Left-back Tyrone Mings made an immediate impact on Blues boss Mick McCarthy when he first saw him in action and continues to impress the Town manager. The 20-year-old replaces the suspended Aaron Cresswell in the Blues defence at Blackpool this afternoon.

Mings, who dropped into non-league following his release by Southampton’s academy, had been playing alongside Russell Osman’s son Toby at Chippenham Town when he was invited to Playford Road to play in an U21 friendly.

McCarthy made his decision to sign him within minutes of catching him in action: “I was walking over with [then-Town U18s coach] Russell Osman and Russell deserves a bit of credit for bringing him in because he’d heard about him down there.

“We walked through the gap and it had just kicked off. He went and won a header, then he went flying into a tackle, then he passed the ball on the inside, then he came on his right foot and dropped it down the line and that was all in the time we were walking across to the pitch.

“One of the tackles he went into he absolutely creased the guy. That’ll do for me, that! Not just that, but the four things that he’d done while we were walking around the pitch.

“I remember taking him off after 70 minutes, he’d been hurt in a tackle. He was ultra-competitive because he wanted to impress and he went and kicked through somebody and it hurt him.

“So, I took him off and as he came off he was growling. I hadn’t met him then and I said ‘Ty, I’m taking you off because I want to sign you, so you don’t get injured, so you don’t get hurt’. And he finally stopped growling at me! He’s a good kid.

“He obviously made an impression on me then and he’s continued to do so because he’s a bright, intelligent young fella, who loves his football and he’s a proper competitor. Let’s hope he plays well now I’ve talked him up!”

The Blues boss added, with a smile: “An even better story was that he was released [by Southampton] because he was too small!

"I did enlighten him, I said they must have thought you were s–t mate! That’s the usual one when you release players; ‘You’re too small’. How the hell is he too small? He’s 6ft 4 or something, he towers above you!”

Could the Bath-born player secure himself a more regular place in the side during Aaron Cresswell’s two-game absence?

“Let him play and we’ll see,” the Blues boss said. “If we beat Blackpool and beat Leicester with Mings in the team, I’d be hard pushed to do anything, wouldn’t I?

“But the other side of that is that you play your best players. We’ll wait and see. Let’s hope he plays well and we win and it gives me a real problem. That’s what I’d like.”

Photo: Action Images

SouperJim added 11:22 - Nov 9 I really like Mings and considering it was his debut, he was excellent at Reading. He's a big unit and is a real power house, but can use the ball too. I think he has a real future if staff and supporters alike are patient with him.
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Guthrum added 12:20 - Nov 9 Agree, SouperJim, but that wasn't his debut at Reading. That came at Burnley last season - when he also impressed.
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marco007 added 13:20 - Nov 9 In my opinion you could play both as either Cresswell or Mings could do a. Better job in left mid than Tabb, Tunicliife etc.....round pegs in round holes :) Seems like we are reluctant to give youth a chance.
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bohslegend added 14:50 - Nov 9 You are kidding me marco007!??? MM has just explained how he found him in the first place and how highly he rates him and then he starts him today and you come out with that BS. I love Ipswich Town, have done since 1977. But I'm disgusted by some of the absolute b0llox talk coming out from some on this forum. Get behind the team (including the manager) and stop trying to pick the team every week or else go support Man U or Chelsea or someone where the only thing you'll find to moan about is whether such and such a player is worth £20m or £25m! Get back to your XBox you idiots. COYB!!!!!!!!!!

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Kikapu added 21:41 - Nov 9 A contact of mine at Southampton told me that he was at the Bath branch of Southampton Academy and was released when the centre was closed when the club (Southampton) went into administration. This might explain why he disappeared off the radar for a while.
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