Boss Roy Keane said that bad finishing and good goalkeeping from Watford keeper Scott Loach were to blame for his side’s failure to beat the Hornets and the winless run stretching to 13 games. Watford manager Malky Mackay conceded that Town deserved to win.

Keane said: “Watford rode their luck and we were let down by bad finishing and good goalkeeping.

“But I've been in football long enough to know that if you don't take your chances it'll kick you in the teeth.

“We're not scoring enough goals. I can sit here and make excuses, but we've got to take our chances.

“Tonight we didn't, but I've got no problem with my team's performance, in terms of their spirit and workrate.

“We got the ball in the right areas and created chances, but when you don't get a second goal there are bound to be a few nerves.

"The players didn't deserve that. We started well, got the goal, Jon Walters hit the bar and we had some good chances to get that second goal, but when you are at the bottom of the league you can get a bit edgy at the end and we didn't see the game out.

"We should have won the game. Our keeper has hardly had a shot to save in the two matches he's been here, but we've ended up with just two points when we should have had six.

"I feel very disappointed for the players. They gave everything again and their keeper was the best player on the park.

"It's a massive test for us now but we have got to face up to it.

"Thirteen games without a win is a bad run. We can't get away from that and there's no hiding place.

“I can't fault my players and back them 100 per cent, but to go that many games without a victory is unacceptable.”

Hornets boss Malky Mackay admitted his side were second best: "Ipswich deserved to win. We were below par and most definitely got out of jail. If I'm honest, I couldn't see a goal coming.

"We kept going and going and were still fighting, which I expect, but it didn't look like we would create an equaliser.

"But when there are five or 10 minutes left in any game you've always got a chance - you've just got to keep pushing.

"It was great we got the goal and a point and we showed a real resilience and never-say-die attitude.

"This is a tough league and it's a real scrap and battle. A lot of teams are showing real resilience and I'm glad it was us tonight."

Photo: Action Images

tommyblue added 08:42 - Oct 21 best home performance all season, and may i say how nice it is to see us completely outplaying the opposition again, and taking the piss (leadbitters kick ups on the edge of there area in second half), but at the end of the day if you dont take your chances 9 times out of 10 you get punished. Really encouraged by the performance, still need a centre half and a striker that can score goals at this level, a david johnson type player and we'red be sorted.

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itfcboi added 08:46 - Oct 21 "Keep positive boys and it will come". Are people blind? This is something you say to a bunch of 11 year olds playing Sunday football in the park! Every Ipswich fan needs to open their eyes and finally see that after 13 games with no win a drastic change must take place! I must admit I was excited when keano turned up but with only one managerial role under his belt he is NOT a god! It is time for him to go! Its time to stop blaiming individual players and putting our run down to bad luck. The players are inspired by a manager and keep changing the team, telling players they are no longer needed does not help the team spirit. Sorry Mr Keane but the sooner you admit defeat and leave the better before we are playing those budgies again..... in league 1!

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ipswich61 added 08:49 - Oct 21 sack keane and get southgate in
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Surco72 added 08:55 - Oct 21 I went to the match and as an individual game we were excellent and on another day could have won by 4 or 5 , but as a lot of supporters said after the Newcastle game it is judged over the season not one game and the facts now are no wins in 15 games this season !!!! The defence were excellent and should have been played all season Wright adds much more stability and MaCauley looks better having him there . Still dont understand the constant selection of Trotter he adds nothing and has probably played more than anyone this season,also Martin poor, Garvan above either of these players . Love Walters but he is not a finisher and is more effective coming from wide ,maybe try him left midfield with Stead or Priskin starting (two finishers),if only Rhodes ?) alongside Pablo who is playing well .Overall a good performance but good performances do not keep you up or win games ,Plymouth is a must now so upwards and onwards see you there

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ItfcFtw added 08:56 - Oct 21 Im gettin sik and tiredd of ipswich loosing or drawing in the last minute, its becoming a joke if im honest! How can they be so complacent, i was hoping and praying that the referee blew that whistle but it was written all over that watford would score, Just need to play to the final whistle and the lads need to learn not to think there gonna win becoz its 94 out of 95 minutes. The win is deffinately comming and after this win we will be looking up the league rather than down the league.... So although last night was gutting and i myself sworee and shoutedd a i was so annoyed, but keep behind the boys as the atmosphere was immense... so keep it up! COYB!!!

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dirtydingusmagee added 08:56 - Oct 21 another inquest, i have to say ,on this occasion i thought we played well,but again could not make it stick, chances missed .
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dubblue added 09:09 - Oct 21 The reason we are bottom is because by and large for the first part of the season we were crap, we have clearly turned things around over the last few matches but have succumed to an extreme bout of bad luck! Conceding after the 90th minute in three matches? Ending up with home draws with the opposition having virtually just one shot on target?? I am convinced we will win soon, hopefully against Plymouth, the question is whether this will lead to a run of wins? If not it's going to be a long season. What needs changing? Before you get rid of the Manager you need an alternative. As for loanees up to a couple of weeks ago it was defenders, not its strikers! What we need is consistency and a lot of luck!

