop teams doing it I tend to take the credit for that, and my team takes the credit.
"So perhaps you have to give them a bit of credit for that. They’re a good side. If anybody finishes above them and Middlesbrough I’ll be very, very surprised.”
The Blues again found themselves falling short against one of the division’s top teams - they have beaten only Burnley of those in the top five - and McCarthy says they’ve some more tough games to come with visits to Brighton and Burnley following the Boxing Day match against APR.
"We’ve got another two coming up,” he said. "Maybe three because QPR are resurgent I think with Jimmy Floyd and the players they’ve put back in.
"But I’m not going to go home and be holding myself in judgment or have any recriminations about how I set up the team or how we played because I think it was a good performance against a good side.
Luke Varney admitted to @JWOgle that he had 'mixed emotions', after making his return in the defeat to Derby #itfc
https://t.co/hJgWfmEhTN– Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) December 19, 2015
"So I’ve no complaints with my team’s performance, I’ve got a complaint with the goal we conceded because we had the ball and it shouldn’t end up in the net as easily as that. Just tiny little detail.
"And if it had ended up 0-0 I would have walked off and thought ‘That’s a good point against a good side’.”
The Blues boss had no complaints about the incident which saw Rams midfielder Jacob Butterfield booked for wrestling Cole Skuse having fouled the Town man.
"That’s part of the game,” McCarthy said. "Me the shrinking violet start whinging about people being competitive?
"I don’t think there was anything in that game, even Tom Ince kicking Ryan Fraser in the face.
"Christophe Berra did it as well and it was a booking. I said to the fourth official that he didn’t mean to kick it in the face, he went to kick the ball and it was an accident and it was the same with Ince.
"And all that wrestling, it was no trouble to me at all, none whatsoever. If you’re not competitive you’ll get shafted every week. They’re a competitive team, we are. No complaints.”
The Town manager felt that overall both central defensive pairings had the better of the strikers they were up against.
"Except for one occasion,” he said ruefully. "I thought they were great, I think their two lads are very good, both Richard Keogh and Jason Shackell.
"I signed Shackell years ago and he’s become a very, very good defender, he’s one of the best in the league, I think, as is Keogh, I think they’re very good.”
McCarthy was pleased to be able to introduce Ryan Fraser from the bench in the second half, the Scotland U21 international having been out since early October.
"I hear people bleating when they’ve got one player missing and it changes their team and I’m not bleating, but we’ve had Ryan missing who’s missing who has scored four goals and started.
"We’ve also had Bish missing all season, Kevin Bru for a big part, David McGoldrick’s been missing. I think anybody’s going to miss them.
"So to have three of them back with Luke Varney signing, it’s tough for them going on but those minutes in their legs will help them further on.”
McCarthy said Jonny Parr missed out on a place on the bench having picked up a niggle:"He’s got a tight calf.”
Derby manager Paul Clement felt his team were given a far from comfortable afternoon: "It was such a hard-fought game, maybe the hardest game physically we’ve been involved in this season. It’s a massive three points for us.”
He was pleased with the way his players stood up to the physical challenge presented by the Blues.
"We’ve done it before but that’s no guarantee you’re going to do it again,” he added. "We spoke about it before in our analysis of Ipswich, what to expect.
"To expect it from the first minute to the last minute, that chances would be few and far between.
"The best opportunities would come from counters and they did. There were very few chances overall for both teams. But we had to really stand up to a aerial onslaught.
"Our centre-backs were outstanding and the team one to 11 and the guys that went on and finished the game as well, it was a proper men’s performance today.”