Town boss Mick McCarthy admitted that his side got out of jail via Christophe Berra’s injury time equaliser but felt the Blues deserved their point at Birmingham. Berra nodded home a Paul Anderson cross for the second time in the game to see Town to a 2-2 draw at St Andrew’s.

“Great, lovely, isn’t it? I think we deserved to get out of jail,” He said. “I think the two goals we gave away were awful and I think the two goals we scored were great. I’m sure Lee thinks similar.

“Bad marking for the first and an awful pass for the second, but a great finish. I think Birmingham look a different side this year. I have to say, I thought they were very good.”

The Blues manager was delighted to see Christophe Berra net twice, adding to his goal in the corresponding fixture last season, which was his first in English football.

“Good, let’s hope that continues,” he said. “We were teasing him about the first one, but I think he did get his head on it having seen it on our replay.

“The second one, there was no doubt at all. It was a great cross from Paul Anderson, actually both of them were, he got two assists.

“His freekick was a great freekick and his cross facing the wrong way was outstanding. Two assists and two goals for Christophe. Great, let’s get more out of him. He’s good in the air, he should score goals.”

Having come close to grabbing a late point on Saturday, McCarthy was delighted to have done so tonight: “But for great defending against Reading when Reading headed one off the line in the 94th minute on Saturday [we would have got a point].

“I’m not saying we were unlucky because it was brilliant defending by them he [Shaun Cummings] did his job, but we could have got something then.

“So, to come here tonight and get something, and I think deservedly in the end, is very pleasing.”

The Blues boss says every point will prove vital come the end of the season: “Every point’s a prisoner. Last year when we didn’t get in the play-offs people were saying ‘if you’d have won this, won that, done this, done that…’ near the end of the season when we lost to Watford and drew with Bournemouth.

“What about us losing at home to Leeds when we were 1-0 up, what about us losing or drawing [other early games]? Just get your points, put them on the league table and that’s it, they can’t go anywhere then.”

Regarding Birmingham’s penalty claim when Tommy Smith appeared to trip Paul Caddis, McCarthy said: “As it happens, I was hoping and praying it wasn’t. But I haven’t seen it again close up, so I don’t know. Some you get, some you don’t.”

He says drawing rather than losing will have a significant effect on the squad ahead of Saturday’s derby with Norwich City: “It makes a huge difference to travelling back on the coach, how you feel, how you approach tomorrow.

“We’re all in tomorrow to recover because we’ve had a hard start to the season. It just creates a different atmosphere having got something from the game.”

Birmingham boss Lee Clark was disappointed his team couldn’t hang on: “Frustrating, I’m gutted for the players, they didn’t deserve it, we deserved another victory.

“It would have capped a brilliant week at home to claim three wins on the bounce. But it wasn’t to be but we can’t be too downhearted because I think the players have given another terrific performance in both aspects.

“They’re a powerful team, they’ll do a lot of damage to teams over the course of the season.”

Clark was convinced his side ought to have been awarded the spotkick: “I think we could have gone 3-1 up with a penalty. I’ve seen it again. [Paul Caddis] is on goal so it would be strange for him to go down. I’ve had a good look at it.”

“I’m not sure where five minutes of injury time came from, there wasn’t a physio on the pitch. But of course [the time] is there to be seen out, we always knew they were going to be a threat from crosses and set plays.”

Photo: Action Images

RaymondovicBlue added 23:16 - Aug 19 Bonkers league and a bonkers sport.. tonight I watched AFC Bournemouth play Notts Forest off the park and lose 2-1 from one nil up. Any team that comes from behind twice gets my respect. Obviously i didn't see the game but looks good to me that we no longer roll over when down. That bodes very well !!!
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TimmyH added 23:18 - Aug 19 The goals we scored were great...the goals we conceded were awful...and Birmingham were very good - C'mon Mick I think a few on here would beg to differ about 'deserving' to get out of jail! Let's put this result behind us and the defensive mistakes and concentrate on the biggy on Saturday, we need a 'total' performance, us fans are long overdue a stuffing of a budgie!
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miltonsnephew added 23:18 - Aug 19 Nice to see Marriott make he's debut at Carlisle. Played 82mins sounds like he stood out and was probably their best player tonight.
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Walk_the_Wark added 23:33 - Aug 19 Boring boring yawn yawn- so happy to get a point at Birmingham….
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Walk_the_Wark added 23:36 - Aug 19 Can we have a proper manager soon please? I want to be excited about Ipswich again!!
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Tractamatt added 23:40 - Aug 19 Nice that we don't roll over but we need more inventive new blood so it's time to make Collison an offer
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SohoBlue added 00:00 - Aug 20 Interesting to see that no one in the league has a perfect record after just three games. Tough league, hard games. Well rescued Christophe. We're still hard to beat even with mistakes. Well done Mick, get them fired up and unleash McGoldrick and Collison against the Norfolk Enchants cookery school. COYB! It be the perfect gift for four brothers at their sister's wedding this Saturday!

