Boss Mick McCarthy said he was disappointed that the Blues were defeated 3-2 at Leeds United and even more so as his side played so well.
Leeds went in 2-1 up at half-time having been the better side in the first half, but the Blues were on top for much of the second - in which Bartosz Bialkowski scored an own goal when he dropped the ball over the line from a corner - and a draw might ultimately have been a fair result.
"You know I’m disappointed with the result but I’m even more disappointed because of how well we played,” McCarthy said.
"Certainly, two of the goals are poor goals to concede, but I’ll forgive Bart because he probably kept us in the league last year, he’s been brilliant. No recriminations there.
"The first goal, a straight ball down the middle shouldn’t end up in our net. But I thought we were terrific, I thought in the second half we’ve got one hand on their throat, to be honest, we just couldn’t turn it into a goal.
"I changed it because we were having so much dominance we’d got to try and find a spark.
"I didn’t want it to go to 3-1, but of course it did with the most bizarre goal. But I’m really pleased with our performance, we were terrific.”
Regarding the second Leeds goal, which was scored by Kalvin Phillips, he added: "Somebody’s got to track his runner. If you don’t, then don’t play, as simple as that.”
McCarthy said his team showed their usual character and spirit in the second half but not just that, they put in their best passing display for a number of games.
"I think [character’s] there in abundance, that’s always been the case. I think we’d have been in serious trouble last year if we’d not got that character and team spirit.
"And I thought we showed a good deal of quality as well today. I’m pleased with the performance and that makes me even more disappointed with the result.
"[It’s not like we’ve] come here and been shite and got beaten and gone home. No, we were very good. It makes it even more galling that we lost the game.”
When his Town side were praised for having some Yorkshire grit, he added: "Yes, they were telling me to stop moaning behind me. I said, ‘Come on, you’re all Yorkshire gits like me. You’re all moaning, you’re all moaning at me’.
"If there’s Yorkshire grit instilled, well great, but I thought we were better than that today, it wasn’t just Yorkshire grit. We’ve played well today.
"But let me tell you without that other side of the game you’ll get nowhere in this league, that’s for sure.”
After it was suggested that the game might have progressed very differently had Town scored in the spell after half-time before the third Leeds goal, McCarthy said: "My auntie and gonads come to mind. It doesn’t matter, does it? We didn’t.
"We all know it could have been a different outcome if we hadn’t defended hopelessly for the first goal, if we’d have tracked back for the second one, it shouldn’t end up in our net.
"The third one Bart shouldn’t drop it. If, buts and maybes, I can lament a lot of things in the game but what I can be really inspired by is how we played and especially here because this is a tough place to come and play, and they know they’ve dodged one here today.”
McCarthy handed 17-year-old Tristan Nydam his second Championship start and the Blues boss was pleased with the Colchester-based academy product.
"He’s terrific and I guess if he hadn’t have been so good you’d have all been asking me why I didn’t start Bersant Celina,” the Blues boss said.
"Because Tristan Nydam’s different class, that’s why. He’s a proper player and, how does the song go, ‘He’s one of our own’.”
Last year after Town were beaten 3-0 at Newcastle in the autumn, McCarthy said the Magpies were the champions in waiting. Does he see Leeds in the same way now? "No, I could hardly say that because Newcastle absolutely bashed us, it could have been about 6-0 at half-time but it was 1-0. How we got away with that I don’t know. Well, I do actually, because Bart was brilliant.
"Leeds haven’t done that to us today. I do think they’re a very good side, they’ve got some good players.
"I thought Newcastle just bought all the the best Championship players. I wasn’t being a prophet it just stood out as much as the nose on my face does that Newcastle were going to win that. I just couldn’t see anybody else [finishing above them].
"They made a bit of hard work of it near the end but I thought they were always going to win it.
"[Leeds] might end up being [champions] and good luck to them because people know my fondness for them, although not when I’m playing against them. I think you could see my team had no fondness towards them today. I’m a Yorkshireman and I’d like to see them back in the Premier League.”
Asked what his aim for the season is, he responded: "My aim always is to piss all those people off who write me off and I’ve been doing it for about 25 years and I hope I continue to do it this season!”
Does he believe Town can make the play-offs? "If that’s the standard of performance then I think we can look forward to a far better season than last year.
"I’m not going to sit here and start telling you we’re going to get in the play-offs, as much as people would like to hear it.
"But you know me being pragmatic and stubborn and having my feet on the ground, it’s served me well for 25 years, I’ve done all right.”
Leeds manager Thomas Christiansen said: "It was an intense game that had everything. During the 90 minutes we were in front, they drew level from a set piece.
"Then we went in front immediately after, a good response. And then in the second half we should keep the result and try to control a little better. And finally we suffered at the end - Ipswich had to go and try to go for the draw and that put us under pressure and we were not able to come out of that in the proper way - but the most important thing was the three points.