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Cr0wman added 09:14 - Oct 21 I was at the match, the boys on the pitch did everything that we have been asking them to do, except get that second goal. It was enjoyable to watch and made me proud again!! Just one comment I wish to make is to those people that have not been to see the recent improvement and believe that Roy Keane is not wanted... If you listen to the fans that watch the match you will hear them chanting "Roy Keanes barmy army" for most of the match!!! This has only happened for the last couple of games.. we can see where he wants to take us and can see us slowly getting there...To those of you that come on here making judgements but only listen on the radio I presume that you must know better !!!

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ipswich61 added 09:19 - Oct 21 ive just been told by a very good source,if we dont get a result on sat against plymouth,keane is out
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muhrensleftfoot added 09:22 - Oct 21 It was sickening, but if we play like that every game, we'll soon start climbing the league. We need to somehow accomodate Priskin, Pablo and Walters in the same side. I'd probably play Walters wide, prefereably on the right (can Edwards play wide left?) because Martin & Peters aren't up to it. Priskin may be the one to stick the ball in the net regularly, but he needs a decent run in the side

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Bluroo added 09:25 - Oct 21 Clearly we have turned a corner. We've not lost many games this season, we're not rubbish. We've been robbed, what is it, 4 times in injury time this season. That first win is very near now, from that will breed confidence. I wouldn't be suprised to see us go on a run after that and consign this awful start to the history books by Christmas.
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bayblue added 09:35 - Oct 21 For once Keane is right, the lack of goals is causing the pressure. Given that we have drawn 7 it could be said that with a half decent striker, some of those draws could have been turned into wins. When a team goes one or two goals down, it inherently changes their playing style as they "chase the game" thus causing more gaps to appear. The fact that RK signed Priskin who was never, ever prolific at Watford, means he's got the wrong guy in. Unless he can bring in a decent striker on loan in the mean time is questionable and where he needs to show his mettle as a manager.

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SomershamBlue added 09:43 - Oct 21 "ive just been told by a very good source,if we dont get a result on sat against plymouth,keane is out " Was that Marcus Evans or Simon Clegg?
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paddypowell added 09:48 - Oct 21 why rk persist in playing a inexperience connor when he has a proven striker in priskin i do not know,their is no substitute for experience.
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50yearsablue added 09:51 - Oct 21 ipswich61, yours is typical of some of the inane comments posted on here. How lucky you must be to receive confidential information from a source close to Marcus Evans! I am no happier than any other genuine supporter with what we have witnessed this season but some of the knee jerk, negative, destructive remarks are unworthy of so-called supporters. I have seen the fortunes of the club fluctuate through more than half a century and hopefully now have the wisdom to reflect before putting thoughts into words. I would certainly withhold judgement if listening to the radio or watching tv updates! For 2 seasons now we have had our hopes raised but yet capable players have underperformed and have not entertained so we can reasonably ask why? The 'Jim out' brigade got their way and were elated with Roy Keane's appointment but have quickly turned on him also. Yes, he has made mistakes by his own admission but most who criticise are not capable of doing the job better as they arrogantly seem to think they can. If you could, why are you not doing so? The outcome of the last two games has been hugely disappointing and the promising, but still developing, Tommy Smith has made an errror in each game which has suffered maximum penalty. Where I would agree with others is that, despite numerous chances, we have not made those errors insignificant with our own profligate finishing and one of our best players, John Walters, has failed to convert from 6 yards in each game. I felt that we were beginning to get there in the Swansea game and against Watford I thought we not only played well but also entertained with, at long last, full backs overlapping at pace. Well done Rosenior and Wright for 2 outstanding games. Like most genuine supporters, I was absolutely gutted when Watford equalised but was proud enough of the performance to applaud the players off; something they have not earned too much this campaign. Roy Keane may, or may not, survive this testing period. For all the mistakes (and remember we have the advantage of retrospection) he has made he deserves to be given more time. While I am normally a half empty person, I do feel that we will get out of the mess we are currently in, especially if we can loan a good finisher.

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muhrensleftfoot added 10:05 - Oct 21 50yearsablue - agree mostly, but unfortunately good finishers are hard to find in the loan market. If they're good finishers, they are usually playing week in week out for their own club. We must give Priskin a run in the side. Agree re Rosenior and Wright. Great show, but what on earth had David Wright done wrong to be out of the squad for so long? He must've done something - late for training or back chatting RK, because we can see now what we have been missing.

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Thetruth added 10:15 - Oct 21 Last night was nothing short of HIGHWAY ROBBERY.............!!! We were quality - but chances have to be put away, we should have won this 10 nil with the chances we had, it is just incredible, really felt for the players. My only real critiscm would have been to bring Priskin on, he must have been screaming inside to get on and do the mighty hornet boys, but hey it was a good performance sadly robbed at the death. You could just feel it coming, many seats being kicked showed how much it hurt! Where will the goals come from? Dont think we have anyone capable of scoring 20 goals a season in the squad, that really is our achilles foot. Defensively we looked solid, thought Smith and Macauley looked solid, so hopefully sticking with them lads should build some confidence. Attack needs something, soon..............