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SouperJim added 00:40 - Aug 20 Just got back, terrible game of football. Birmingham were complete toilet and were there to be beaten, we were just as bad and gifted them 2 goals. Another game where the opposition struggled so so did we, lots of time on the ball first half but no quality from us and nobody on the pitch who can play. St Andrews was like a morgue until they scored and even then they only celebrated for a few minutes. Can't even say 500 Town fans outsung them, as Birmingham didn't sing. No contest. Clearly suffering from 10 months of dross at home, recent results might pick them up a bit but on this evidence they will be in a relegation dogfight again. 2 points dropped, however Mick spins it.

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kesgrave_bluey added 04:10 - Aug 20 like being forced to watch Bargain Hunt repeats
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battyblue added 05:57 - Aug 20 We must be the most boring team in the division and to MM all the other teams are promotion contenders
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bedsitfc added 06:05 - Aug 20 Better teams would have won that game we still need a spark (jonniesta type player) but ffp are stopping us not Marcus and mick.
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muhrensleftfoot added 06:54 - Aug 20 We need some creativity in midfield. We've been saying it for months. Anyone who watches us regularly will know how negative we are in midfield. To me, Skuse is the weakest link. He is lacking pace, never makes a forward pass and never scores. Defensively he's OK, but not as effective as Hyam. We should either get someone in or give Wordsworth a decent run in the side. Tabb also doesn't add any creativity or width. Let's give Henshall a chance to establish himself.

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kesgrave_bluey added 08:10 - Aug 20 if we're having a clear out of forwards, how about ditching our midfield and get some prem loans? hyam, wordsworth, skuse, Anderson could probably fit into most league 1 sides lets get hunt back or pay him off
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pennblue added 08:33 - Aug 20 Henshall on the other wing Saturday please Mick. He proved last night he has the quality to deliver that match winning cross.
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brittaniaman added 08:34 - Aug 20 Other teams have strengthened over the summer !!! But we put out the same team as last season bar Sammon ??? non scoring midfield exactly the same (minus J.Williams) ?? So come on Mick sort them out,, with the most important game for years coming up on Sat. !!! We have done the three now, win, lose and draw !!!
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Wickets added 09:11 - Aug 20 Hi Souper jim you forgot that Hensall looked good when he came on, well apart for almost giving away a pen, only on for about 10 mins but put a lot of pressure on the Birmingham defence. 2 good crosses,hopefully we can look foward to more cameo's of quailty from this young man.
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blueblood66 added 09:14 - Aug 20 Walk the Wark..who do you propose as a 'proper' manager then?
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Pabloisgod84 added 09:14 - Aug 20 yes Mick thanks for making us solid with no money but how about introduce some passing football to the team and actually try and win games instead of setting up to try and get a point. best form of defence is attack. the reason we always think its good point coming from behind is because we never go away from home looking to win a game. we set up with 4 non attacking midfielders, no wonder we rely on our defence to bail us out. our midfield is the worst for many a year i can remember

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yorksblue added 12:05 - Aug 20 Get Berra starting up front
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battyblue added 14:44 - Aug 20 yorksblue we may as well much better finisher than anyone else we have up there at the moment chambers c back with smith hewitt right back Berra up top either murf or sammon on the bench
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paulthebluealien added 16:39 - Aug 20 The fact that we played poorly and still picked up a point bodes well with me. Hopefully, we will play well and destroy Narwich at the weekend! Then, not only dare I say this start will be labelled 'decent' it will also make me the happiest man in Suffolk.
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afrodids added 17:24 - Aug 20 Evans! Get your money out , get your money out!!I know MM has given us "stability" as everyone keeps saying which is what we want but in the premier league not the championship! F**k FFP spend the money take the fine!! Our Midfield is so poor and it's the same as last year silly mistakes costing goals. I prefer the we'll score goals than you Philosophy! Rant Over COYB

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Hegansheroes added 17:57 - Aug 20 Couldn't agree with you more Walk the wark!! This is as bad as ITFC under Duncan & the reason attendances are so low (prices contribute). Why bring in another donkey to replace a failed one in Nouble, took MM some time & plenty of games to realise he wasn't good enough yet out goes Taylor, Vesseli & probably any one else who has a modicum of skill. I expect Norwich to play us off the field on Saturday, God another 3 years of MM, I'd rather do 3 years in Parkhurst

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IpswichFan26 added 18:20 - Aug 20 Attendance has been low for years now. Don't pin the blame on Mick for that. Disagree with me all you want, but I believe MM is one of the best managers at this level. Hes proven already and What's he done with us with such little finances is nothing short of a miracle. If you want him out (be careful what you wish for) think carefully and offer up sensible managers who would actually come to us instead. But I don't think you'd find very many. MM's the best manager for us right now.

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kesgrave_bluey added 20:20 - Aug 20 MM has done a brilliant job at anchoring us to mid table and removing any last traces of refinement in the way we play. He's done it on a shoestring and has picked up a tidy sum of money himself. How he's done it is a mystery. He's bought badly at the wrong time and can't recognise a player even after a season of missing a barn door. Now we are playing musical chairs with fewer and less talented players and with endless rearranging the deckchairs in midfield. Everyone says he's preparing us for top six and playoffs, what he's really doing is putting together a solid side for League 1. But stiil lets have a go at Norwich, they had the worst away record in the Prem so they should still be nervous away from home, but please god don't give them all the possession and hope to catch them on the break. And don't kick start another teams season at our expense.

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