Boss Roy Keane said he was delighted for his players, his staff and Town’s beleaguered supporters after the Blues defeated West Brom 1-0 at Portman Road to set up a Carling Cup semi-final with Arsenal. Grant Leadbitter’s 69th minute penalty was enough to see Town through to the last four of the competition for the first time in 10 years.

Keane said: “I’m delighted for the players, delighted for the staff, pleased for the supporters. It was important that we put on a performance tonight. You can put on a performance but that doesn’t guarantee a result, especially with the chances we were missing.

“I was pleased with the workrate, the character, the composure, the way some of the younger boys played and the lads who came back into the team. To get out of the hole we’re in at the moment is about characters and digging deep

“I’m pleased for everyone, particularly the supporters. I’ve said before, it’s been a frustrating time for them but it’s something to smile about. Now we need to focus for our league game on Saturday.”

The Blues boss was pleased with his side’s tempo from the off: “We started the game well, we didn’t want to get sucked into a game where we dropped back too much, we know the qualities West Brom have got, we saw them on Saturday [when they beat Everton 4-1]. We wanted to be high tempo, our widemen putting pressure on their full-backs.

“Tamás and Jason started well, Reggie did well, Andros. I thought all the players did well. Troy, Jaime Peters.

“There was a clean sheet, we kept 11 players on the pitch and we didn’t really make any basic errors tonight. Darren, Jaime, Troy and Tommy, when they had to clear it, they cleared it. We did the basics well and that gives you a chance.”

In his programme notes Keane echoed this week’s earlier comments regarding managers reaching a position where it is best for their club if they move on, but he says he’s not yet there with the Blues: “My point in the programme, don’t overanalyse it, is that sometimes it does come to a point where as a manager you say ‘it’s not quite happening’, but we’re not there yet.”

Keane learnt of Town’s next opponents during his post-match press conference, a note having been passed to him: “Good news, it’s Arsenal! There’s always a downside, isn’t there? We’ve got Chelsea around that time as well.”

Referring back to his comments about managers coming to the end of their time at clubs, he added: ”Hopefully, I’ll be here in January. I might be gone at the end of January though!

“You have to look forward to it but in terms of the draw it’s the hardest game we could have got. But it will be great for the players, great for the young players.”

Albion assistant head coach Eddie Newton pulled no punches with his post-match comments: “It was a poor performance without a shadow of a doubt. You don’t have to be an expert in football to know that it was a poor performance.

“Individually and collectively we were poor, we didn’t turn up, didn’t show enough desire and therefore paid the big price.”

The ex-Chelsea man said he and boss Roberto Di Matteo had no regrets at making nine changes from Saturday’s game: “We’ve been doing that from the beginning of the competition and we stuck by it and we showed faith in our players. They’d been doing very well until tonight.”

Newton felt the penalty which won the game might have come as a result of Town’s earlier strong claims: “Graham Dorrans hasn’t touched him, I think Edwards was on his way down outside the box, so the action started outside the box. For me it was a soft penalty.

“But the fact remains that we didn’t deserve anything out of the game anyway. Simple as that.”

Photo: Action Images

hogster1970 added 06:49 - Dec 2 well i can say its the best performance i have seen under keane, what a game, and arsenal in the semi,s bring it on, but lets not get carried away. why well to be fair the side out there was basically the strongest side keane had at hand so couldnt play around with it to much, and we have seen tonight that round pegs roundish holes brings a stable balanced side. thought jamie was outstanding and wtf hasnt he been playing, townsend was good well infact every one was good prisking didnt stop and must thought xmas has come early with alll the service he has had. thought scotland however look pedestrian. if keane changes it for sat then heed must go simple as that. the only thing is west brom gave us space which all prem sides do which did help us so bring on sat then lets see from there,

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Cotton_eyed_joe added 07:17 - Dec 2 'TheTruth' what planet are you on. quote 'Spare me all the excuses, that you couldnt make it because of the ticket price, because the car wouldnt start, or you had to worK' apart from the car starting one other reasons people couldn't come are bloody good excuses. I for one have a young family and haven't got money to waste at the mo. Just for me to get to PR to watch a game cost around £50, that my friend would feed my family for a nearly a week and if its a choice out of watching football and my family, sorry but football misses out. As another said get off your high horse. Not everyone has cash to spare and not everyone can choose to work around the ITFC fixture list. I've been supporting town for 30 years just because i miss a couple of games does that make me not a 'real fan'.

