Blues boss Mick McCarthy had praise for U23s coach Gerard Nash after his side climbed to the top of the Professional Development League Two South by beating Nottingham Forest 5-2 at Alfreton Town’s Impact Arena on Tuesday.
The side led by former central defender and academy product Nash, whose fledgling career was ended by a succession of injuries, have won five of their six games this season, including the last four on the trot.
"Nashy’s been very, very good, he’s good coach, as I thought Mark Kennedy was,” McCarthy said of the 31-year-old Irishman.
"I just feel that Nashy’s not dropped on a lucky vein of players as such, but he’s got a squad that can stay together, like Woolfy [Luke Woolfenden], Chris Smith, George Fowler, although I know he’s gone out on loan [to Aldershot], Dylan Crowe at right-back playing there, just one of the young ‘uns.
"James Blanchfield’s come back into great form, I’m delighted with him. Ben Folami, Ben Morris, Pat Webber, Danny Rowe’s played and played well and if I’ve missed one of them unlucky for them.
"They’ve just stuck together, they’ve got a really good squad of players and that’s what we’ve always been trying to achieve.
U23 GOALS | Look back on all 5ï¸âƒ£ #itfc goals from the U23s 5-2 victory over Nottingham Forest at the Impact Arena pic.twitter.com/4Khu2Jsqm2
— Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) September 21, 2017
"And the reality is, although he played Tuesday, Tristan Nydam is usually missing and Flynn Downes and you’d think they’d be playing in there.
"So they’ve got a really nice balance to them and they’re not nicking players from the U16s and not having some of our lads who are disenchanted and playing in the U23s.
"Everyone who has gone and played, whether it’s been Bersant Celina, Tom Adeyemi, Webbo, Danny Rowe - sadly for him Danny got clattered on Tuesday and he’s injured as well - they’ve all gone in and contributed. Gerard Nash everybody, he’s a very competent young coach.”