Manager Mick McCarthy felt Town’s 1-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers “epitomised” his “belligerent, stubborn, hard-working” side. David McGoldrick’s 55th minute penalty was the difference between the teams.

“I like them when I’m sat in here and we’ve won, I’m not so sure I like them when stood out there and I’m jumping up and down like a jack in the box,” McCarthy said of the game afterwards.

“I think it epitomises us. We’re not great, we’re not a silky football team, we’re a belligerent, stubborn, hard-working bunch with a really good team spirit and then, yes, we can play.

“I think David McGoldrick epitomised what we’re about when he ran back 50 yards and tackled Chris Eagles and his job is supposedly to stick the ball in the net.

“They work for each other and work for me and TC and the club. They’re great, but we’re not a silky, wonderful football team by any stretch of the imagination.”

He told his players he was disappointed with their first half display at the break: “I didn’t think from one to 11, or whatever numbers we are, they had done enough in the game.

“Gerks made a good save but some of his kicks weren’t the best, it was 20 minutes before our centre-halves won our first header. I don’t think the front three didn’t really do anything.

“I thought the midfield three were all right. I thought Skusey had done OK and I thought Hunty and Tabby were different class, considering they’re both supposed to be wide lefties.

“We hadn’t done enough in the game. I just said to them ‘you’ll have to step it up lads, we’re nowhere near’. And I think we got the goal out of being a little bit more in their faces and hard-working. We kept the ball in, challenged for it and we got a penalty from it.”

Despite having had his last two spot-kicks saved, McCarthy says there was never any question that McGoldrick would take the penalty.

“It was never in any doubt,” he said. “Murph keeps teasing him saying ‘you’re off them, lad!’, but he’s only missed one. I know he didn’t score straight away [against Preston] but he scored nevertheless, so he’s only missed one penalty.

“Fantastic, 15 goals is a really good haul for him. He’s been our talisman in games with his bit of quality or goals, whether a penalty or in free play. He’s been excellent.”

With the other sides around Town winning, the Blues boss says the result takes on greater importance: “It does, when you see where we are, we’re still in seventh.

“We were watching the Burnley game before and somebody said what are the other [games]? But there’s only one result which counts, ours.

“Everybody else can do whatever they want, if we don’t win it doesn’t really matter. Of course it adds a bit more significance, if we’d lost we’d be down the pecking order somewhat.”

Having lost three games in a row, Town have claimed seven points from their last three matches with McCarthy particularly pleased with the home win a week ago: “Reading beat Millwall 3-0 today, so their last four games have been a 7-1 win, 5-1 and 3-0 and in between that 0-2 here. So that is a good team. We knew that when we played them.

“And then we go up to Leeds, and they won 5-1 today, which really pisses me off because of all the uproar about Brian McDermott being sacked, but I’m not going to get into that.

“Going there is not an easy place to go and play, I’m not bothered with the circumstances. That’s a good point and we’ve had to grind one out today. We’ve just ground a really good three points out today.”

McCarthy switched his midfielders around on a number of occasions during the game, with Frazer Richardson making his debut in an unfamiliar role late on, and says he did so in order to counter Bolton’s changes of tactics.

He said: “I’d let Woody do Darren Pratley, that was Skusey’s job [before he went off], then they changed it around and put Mark Davies in there, so I wasn’t going to let Woody mark Mark Davies because he’d just run away from him, so I changed Tabby and put him on him.

“The he put Trotter on and I didn’t want Tabby marking Trotter, although the first header he went and beat him, to be fair, and Woody was running out of gas so it was ideal. I said to Frazer before and he said ‘no problem, I’ll go and play there’. He’s a good character.”

Regarding Cole Skuse, who was subbed in the first half with a head injury, McCarthy said he was fine after the game: “He’s all right, I’ve just been in to see him, he got a nasty knock on his head. He’s just stunned.”

Bolton boss Dougie Freedman thought his side were on top before the break: “Very disappointing result today. We felt that in the first 45 minutes - and it happens regularly to us - we were by far the better side.

“We competed very well, created two or three opportunities which you’d like to try and take and then a rush of blood in the second half seems to be the difference in the game because there wasn’t a lot in it. These small moments are hurting us badly right now.”

He added: “No complaints about the penalty at all. It’s a rush of blood to the head. Andy Lonergan has been fantastic for us, absolutely no blame, I don’t have a blame culture at the football club.”

Photo: Action Images

NoCanariesAllowed added 18:46 - Feb 1 I think when you haven't got a lot of money to play with, sometimes you do need to settle for being a "belligerent, stubborn, hard-working bunch", at least in the short term. We might all enjoy it more if it were the kind of football played in the similarly penny-squeezing Joe Royle days, but let's not dispute it - it's proving effective enough in this very tight division at the moment. And maybe in due course, if a good league finish is rewarded with the chance to develop the squad, we might be able to acquire the personnel for a better standard of football.

