Boss Roy Keane admitted that his side didn’t play particularly well despite ending their 14-game winless streak by beating Derby County 1-0 at Portman Road.

Keane said: “I'm obviously pleased - it's much better than losing. It's always nice to win football matches but ironically I don't think we played particularly well. We have definitely played better this season and not got the result.

"That is probably the worst we have played for the last four or five weeks. It wasn't a pretty performance, but we'll obviously take the points.

"We started slowly and when you do that, it can be hard to get going. We were waiting for something to happen, instead of making it happen.

"I'm not sure what Wrighty was doing there but he got among 6ft 4in defenders and got his head on it. He gambled and we needed someone to do something different.

"We didn't play well but the substitutes made a difference in the second half and we perhaps just edged it.”

The Blues boss admits he was worried when Derby had a chance towards the end: "I was concerned when it fell to Bryan Hughes.

"He's a very good, technical player but if we'd conceded again it would have been hard to take. We made hard work of it and could have killed the game off.

"Tamás had a great chance, one-on-one and right in front of goal, but credit to their goalkeeper for making the save.”

The Town manager singled Asmir Begovic out for praise: “I was delighted with our keeper and he again showed he has real presence on the pitch. But I like goalkeepers who stop the ball from going into the back of the net. I'm told that Schmeichel was technically poor but Jesus, he kept the ball out didn't he?”

Keane says he is happy for the supporters after such a long run without wins: “I'm pleased for the fans because they deserved that. It's nice to get that first win but we know we have got a long way to go yet and have to look to move on from this, starting at Reading next week.

“I haven't said much to the players yet - they are probably sick of hearing me talking all the time. At least they can enjoy their Saturday night and their Sunday for the first time in a couple of months.

“But it's still only one win in 15 games, so we will be back on the training ground working hard again first thing on Monday morning.”

Derby manager Nigel Clough revealed his club looked into getting the game called off after losing 16 players through injury. The Rams were only able to name five substitutes.

Clough said: "We were looking into that but obviously if we can get a team out there that's what we have to try and do.

"If at all possible the authorities want you to play the game and we've done that. We don't like calling games off and had faith in the players we had out there to put on a performance and they did that.

"It's a defeat, but it's an encouraging one. I thought we did enough to get something from the game but when you're on a little run like we are things can go against you.

"It was an extremely spirited performance, given we were down to the bare bones, and bitterly disappointing that we should come in on the wrong end of a defeat.

"Bryan Hughes had a very good chance at the far post, their goalkeeper had a very good game and it was a case of the ball not dropping for us at the right times.

“One goal was always going to decide it but generally I thought we defended well. But it would be nice to be able to put two recognised central defenders out for a change.

“If there is such a thing as an encouraging defeat then this was probably it, but having said that I am delighted for Roy Keane. Despite our defeat, I was very pleased to see him finally win.”

Photo: Action Images

theblues added 19:26 - Nov 1 It was great to get our first win but when we won we did not play at our best but in extra time we need to keep play at our best not slow down well done keano
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donore added 19:48 - Nov 1 Jim seems to have QPR pinging it about - note also how Nott'm Forest and Cardiff manage to find one another without hoofing it in panic!
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dirtydingusmagee added 20:11 - Nov 1 hopefully the win will see a calmer more fluent style emerge now ,like the rest of us the team will only have been wanting to hear the whistle after we scored .
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WREXHAM_BLUE added 20:38 - Nov 1 Made my weekend; simple as!! Roll on next Saturday. Come on you Blue Boys!!
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kentblue added 06:21 - Nov 2 I am pleased , as all fans are , that the Town won their FIRST match this season but cannot understand the euphoria over RK and his abilities as a manager . I stand by the fact the squad he inherited were and are good enough to be in the top ten ( not bottom nb RK ). Uefa81 is getting unwarrented stick from some fans for just saying what he thinks. It seems any criticism of RK is off limits for some - all I can say they have blind faith in a man of questionable qualities !

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haynes_is_a_ledgend added 07:27 - Nov 2 roy keanes barmy army oi oi oi come on you blues keep it up keano
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dirtydingusmagee added 08:43 - Nov 2 Kent blue, Uefa81is not alone ,you cant it seems say anything on here to criticise RK, OR team or tactics , without the usual gobshytes giving out abuse if you say a word against RK you are it seems a scummer,YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO HAVE AN OPINION !.who do these tw*ts think they are.As was case yesterday even without saying anything a gobby cow came on slagging people off.

