Town manager Mick McCarthy admitted that the Blues’ 1-1 home draw with Nottingham Forest was a fair result with the visitors having been on top in the first half. He felt his side improved after the break with Forest keeper Karl Darlow putting in an outstanding display.

“It was a good comeback, having been outplayed in the first half,” he said. “They were very good. Dean Gerken was probably the man of the match in the first half and Karl Darlow was certainly the man of the match in the second half.

“Seven points from nine, that’s not looking for a silver lining. That’s the Championship, we would love to have won it, we could have won it but we could have been 3-0 down, so I think it’s just a really good point, and listening to the rest of the results we’re still in there.

“We could have had more goals than we got, the one that Murph nicked off [Danny Collins] at the end I thought he was going to get another one but it wasn’t to be. He’s had a great season and all in all it’s a fair point.”

He added: “The spirit is terrific and I said to the players afterwards that you don’t get results like that without that togetherness and camaraderie, which don’t think you can put enough emphasis on. You’ve got to have it and it’s there in abundance.

“We wouldn’t have come back against Derby and won and comeback and got a point and probably deserved to win it in the end today, on the chances in the second half. But all in all it was a fair point.”

Despite a lengthy injury list, McCarthy felt Forest were still able to field a very strong side, far stronger than the one he would have been able to name in similar circumstances.

“Write the team down and see what they’ve got,” he added. “They’ve been whinging about injuries and they put that team out.

“I wouldn’t like to think I’d got 10 or 12 injuries, that’s for sure. They’ve got a good squad and they’ve played well today, in the first half, and I thought we were excellent in the second half.”

The Blues boss again had praise for the Town support: “They were getting a bit frustrated I thought in the first half, but we weren’t good, I understand that.

“But they got behind us right from the start of the second half and there was another good atmosphere in the place.”

He admitted that it was a difficult decision to leave Anthony Wordsworth out after his impressive performances against Brighton and Derby with Cole Skuse returning to his regular central midfield role.

“It was a difficult one for me,” the Town manager admitted. “Skusey, you could argue for him to be Player of the Year. As well as Woody had played, I was putting Skusey back in because he’s been the top man.

“It was a hard one. He’d had two games Woody, and I wasn’t sure how he was going to react. He ran as far or more than anybody on Tuesday, he’d had two really hard games. And he’ll be back.

“I left him out [of the 18] because I’d got fresh legs coming back. If you consider that if I’d put him on the bench.

“And I wonder how he would feel as well, coming off the bench. There’s all that going on. I’d got Greeny and I’d got Tabby, who haven’t played and are fresh. They’ve not just played two 90 minutes and if they have to get off the bench they might be a bit livelier. That’s the reason why. It was a tough one, but it happens.”

Forest caretaker-manager Gary Brazil was pleased with his team’s display: “I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves. I was really pleased with our first-half performance.

“I thought we showed a lot of commitment and a lot of courage in terms of initially dealing with what we expected would be a team who are playing well and was going to come right at us.

“We spoke a lot about making sure that we met that battle. I thought we won a lot of pieces off Daryl Murphy’s headers and challenges and we got ourselves into the game.

“The goal early on from the set piece was a nice bonus for us, but we also created two or three good openings from which we could have hurt the scoreline even more.

“In the second half we knew that Mick was going to wind them up at half-time and we’d get a bit of an onslaught and they would come at us.

“But I thought to a man we worked really hard, we met the challenge, we had a good fight and we had a goalkeeper who has been in excellent form this season, who made two or three crucial saves.

“For me it was frustrating that we conceded off a set piece. We just fell asleep when they took a short corner.”

