Town boss Mick McCarthy said all he's concerned with is getting enough points to secure the Blues' Championship status and then "have a sort out " while in this division after the 1-1 home draw with Birmingham played in front of a frustrated and ill-tempered Portman Road crowd.
"It was a point won, I can’t say anything else,” McCarthy admitted. "Bizarrely enough we’re six points clear of the drop zone rather than five.
"I thought the first half was just a Championship scrap, I thought we probably shaded it. The second half, I thought we started all right and lost all the momentum through giving a shite goal away, and it was for us to give away.
"Bart kept us in it then with a save and the only saving grace was that the lads [kept going].
"We weren’t playing well, they were always going to gain the momentum, it was horrible atmosphere and we got away with a wonder strike or lucky cross and we got a point. That’s my summary of the game.”
McCarthy, who dismissed suggestions the Birmingham goal was offside, agreed with his Birmingham counterpart Gianfranco Zola that it was a "no-lose game”, the pair having left the field at the end arm in arm.
"I said ‘This’ll make a good picture, two beleaguered managers together. Come on, smile for the cameras’,” he added.
Reflecting on the home crowd which began a series of chants aimed at him, owner Marcus Evans and MD Ian Milne after the Blues went behind, he said: "I just think we’ve still got to get enough points and stay in the league.
"It doesn’t help but we were the masters of our own downfall there by giving the goal away. We did and it was always going to turn if that happened.
"I don’t have any complaints with it, let them crack on. On the list of hatred I’m not sure who’s top, Marcus, me, Dougie, I think Ian Milne got a bit today as well, didn’t he? Threw him in the mix.”
McCarthy admitted there is little in the way of a feelgood factor at the club at present: "Not at all, get enough points, stay in the league and then we can have a sort out within this league, that’s what’s the important thing, nothing else, not for me at the moment.
"I’m not bothered about how people think about me, I just don’t want to be involved in a relegation.”
The Town boss’s starting line-up included Jonathan Douglas for the first time since the FA Cup defeat at Lincoln in January. Why did he bring back the 35-year-old?
"Because the way we played with the diamond, I knew he’d got legs,” he explained. "Plus Emyr Huws wasn’t fit, Jonny Williams was poorly, Kevin Bru had been away and just got back on Thursday.
"It kind of limited my options somewhat a little bit, but that’s being detrimental to him and I’m not trying to be because I knew he would stay with the runners with David Davis and them running from midfield.
"And I know I can trust him and I actually thought he played well, despite all the shite he got, which I think is a disgrace. He was the one that kept going and filled in for Skusey.
"I’ve no problems with Dougie, I think he’s an example to any young professional. He’s kept himself right and played 90 minutes. I know some of the others who, if they hadn’t played for so long, I’d take them off at 60 minutes, 70 minutes as they’d have been bollocksed. I take my hat off to him, I thought he was great.”
Regarding Skuse, who came off in the first half having suffered a blow to the head, he added: "Concussion, that makes him a doubt for Tuesday.”
The Blues boss says Emyr Huws, who has had a hamstring problem, could return for the visit of Wigan but that Tom Lawrence won’t be involved, having only just got back in training following a groin injury.
"Emyr trained but he’d had one day’s training after being off for three weeks,” McCarthy continued. "He’ll train fully this weekend and then he’ll be in contention for Tuesday.
"Tom Lawrence won’t be, Jonny Williams will be if he’s well, but other than that we’ll see.”
Given the poisonous atmosphere, will be be looking to create a siege mentality within the camp? "That’s always the case but I don’t want it to be that. I want it to be a good atmosphere, but it’s us that’s got to create that atmosphere.
"But I’d hate to think that there were people when the goal went in it was almost like a relief to them because they’ll see the back of me. Almost like a reason to give out. And as I say, it doesn’t help.
"But it’s us, if we play well on Tuesday night and we’re 2-0 up, we’ll have a great atmosphere. If we 1-0 down and playing shite it’ll be a shite atmosphere like it was today. But that’s because of us, not because of the fans.”
Birmingham boss Zola didn’t see Town equalising once his team had gone in front: "In the first half they probably did slightly more than us.
"But in the second half I think in terms of creating chances, I think we were ahead because we scored and we had two very, very good chances to score, and we also had one at the end.
"So maybe on points I would give maybe a little bit more from us. In the second half I didn’t really see them scoring because we were controlling them quite well, we were solid at the back, so it was a surprise [when they scored].
"But this is football. To be fair, they fought until the end and gave everything and they’ve been given a prize for that.”
Regarding Ward's goal, he added: "Watching it back I think probably Tomasz Kuszczak was a little bit too much on the first post. If he was a little bit more in the middle as he should have been he should have saved that.
"But, what can I say, last week he was outstanding for us. It’s part of the game and I can’t say more about that. In general I thought we didn’t look like we were going to concede any goals.”