Boss Mick McCarthy hailed strike pair David McGoldrick and Daryl Murphy after their goals saw the Blues to Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Blackpool.

McGoldrick put Town in front in the 26th minute and Murphy sealed the win just after the hour mark.

“They are a good partnership and it probably suited them when I went to 4-4-2 after 10 or 15 minutes,” McCarthy said.

“I think we get the best out of them at that, but we’ve had a good spell at 4-3-3. They are a good partnership.

“I think they’re amongst the division’s best. And I think everybody else does as well.”

The duo have now scored 13 goals between them this season - Murphy eight, McGoldrick five - with the former Waterford, Sunderland and Celtic man currently joint-third top scorer in the Championship.

The pair first linked up in the second half of the 2012/13 season after McGoldrick, now 26, initially joined on loan from Nottingham Forest and added four goals to the 17 he had scored during a half-season spell with Coventry in League One.

Thirty-one-year-old Murphy - then in his third loan stint with Town - totalled seven that season, two after McGoldrick’s arrival.

But it was last season that they really clicked and established themselves as the club’s first-choice partnership, netting 29 goals in total, Murphy grabbing 13 and McGoldrick 16 before his season was ended prematurely by his knee injury in February.

The pair could soon link-up for the Republic of Ireland - alongside Blues loan striker Conor Sammon - with manager Martin O’Neill recent revealing that the paperwork relating to McGoldrick’s qualification is close to being completed and that he could be added to the squad for this month’s internationals.

Photo: Action Images

werderbremenblue added 06:46 - Nov 3 Town really have suprised me this season, left me with egg on my face with my start of season rant (d'oh). The next 2 games (wolves and watford could really shape the season 2 positive results could see us become serious contenders. Still think we are 1 or 2 players short especially with the Xmas period looming.
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franco added 07:05 - Nov 3 Two more wins this week plz mick ! V
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craigyboy10 added 07:18 - Nov 3 Don't personally think we lack one or two players. Considering we have ambrose, collision and Cameron Stewart yet to really feature and are there to step up. Maybe another striking option. But other than that I think the squad has some good strength in depth at the moment.
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Suffolk_n_Good added 07:18 - Nov 3 Seriously, Murphy looks like he's about to kill someone in this picture!! Great start to the season for M&M, fingers crossed neither gets injured :)
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brian_a_mul added 09:03 - Nov 3 Well done Murphs and Dids, keep it up! A superb combination of skills and physical attributes that compliment each other very well. Both are intelligent strikers too and work very hard for the team. A handful for any defense, well up there as one of the divisions best strike pairs- Another Paul Jewel gift!
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muccletonjoe added 10:11 - Nov 3 Feel we need to start utilising the likes of collision, ambrose, Stewart and henshall, far too many games coming up to rely on a pool of 15 / 16 players.
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nhabo added 10:52 - Nov 3 M&M combinations have always been good for Ipswich. Marshall and Mathie, Mason and Milton. Bodes well :)
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verulam added 12:42 - Nov 3 or how about Muhren and Mariner
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BlueMachines added 13:10 - Nov 3 Interesting that MM indicates that 442 suits Murph and Mc'Goal'drick and yet we continually play 433. I haven't minded the 433 I just find that admission strange.
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