Photo: Action Images

JWM added 22:23 - Mar 29 Better than being a clown like you realist
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ITFCRealist added 23:14 - Mar 29 Well that's clever JWM Look mate, I want the best for the club we both support - I just think we have the wrong manager for it. If he had played an attacking team today. and won the game, I would be the first to raise a glass to Mick. But he got it wrong. Very wrong. And its been like that all season.
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Ipswich24 added 23:27 - Mar 29 What the hell is all the skusey, tabby, greeny about? They are his favourites but all are poor. Skuse was good in 1st few games but has seriously dropped off the pace. What does. He offer no goals, no assists. He doesn't do enough for me same with Anderson. Williams is just class everything he does. Another favourite Chambers distribution is laughable.
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Garv added 00:19 - Mar 30 So why bother having both Green and Tabb on the bench? Why not an impact player? Hint hint.
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Hiltzkooler added 04:12 - Mar 30 JWM...I've just ordered the same rose tinted glasses as you and I've got an Amazon order on for the Comfort Blanket that MM wraps himself in to safe guard myself against another bleak cold winter of geriatric football tactics....listening to MM's rational today, with his prematch ramble sounds like a set of excuses for not doing what this sided is capable of if deployed properly....one could of ordained the result today...and trust me i truly wanted to believe...I've spent enough over my time of supporting our team...but as many have said,patience with Mick is wearing thin, or has run out...

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brittaniaman added 09:56 - Mar 30 It is a job to understand MM. at times !! during the week he raved about Woodies performances in the last 2 games !!! THEN He drops him completely from the team and the Bench ???? What is it ???, and I will not to mention Taylor.
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Dozzells_Bobblehat added 11:05 - Mar 30 ITFCRealist - try re naming yourself as ITFC miserable git
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theobald1985 added 15:57 - Mar 30 ITFCRealist is spot on im afraid. micks wrong to change a winning team and fails to commit to trying to win football matches-he is virtually always happy with a point no matter what the circumstances. the style of play is dire certainly not suitable for the prem which is where we aspire to be and he has proved before he is not a premier league manager. what mick does is not rocket science keep the team solid try not to concede then play the percentages game with long balls up top.its football but not as i know it. leaving wordsworth out along with his failure to drop gerkin at times his decision to loan out hewitt nad bring in an older right back on loan ,leaving taylor out consistantly,swapping JET for anderson is not good managment. people like JET taylor and woody dont fit into the ugly style mick wants to play

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Surco72 added 21:03 - Mar 30 MM has done a very good job turning us around ,but the simple fact is that we would be comfortably sat in playoff picture with Derby if we had gone for wins in many games at home rather than stopping the opposition and scraping draws after dreadful first halves , or stubbornly refusing to change the team and throwing leads away. Any flair players are second choice to workers , even Williams was on the bench for a few games and he was only here for a month !!

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Surco72 added 21:05 - Mar 30 Also makes all the fans refusing to believe MM dropped Wordy on Saturday and insisting he was injured even more stupid than they sounded on the chatroom
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blueboy1981 added 21:51 - Mar 30 JWM - ........ no one is saying MM hasn't done a good job since arriving, he has - but he has been, and is currently, being paid extremely well to do so. Therefore as the 'paying public, and ultimately 'paying the wages' why settle for less that what we consider is indeed possible ? Constructive comment is NOT necessarily CRITISM - some appear to have great difficulty in recognising that, or knowing the difference it seems. People who agree with everything, and settle for whatever, are always low in expectation and ambition, and could essentially be seen as 'nodding dogs' - for good reason. If that is you - it certainly isn't me, and I'm proud of that to be honest. We should not have had a problem in extracting 3 points from Forest, at home remember, and that is not expecting too much or indeed CRITICISING, unless you chose to see it that way. Lift your expectations a bit - I'm sure you will feel better for it - and please understand the difference I mention above, before labelling everyone a 'moaner'.

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blueboy1981 added 21:53 - Mar 30 ...... should read CRITICISM - I don't clain to be the best with the keyboard.
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blueboy1981 added 21:54 - Mar 30 .... as proved again - should read CLAIM. Goodnight All - let's move on to the next 3 Points.
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bluesman added 22:38 - Mar 30 It was a hard one, He'd been creative for two games, Woody, and I wasn't sure how he'd react. You know, pass out or something. He ran as far or more than anybody on Tuesday, and you can't do that, can you, and create things, game after game. I mean, who's he fooling? Not me. He'll be back. In about six months. In the reserves.
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