Boss Mick McCarthy says he told David McGoldrick to keep plugging away at half-time during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bolton even though he felt the striker wasn't having his best game. The 25-year-old followed his manager’s advice and scored the Blues’ equaliser — his first away goal for Town — 17 minutes from time.

“I said to him at half-time that it wasn’t his day today, it wasn’t his first half,” McCarthy said. “We had players who were below par, considering how we’ve played [in previous away games].

“At Birmingham he had all those shots saved, Darren Randolph played amazing and he couldn’t score.

“I said to him ‘It might not be your day mate, but keep going, stay with it, you’ll get a chance and you might score us the winner’. Well, he scored the equaliser. I’m delighted for him.”

Overall, McCarthy admitted that it wasn’t a great match: “It was just a bang ordinary game.

"There were two bits of quality in it, their goal and our goal. Other than that it was two Championship teams scrapping it out.”

But the Blues boss is more than happy with draws on the road as long as his side can back that up with wins at home, with his old club Barnsley at Portman Road on Friday for a live Sky game.

“That’s what we try and do,” he said. “Utopia is winning them all, but drawing away win and winning at home [is fine].

“I can’t do anything about Friday’s game until I get round to it. We’ll plan for that starting on Monday.”

On Friday it will be a year to the day since McCarthy took over as Town boss, although he says it’s sometimes seemed like much longer.

“February last year I felt like I’d been here three years already!” he joked. “And when we got slapped at Leicester.

“Then there are other times that I think ‘Where’s that 12 months gone from when I first came and sat here?’

“Sometimes it seems like it’s flown by, other times it seems like I’ve been part of the furniture for a long time.”

Would he have taken Town’s current position when he took over? “Without a doubt. From the day I came in I would have taken staying up, which was the most important thing.

“And then I think [the aim] was to add some stability to it, which I think has happened. We don’t look like a team that are fluctuating up and down in performances or results. We look like a fairly solid team.”

Photo: Action Images

Keaneish added 07:04 - Oct 28 Exactly. Stay up. Trim the wage bill. Stabilise the club. Bring in new recruits in January. Make a push for the play-offs in the new year... Shame some of us on here haven't the patience for this with their ridiculous MM out shouts!!
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LankHenners added 08:47 - Oct 28 Agree Keaneish - too many people don't have the patience to wait for things to happen. Mick is here for the long run (presuming he doesn't go to ROI) and due to the budget he has been given/likely to continue to get, he cannot transform us into a play-off winning team over night. Mick knows what he's doing, why can't people understand that instead of calling for his head because we aren't in the top six?

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JCBLUE added 08:55 - Oct 28 Form table since MM's appointment is play off form, he knows what he is doing and town will benefit, subject to ROI.
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bluelodgeblue added 09:24 - Oct 28 agree with most of the above but play offs this season would be far too early. we need to build a solid squad so we can make a sustained push for promotion and if we do reach the promised land - stay there!!!
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kalypso added 09:27 - Oct 28 "I said to him ‘It might not be your day mate, but keep going, stay with it, you'll get a chance and you might score " Brilliant manager, top notch advice. Great story, we can all sleep tonight.
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TheHighwayman added 09:46 - Oct 28 Brilliant advice. Great manager. Fantastic.
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town93 added 11:31 - Oct 28 Not advice ... moreee ... go do your job!
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kalypso added 11:41 - Oct 28 what a pair @keano and Mid-table Mick?
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Hiltzkooler added 11:50 - Oct 28 Keaneish..as always you present a balanced opinion, though on MM's handling of the ROI situation, I struggle to share your views - MM has been seemingly oblivious to the impact his handling is having to the club...MM's belligerence and bellicose nature only amplifies the amateuring ROI FA management in finding a managerial successor. I find MM's handling of the situation disappointing. I don't wish him out of the door and would like him to continue stabilising the club, though I don't see MM as the ultimate solution to Premiership positioning - he's tactics are one dimensional and ultimately saw him out of the door at Wolves. MM is not an evolutional manager, learning as he goes - however, he is an evolutional manager for Ipswich, and that is where I do agree with you!

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PimsOclock added 13:18 - Oct 28 I hope nobody left him hanging on that high-five for too long!
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WhoisJimmyJuan added 14:29 - Oct 28 Keaneish and Hiltzkooler are both right really. But it is a difficult one as MM is clearly interested in the Ireland job, and can't tell fibs about that. Yet he cannot help being asked. All he is really saying is "I might take it if offered but I haven't been so that's it." I got shot down on another page for saying this, but this is an issue in Ipswich fans' minds as much because the Media keep asking MM the same old question, and moreover, because the FAI are fandango-ing about the appointment and actively trying to stir up interest. It is rather like the old practice of one club planting a rumour in the press about another club's player, in order to sound the player out without making a direct approach. Not fair on us Town fans: bottom line.

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dubblue added 15:36 - Oct 28 Let's hope the FAI make decision soon, to be fair to MM he is interested in the job it is not like he considering a vacancy at club level which would be bad form.
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Seasider added 17:12 - Oct 28 Feel we wont do much until the Irish saga has ended which I hope will be soon as we are now in bottom half of table
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Garv added 23:12 - Oct 28 The thing that frustrates me about Mick is how 'delighted' he is every time we draw away from home, I've never heard a manager like him. I'd have loved to hear him come out and say "I'm absolutely gutted we haven't won, we lost our last home game so it would have been great if we could have won today". Just a slight lack of ambition imo, in terms of quality too, which we lack. Cue the 'anti Mick' accusations.

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Walk_the_Wark added 00:47 - Oct 29 Yawn
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