Boss Paul Lambert felt his side weren’t good enough in both boxes during their 3-0 defeat at QPR, but despite the result was pleased with his team’s overall performance.
"Whether we deserved to win the game, I don’t know, but performance-wise we were dominating the ball in long spells,” he said when asked whether he believed the result didn’t really match his team’s display.
"I think the difference was at both ends of the pitch. I don’t think we did enough in the attacking third and we didn’t defend as strongly as we should have done.
"The first goal, we’ve got the ball, we’re on top in the game and Jon Nolan’s tried that pass, which is fine, I’m telling them how to play, no blame attached to him whatsoever.
"The great thing about it was that he kept on trying to take the ball and it takes a big player to go and do that when you’ve made a big mistake, so that’s my problem.
"The second goal was a standard freekick, which was bog standard really, which shouldn’t have happened.
"But performance-wise, football-wise, we’re playing really well, but in both boxes I didn’t think we did enough.”
The Blues boss thought the error was tough on Nolan, who otherwise put in as good a performance as he has since he joined Town.
"He’s playing really well,” he said. "As I said before, I’d never criticise somebody for trying to go on the ball. I know what it’s like myself, there’s not a player alive that doesn’t make a mistake.
"OK, he made a mistake but he goes again and I was delighted with how his level kept on going. He never went away from trying to do things right, which is great. That’s a big compliment from me to him. He’ll learn.”
Despite having an awful lot to do at 2-0 down he thought his side took the game to Rangers.
"Even at 2-0, even at the start of the second half, QPR sat back as the home team which was testament to us because we were forcing the issue at 2-0, but we never did enough in the final third.”
Reflecting further on his side’s lack of creativity in and around the opposition area, he added: "You need that little bit of devilment in the final third of the pitch and we need people to get at people in one-v-one situations and make things happen.
"I’d never criticise somebody for going and making things happen because you have to go and excite people and get people going.
"But I’ve only been here a few weeks now and I can’t ask any more from the group of lads. They need a little bit of help as I’ve said, football-wise we’re learning, we’re playing a lot of good stuff but we just need to be a bit more clinical in both boxes.
The gap to safety has stretched to seven points but Lambert says there are still a lot of games to play.
"How quickly that can change is incredible and there’s a long, long way to go, a helluva long way to go,” he insisted.
"And the beauty about it is that every team knows it. As long as we finish above that line, it doesn’t matter where you are.”
Lambert spoke to referee Keith Stroud towards the end and wasn’t happy with some of the Hampshire-based official’s decision-making.
"I think the first one with Luke Chambers [when he was booked for a foul on Darnell Furlong], I thought was bizarre, I thought it was a foul on Luke and I think that set the tone. I thought there were some decisions which were a bit strange.”
Regarding Grant Ward, who was stretchered to the tunnel having walked off the pitch, he added: "We don’t really know [the extent of the injury], it’s a bit early at the minute, it’s his knee that has given him the problem, hopefully it’s not too bad.”
Lambert also confirmed that Teddy Bishop has been suffering with a virus but is on the mend, while Flynn Downes missed the Sheffield United match with a calf strain before returning today.
"Flynn had a calf strain last weekend, so we lost him [for Saturday]. I thought he had a good game, I think he’s getting better and better.”
Looking ahead to the January transfer window, Lambert continued: "We’re trying, we’ve tried to get a few lads in. Hopefully that will happen. There’s a long way on that but hopefully something will happen.
Any chance of additions being recruited for Millwall or Accrington? "We’ll try. If I can get them in for January 1st then great, but this can be a long window this one.”
QPR manager Steve McClaren felt the timing of his side's two quick-fire first-half goals was crucial.
"I thought Ipswich made it very difficult for us as I knew they would. I was impressed by the crowd because they had to be patient.
"We scored the goals at the right time, and it’s one of those 'find a way to win' performances — and we move on to Saturday."