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Acen added 07:20 - Dec 2 CE SERA SERA WHATEVER WILL BE WILL BE WERE GOIN TO W-E-M-B-E-R-L-E-Y! CE SERA SERA!
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MAVERICK added 07:49 - Dec 2 Lets have a positive only day today PLEASE !
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bluearmy4life added 07:51 - Dec 2 What a fantastic result and performance. Lot's of credit to Roy Keane and the players for giving town fans something to shout about. We have to build on this that's for sure. Lets go on a unbeaten run and see where it takes us throughout this month. COYB
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Back_The_Boss added 07:52 - Dec 2 Absolutley brilliant. Just how come we are so inconsistent? If we had of played like that in our previous 4 defeats who knows what would have happened? COYB!
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roytheboy added 08:06 - Dec 2 Very well done Roy and the team, that game was well worth getting frozen cold for and I am so pleased for the boys and our much insulted Manager, 11000 people there approx. 10,000 of our supporters who made more noise than I've heard when there has been twice that amount, as long as he is our Manager Roy Keane will always receive my full support. COYB.
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whippet added 08:06 - Dec 2 Amazing how few of us write when we are winning. At least I show consistency on that! Give praise when praise is due. That was awesome last night.
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farquinell added 08:11 - Dec 2 I think we have performed better away from home this season than at home! why because it is better to have a couple of thousand true fans singing and supporting you than 20,000 getting on your back and cheering the opposition (disgusting) last night they had Ten thousand behind them and won, think in future if you don't have anything positive to send out there stay away, we don't need part time, sing when we winning fans! The biggest humiliation for Ipswich was not the 4-1 defeat to the scum it's the fact that they packed their stadium all last year in league 1 and continue to do so this year! let's have a hard core support base that supports Ipswich town come rain or shine COYB and FOAM ( F%$K OFF ALL MOANERS , FOAM FOAM FOAM no FORKS on the Pitch Throw FOAM

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BurleyForever added 08:21 - Dec 2 Play the same 11 on Saturday & see how we go as this 11 was good & will be confident after this cup win.
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borge added 08:39 - Dec 2 Not ALL the loyal supporters were there last night....I timed a work trip to New York to ensure I could go to the Norwich game and get back for the quarter final. Gutted to be stuck in Dublin last night, with possibility of being here beyond Saturday and missing Swansea as well. Absolutely gutted, so please no more comments about every loyal supporter being in the ground because some of us were unavoidably not! As gutted as I am to have missed it, I am obviously thrilled that we won - sounds like a great performance. Not something that changes my opinion of RK, but all credit to him for getting them fired up to play well and win. Now if he could just do it the rest of the time.......

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dobbie73 added 08:48 - Dec 2 I will admit that over the last few weeks I had lost faith in Keane and was almost dreading last night. But .... cracking all round performance - how good were Peters and Norris? So why hasn't Peters been playing recently?? And Priskin was damned unlucky not to get a penalty. I was also impressed with Troy Brown - a decent solid performance. It was almost a comedy moment when Priskin accidentally blocked Scotland's shot (which would have made it 2-0), but that thankfully didn't affect the outcome! Agree with the comments about despite being a low crowd, the atmosphere was corking!Unfortunately I couldn't do much singing having been suffering from manflu .... but it does show that when the noisier fans are able to sit together, we can make some noise. League games mean that the singers/shouters are often fragmented and surrounded by silent fans, who contribute nothing to the atmosphere, just to the club coffers. It would be nice if the SBR Lower was just full of noisy fans just like in the old days of the North Stand terrace when it was effectively the Ipswich Kop - remember when EVERYONE sang, the crowd surged with every goal ....? Great days. I'd like to see the same XI start on Saturday, with the possible exception of Reggie Lambe (struggled to make much impact) and Brian Murphy (really not sure about him). But otherwise I would feel confident with O'Dea (or O'Connor) at LB, Smith and Brown at CB, Peters at RB, Townsend, Norris and Leadbitter and Edwards across the middle, and Priskin and Scotland up top. So for me, the jury is still out on Keane, but some of my faith in our lads has been restored - long may the recovery continue, and here's to 3 points against the Swans on Saturday. COYB!!!

