Mick McCarthy said his side would “mix it up” when it comes to Ipswich Town’s style of play this season after a Brett Pitman goal gave the Blues a 1-0 friendly win over Colchester United.
Pitman scored in the 39th minute after latching on to a long through ball by Paul Digby which cleared the Colchester defence.
McCarthy, who revealed the club remained in discussions with potential new signings, said: "We had loads of fans here and they want to see us win.
"I think they have seen us play some decent football, trying to develop it a bit better, because at the end of last season, it was annoying me a bit — I wasn’t enjoying it.
"But yet the goal we got was a ball stuck in behind. If you have space in the middle of the park and willing runners, you can’t stop doing that.
"Strangely enough their best chance was at the end of the game when they stuck one in behind us. You have to mix it up — you can’t be all one and you can’t be all the other.
"I screamed at Diggers just before, then low and behold he drops it in behind and we score. That’s where the run is. That’s not Neanderthal football, that’s clever football. That’s playing and creating space by making them drop off.”
While the style of Ipswich’s play remains a hot topic among fans, so does the lack of new signings — though Adam Webster played his first minutes in a Town shirt at the Weston Homes Stadium.
While revealing discussions were ongoing, McCarthy wasn’t exactly adamant he would be bringing in more recruits ahead of the season opener against Barnsley on August 6th.
He said: "Potentially there are a few loans, a few permanents, but we will see. We are in discussions with different people.
"There are some real big spenders in our league this year who are doing all the deals and there are a few of us beneath that who are trying to manufacture deals or maybe swaps or free transfers, if someone wants to get someone off the wage bill.
"That’s where we are at. If that’s the way it is, we will do it and we will do it well and I am sure we will rub a few wealthy noses in along the way.”
Speaking of the Colchester win, which saw Town claim the Alderton Trusler Cup, McCarthy added: "It’s a good win, no injuries and no knocks as far as I know. It’s nice to win and get a clean sheet. It means a lot to the fans and I still want to win.”
Photos: Richard Calver