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rambohambo added 19:00 - Feb 1 i still think when we go 1-0 up we really need to go for the 2nd to at least settle the fans nerves as the amount of times we have lost 2 points 5 mins before the end is silly
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rambohambo added 19:00 - Feb 1 i still think when we go 1-0 up we really need to go for the 2nd to at least settle the fans nerves as the amount of times we have lost 2 points 5 mins before the end is silly
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Ebantiass added 19:06 - Feb 1 Delighted with a hard workmen performance. Under Mick and TC we are a side hard to beat and hard working, but short on flair and imagination.The lack of serious money is an obvious factor for our current situation, but still we are sniffing around the playoffs is nothing short of a miracle. Hats off to all concerned. COYBs.
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bayleycr added 19:20 - Feb 1 So pleased we won today, really important with those around us winning too. I think Skuse going off shows we need at least 2 more players in the loan market. That's if SEB can get fit and stay fit otherwise I think we need 3!
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sereneblue added 19:20 - Feb 1 As Mick says "We're not great, we're not a silky football team " ,I'm afraid although a good result, his words give you the reason why so many Ipswich fans don't turn up to watch them any more. I will always be a Town fan ,but first and foremost a football fan.
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Bluetone added 19:24 - Feb 1 They're great, but we're not a silky, wonderful football team by any stretch of the imagination.” They're a team built by you in your image MM. Most definitely not pretty to watch.
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Keaneish added 19:37 - Feb 1 We could be though right? With the current squad we could be. Cresswell has it in him, so does Hewitt. Taylor and Hunt, Anderson or Edwards. Maybe Wordsworth. Ebanks-Blake, McGoldrick. Skuse…. I see plenty of squad members who could make us more of a fluid attacking force. 7th with no cash is outstanding given we were relegation fodder last year but to say we're not a silky team is a bit silly when we have the players who, given the licence could give us a much more attacking edge.

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Walk_the_Wark added 20:06 - Feb 1 I don't agree that with cash we would be a 'silky' passing team under McCarthy. I agree with serene blue. It's not really like watching Ipswich anymore sadly
2

dubblue added 20:07 - Feb 1 Rather be effective grinding out results than playing pretty football and losing!
5

Jimmy86 added 20:10 - Feb 1 I am not being anti mick for 1 minute, coz he is doing a fantastic job on a limited budget, but 1 thing i would also say is despite it getting results, the reason we are not a silky, fluid, attacking team is because mick sets us up not to be. He sets us up to be well organised, defensive and hard working. It is getting results and the majority of realistic fans accept that, but from an entertainment point of view it is not pretty on the eye and will only get us so far. Great job though so hat's off

6

TimmyH added 20:20 - Feb 1 As mentioned we have SOME players who if given the opportunity and set in a more attacking formation could produce more entertaining football, we had it with Royle and to a degree with Magilton but unfortunately Mick sets us up tactically to stop the opposition. Putting Hunt out on the left is about as 'flamboyant' as he's going to get and that will be mainly because we're playing at home. But as another poster mentioned we're in the results business and Mick's slowly grinding the results out but it ain't pretty but we all had a feeling that would be the way!

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ArnieM added 20:31 - Feb 1 Well played lads. Another 3pts in the bag. We're not 7th by a fluke. Tbh from where we've been over the last decade what MM and TC have done in just 12 months with sod all funds is nothing short of oustanding. Acknowledge this a lets REALLY back this team . Btw 2nd half atmosphere in SBR was excellent. Keep it up . COYB'S .....always.
5

ericclacton added 20:36 - Feb 1 SEVENTH!.................magic.
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Mick added 21:01 - Feb 1 Wow what a great picture of Mick. I'd like to see that in black and white. Beautiful.
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ian_marshall added 21:30 - Feb 1 Mick is a very attractive man
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tractorboyz82 added 22:07 - Feb 1 People who stay away because it's not pretty football you can't really call yourself fans because fans go to SUPPORT the team/club through good and bad.bet you turn up to the big cup games and when we get to the prem though.sereneblue are you serious that is the stupidest thing I've ever read on here your a football fan first think you should go watch Barca
0

Hiltzkooler added 22:20 - Feb 1 Keaneish...that's my frustration that I keep bleating on about....why is mick playing this one dimensional hard to beat football when he does have the assets to play a better brand of football...tired of hearing that it is ME's fault for this and that....show me the football mick, I know it's in there somewhere!!!
1

sereneblue added 22:32 - Feb 1 Tractorboy82 So although I've been a Town fan since I can remember and a season ticket holder and I move to the other side of the world , I can not be an Ipswich supporter any more because I can't go and watch them? If you think my comment was stupid, probably you should re- read yours!
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mrmorisato added 22:46 - Feb 1 Yeah it did Mick......with two winnable games in Barnsley and Blackpool could we force ourselves into the top six??
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muccletonjoe added 23:21 - Feb 1 MM plays the team he does to get the job done , I can certainly testify it is not pretty to watch , but the man knows how to put points on the board.
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arablue added 23:41 - Feb 1 we are the oakland athletics equivalent in english football (see the movie Moneyball)...
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Town4me added 23:56 - Feb 1 Sereneblue. I think what he's trying 2 get at is that u said ur a football fan b4 a town fan. I for 1 would take crap football and winning over pretty football and loosing any day, as an ipswich supporter. People agree?
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MacMan added 07:33 - Feb 2 1. A good manager gets the best out of the players he has. He works with them day in and day out and knows what they are capable of. 2. It's not much fun watching your team get beaten and struggling against relegation no matter how 'entertaining' the football. 3. How often do you hear the best managers moan that they have won 1-0 but had to do it the hard way? Never. They appreciate that first and foremost the objective is to win. If that means doing it ugly then they'II take that any day. 4. Last season we were always looking down to the teams below us, now we look up. I know what I prefer.

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livrich added 08:30 - Feb 2 Mick has 38 league games in charge with win:draw ratio of 42:24% rest defeats, the previous managers Jewell 80 35:23 Keane 72 31:33 Royle 167 43:28 Magilton 136 38:28 Burley 345 44:25 Sir Bobby 562 42:25 Not a bad start with no money
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