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AJblue added 10:22 - Oct 21 Alright we conceded late on,as usual!, but it was the best display i have itnessed for months, including most of last season. It made me proud to be Town supporter, the pride and passion the team showed was immense. Should RK be sacked,well if things dont improve he probably will be, but its not our, the fans call is it? Its down to ME, so all the infantile RK out calls on here are somewhat irrelevant arent they? Play like that for the rest of the season, we will be in the top half of the table, come the seasons end. I do however think a gaolscorer is the missing ingredient, whether he comes in from another club, or one of our present strikers hits form, it doesnt matter which. As for the supporters behind me, who complained GM scored, well you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!!!!! "Oh f*ck it, I suppose that means he will stay then" "Yeah, should've been a striker who scored it, not a f*ckin defender" MUPPETS!!!!!

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Dorsetblue added 10:24 - Oct 21 I missed the Sawnsea game due to being out the country however last night I can see that we have improved and that things were starting to click. However The strike force needs something. Pablo after 39minutes just seem to give up. So a loan stirker is required. But on the RK front, Christmas will be the time as if there is no improvement I think he will be leaving, Mr Evans wont want to drop down a level...

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La_Paz added 10:31 - Oct 21 Gutted. Best performance in recent memory from us, one of the worst from a Ref. He had been trying to give Watford an opportunity all night, and you could sense he was going to add some 'Fergie' time. Rosenior and Edwards murdered them down the right, we looked more organised at the back and Wright and Leadbitter showed real quality with some great passing football. Begovic also deserves a mention for some safe hands and one enormous throw! The only downside for me was the continued Trotter situation-it has now gone through tutting to the stage when people were openly laughing at his every move. Now I'll admit he wasn't very good but as an ITFC player and one of our own Academy products he surely deserves a bit of respect. He's obviously in there to bring a bit of much needed height and presence to the midfield but he has little chance of improving in the current climate. I would like to see Quinn given a run next to Leadbitter for a few games, I think he deserves it. Felt proud to be a Town fan last night, with some good support from the crowd-even for our manager- and some good football from the team. COYB.

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Tractorog added 10:41 - Oct 21 If we carry on playing like that someone will get a 6-0 thumping from us and our season will be off with a bang. But for RK's sake it better come soon coz I can't see ME putting up with where we are much longer.
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dobbie73 added 10:41 - Oct 21 La_Paz - have to agree with all that. Just a thought (a light-hearted idea amongst the disappointment!) .... Keano took Sunderland from bottom to champions in what, 40 games? Maybe he wants a REAL challenge, and wants to do it with Ipswich in 30 games or less ....!? Hence the poor start! Last night's performance showed how we CAN play. Now the boys need to do it again on Saturday at Argyle, with just a bit more teeth up front. The next 3 games are must-wins, and the recent upturn in performances will surely be rewarded with 3 points in Devon! COYB!!!!!!!

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Boz581 added 10:47 - Oct 21 I have studied this point nearly all season, (and I know a little bit about football,) could somebody please tell me what Trotter is doing out there? Apart from that issue a great performance and bitterly disapointed at not getting the "tree" points, keep that effort and endeavour up and we will be ok. The green shoots of the future are plainly there for all to see. Yes this a points buisness and we desperatly need to get them but we are getting there. All you lot calling for Keane to get the sack. Where would that leave us, who would you bring in,how much money do you think it would cost us, do you realy think that now is the time? Get off your fat backsides and get down to watch the team and get behind them, how many of you saw the total desperation and dispair of the lads when that goal went in? Believe in the lads and support the team.

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matt_the_blue added 11:00 - Oct 21 I was at Swansea but alas I wasn't able to make the game last night due to work commitments (I'm also going to miss Derby as I'll be in Devon one weekend later than other Town fans for a family party) but finally managed to get to my car radio for...the last 4 minutes. Suffice to say my steering wheel took a lot of punishment, but listening to what was said post-match we were quite simply unlucky last night (I personally blame the Radio Suffolk commentators - one of them said 'injury time or danger time as it's known for Ipswich' moments before Ellington got the equaliser - does no-one know about Murphys Law?!) same as we were unlucky not to finish Swansea off on Saturday. The defence are still making mistakes but not nearly as many at the start of the season; if we can tighten that and the finishing up things will be looking better before you know it. Thanks to other results last night we're only 1 point behind Argyle and P'boro and only 3 behind Reading with a GD that's only one worse than them - 3 simple points against Argyle on Saturday could see us move at least top of the dropzone and at the outset JUST safe. Get that first win, get the confidence back and we can start clawing our way up the table. Let's put the knives away until we truly are adrift at the bottom. COYB!!!

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pickles110564 added 11:02 - Oct 21 It finaly proves that the Keano haters have never even been to a PR Game! If they had gone last night they would have witnessed one of the best all round team performances for years and with a rub of the green we would have been out of sight by halftime. The crowd yet again got behind the team and Keano and sang their hearts out. If we could just get a proven striker this team will we a very strong potent force the rest of the season. Sorry to disappoint you budgie fans that post on here but we aint going down, how many points are you behind the Auto's now? In Keano we trust. COYB

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