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Ipswich24 added 09:03 - Dec 2 I was there and was delighted with the display full of commitment, passion and no little skill. Was this a different team I was watching the answer is yes because we had Peters and Townsend in it they take the game to opponents thats the way not be negative but to go for it well done made me proud last night
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Legend added 09:21 - Dec 2 Fantastic result! Peters was my man of the match. Great to see us G.I.T.S in full support and full voice. Glad to see the F.O.R.K brigade silenced. Listened to radio suffolk on the way home and guess what? No moaners!! But guess what again? the people who normally ring in to moan where nowhere to be heard, Funny that!!! fake fickle fans stay away and never come back!!! COYB!!!!!!!!!!!

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farquinell added 09:28 - Dec 2 we are the F.O.A.M brigade COYB
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alfromcol added 09:36 - Dec 2 I have to admit to being one of the recent negative posters. My son, grandson and I were at PR last night. What a performance. RK at last got the tactics right. Players playing in the correct positions etc etc. Great result and great performance. The supporters have been crying out for a more adventurous team selection and last night we got it. Apart from injury, there is no way that Jamie Peters and Andros should not start on Saturday. Lets hope that RK sticks with the new attacking tactics. Great performance, just disappointed for those that couldn't make it last night, hope you can get there Saturday. COYBs

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brittaniaman added 09:37 - Dec 2 Great atmosphere, great game, glad I made the effort to go, true supporters tonight no negativity, wingers and full backs all attacking when they could, and everyone was hungry for it. Priskin now proving his 1.7 mil tag chased everything glad we kept hold of him now, let us hope he can do the same to his previous manager on sat.very very cold here, but the performance warmed us all up. I wish we had played that team last sun.might have had a different result . I hope Martin comes back with a similar attitude next season.

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alfromcol added 09:40 - Dec 2 Forgot to mention the two young lads in central defence, outstanding, hardly put a foot wrong. Good for the future of the club. No place for Eastman at the moment.
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bobble added 09:46 - Dec 2 if we won the mickey mouse league cup i would give it away of 6pts in the league lets get our priorities right here !....... bit of fun but not the main ball game if its the league cup and 6 more defeats no thanks sack keane now and we can stay up
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Lightningboy added 09:48 - Dec 2 Not getting carried away with that..it was WBA's reserves after all..one good performance in 4 months doesn't make Keane a genius all of a sudden. Priskin is not good enough for me sorry..I know a lot of you worship at his feet but the amount of chances this guy misses is incredible. Doesn't change my opinion..still want Keane gone asap..our next manager was sat in the studio in between Jeff Stelling and Alan McInally btw.

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Bergholtblue added 09:53 - Dec 2 The moaners will be back if we lose to Swansea Saturday. If we play like we did last night, with passion, with a sense of purpose, with shape and control I am sure we will win. Peters was outstanding against a player twice his size. Why Oh why has he been left out recently. He linked up really well with Townsend who also had a great game. We must start with these two on saturday. But no doubt, both will be dropped in favour of Zoony Loon and Edwards. Smith was commanding in central defence, his best position. Keep him there, no more pushed out to left back please! The midfield harried all night and got their tackles in. Defended when needed to and supported the attack. No Colback tonight a coincidence? The only negative was that once again there was poor delivery from corners and free kicks.

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SMS added 09:56 - Dec 2 Great result and great performance. Lighteningboy - Who do you think will be our next manager? I wouldn't know who was sat next to Jeff? I was busy supporting the team I love! In Keane I Trust COYB
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phumph added 10:01 - Dec 2 Great result and performance. Crowd were great. Its never been as noisy in the Sir BR stand this season(apart from the Leeds game). Alot of new faces in there last night, and not many of the regular season ticket holders. To all of you that changed your seats and joined us in the North stand, thanks, and please come back in there again.
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kerryblue added 10:13 - Dec 2 Well done lads great win but that doesnt get you off the hook for last Sunday or the miserable position were in .
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Dorsetblue added 10:20 - Dec 2 A good performance played nice attacking football... Hopefully we will go forward doing this. The bench after we scored were hugging each other and it looked like they had just saved there jobs.. But 10k for a home game is shocking, WBA brought 1000+ and with the weather forecast they may have had doubts of getting home. Up the A14 with snow.... not fun at all. Nice to see we have loyal support, see you at Arsenal and Chelsea I'm sure.

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