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devontractorboy added 08:53 - Nov 2 Well said Kentblue, some of you on here won't have a word said against Keane and I feel sorry for UEFA81, he gets personal abuse for stating his opinion, in a country that prides itself of free speech. By all means disagree with people but I wish some of the people on here would stop using personal abuse against people who support the same team!! I doubt many of you would have the balls to do it if face to face with the person? Now onto the team, Third of the season gone, one win against a POOR Derby side, bottom of the league for over a month, Mmmmm am I satisfied, no I'm not!!!!! I have said right from day one (and received abuse for it!) that Keane is not the man for the job, the results folks speak for themselves, I truely hope I'm wrong, I want to see the team I love at the other end of the table, pushing for promotion & if Keane gets us promoted I'll be the first to say I was wrong, but please remember I am not a scummer P**ck or anything similar because I don't agree with some of you......think on!!!!

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Bluroo added 09:18 - Nov 2 We're turned a corner. This 'shocking start' could well be history by Chrstimas. Promisingly, we starting to look harder to beat. Some of you RK bashers are so detached from reality. I think you'll find when SAF took over at United things got worse before they got better. That's because to rebuild a football club for long term success its slightly more involved than 'signing a 20 goal a season man' as some of you believe.

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candyshop added 10:03 - Nov 2 Sooooo pleased for everyone to get that win!!! Keeper was superb! Back 4 - Superb.....Delaney look like left side centre half is his home! Leadbitter/Edwards - excellent.....but i'm afraid Quinn should be sold and Trotter is honest but not good enough. Walters - superb but should be played wide left Stead - very poor and should be sold Pablo came on and work really hard and Priskin looked decent too. I think a tough tackling centre mid is bang on what we need.....and maybe Delaney can fill the problem centre back role.....

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dirtydingusmagee added 10:22 - Nov 2 Well said Devontractorboy,the first part of your post was spot on , and i agree with second part, but you will be a lucky bloke to escape the abuse, for daring to have that opinion .[because as you say they wouldnt have the balls to do it face to face .]
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naa added 10:36 - Nov 2 Yeah quite right dirtydingus. There are some really pathetic people on here who post abuse just because to suggest that a manager who has taken an above average team, 'strengthened' it heavily and got us to the bottom of the table might not possibly be the saviour after all is apparently a stupid opinion to have. I haven't abused anyone on here (despite thinking there are some very deluded types on here), but I'd have thought that anyone looking at the situation objectively would have to assume that something is wrong and it most certainly isn't the team Keane inherited, despite what all the pro-Roy mob may claim. Everyone now seems to think all is good because we've won a game. I mean, even the most negative of us didn't think we'd go an entire season without winning. They'll also claim that if we manage mid-table that it will have been a success. Talk about lowering your standards... Yes, we're looking better at the moment. But we don't look good, not at all. And stop holding onto that Watford game so dearly. It remains the ONLY time this season when we've actually played well. And Roy still made 5 changes before the game on Saturday. I mean, come on, surely he's got some idea of his best 11 by now hasn't he?

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dirtydingusmagee added 11:01 - Nov 2 As naa say's a win at some stage was inevitable, that has now happened but niether proves anything or changes anything, the games that follow that win are more important ,and for the record as will be seen if anyone cares to look far enough back, i didnt think RK was the man for Ipswich when his appointment was announced,having said that IF he had improved things [and he has not] i would have been pleased .I AM NOT just saying Keane has to go because we are in this situation now .My opinion [yes i can have one ] is that only the fact it would cost a hell of a lot of money to sack RK ,is keeping him in the job, any other manager at any other club would be bloody lucky to have gone this far into a season without a win and not been shown the door .However M E must have a point at which he has to say enough is enough, i cant see him sitting on his hands while we drop into league one .So ,good we have a win ,but it has to be more,much more,before we can start thinking good times are here.

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Lightningboy added 13:37 - Nov 2 Quite right dirtydingusmagee...as i've said a few times,Keane's just chopped and changed until he's found himself a win - You ,I or anyone else could've done that. We're struggling to score goals because our strikers haven't been given more than 2 games to gel with each other and form a partnership...surely anyone who knows anything about football can see that - why can't Keane?

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itfcboi added 14:09 - Nov 2 Fantastic to Win. But we have not won the league yet. lets focus on getting away from the bottom of the table before people start screaming we are going up.
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DrJeckyll added 15:05 - Nov 2 nice to see a bit of fighting spirit and unity from the seditionists at last, all we need now is to get them putting that energy into backing the team, manager, chief exec and owner
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MazzaCOYB added 20:41 - Nov 2 You are all very welcome to have an opinion as is every Ipswich Town fan who pays money week in week out to watch the boys, but right now after we finally have something to be positive about after so many weeks of frustration, does not seem the right time to come on here and spout off about yet more negative comments about the Blues. We are all very aware it has been a shocking start and no, this one result does not mean that RK has suddenly come good but it does give us something to get excited about and a reason to look forward to the weekend for once. Just let this week be a positvie one for ITFC fans and who knows it could end in another win. ITFC death before dishonour!

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