Town boss Mick McCarthy felt there was little in the Blues’ 2-0 East Anglian derby defeat to Norwich at Carrow Road aside from the Canaries' two goals.

“I don’t think there was a lot in the game,” the Blues boss said. “I certainly don’t think Norwich dominated the game, but they scored the two goals.

“The two goals were the difference, that’s generally the case if you score them both. But that was it.

“We lost the ball in midfield for the first one but I have to say it was good play from them.

“It took a deflection off one of our lads but the shot was unstoppable when he hit it, so you can’t do anything other than say that. It was a terrific strike.

“The second one, it took a deflection and I think Bart was going to save that. They were maybe a bit fortunate with that.

“We didn’t get any of that. We had a few scrambles and chances before half-time but it wasn’t our day in front of goal.”

Town’s best chance was Freddie Sears’s first-half effort, which John Ruddy did well to save.

“I’d say so," said McCarthy. “I thought Freddie did particularly well with it, he steadied himself and the way he’s been playing you’d expect him to slide it in, but it’s a great save that he made. I won’t give out to Freddie for a miss, that’s for sure.

“It was a great save, wasn’t it? He came out and smothered it. You’ve got to give the goalkeeper credit for that.”

While the Town boss was disappointed to lose the derby he says the game is only worth three points like any other match and it’s now important for his players to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

“It doesn’t give us any more points or them any more points," he added. "It gives them the kudos, of course, and people don’t like that and I fully understand that about supporters. I’ve played in my own local derbies when I started as a kid.

“I know the importance of them and the importance for us now is to knuckle-down and win more games and finish at least in the play-offs. What are we, three off the top two? It’s there to be played for.”

McCarthy doesn’t expect the result to affect his players, who have bounced back from adversity on plenty of previous occasions.

“I don’t think it ever has,” he added. “As I keep saying, the lads have been brilliant all season.

“And I wonder, when you look at the squad of players that Norwich have got, the team that they’ve got, I wonder how many teams put it down as an away win when they’re coming down here. I don’t think there was a lot in the game but they’ve scored the two goals.”

He dismissed the suggestion that results elsewhere were a positive to take from the weekend: “I can’t do anything about them. If all the others lose all the rest of their games and we do we’ll still be in the same position.

“I don’t look for that [results elsewhere], I think in a really tough fixture we’ve played all right and we’ve just been beaten by the two goals. I’m not looking for a silver lining really when we’ve just lost.”

Despite the setback McCarthy insists that the Blues are still targeting a top-two finish: “Of course. Aim for that and if we end up in the play-offs we’ll have had a great season.

"And if we end up in the top two it might surprise you even more than if we end up in the top six.”

Norwich manager Alex Neil was pleased to win his first derby in charge of the Canaries: “It wasn’t the best game but the most important thing was that we’ve won it.

"We’ve won six in a row now, which is great. Now we just have to keep on winning.”

He added: “We’re third at the moment and we’ve given ourselves a real chance. The opportunity is there, we just have to go out and grasp it. It wasn’t in our own hands when I took over, now it is.”

Photo: Action Images

Popeye added 18:06 - Mar 1 Alex O'Neil said the derby is all about pride, we had none today. Poor team selection , particularly the sustitutions and negative tactics by MM. Injuries are piling up, didsy out long term and four midfielders injured! They could leave Jerome and Hooper on the bench today and we had Varney (for the life of me i dont know why MM signed him) it might as well of been reg varney for all the use he is. Skuse anonymous, Tabby at least a stone overweight, Smith always got a mistake in him. Why no Stewart or the irish winger on the bench?

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RonFearonsHair added 18:10 - Mar 1 Why do people still take notice of what Mick says in his post-match comments? He always defends his players in public regardless. What's more important is what he says behind closed doors.
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itfc1981 added 18:12 - Mar 1 unknown100 outed.
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Norwichbeater added 18:13 - Mar 1 He needs to reign his arrogance in sometimes. He has played down 2 derbies as unimportant and gloated about the Glasgow derby being the only one that matters. Predictable rubbish shxt today. Out fought and out classed by a 33 year old no one. Well done MM your arrogance has done us proud again. Start listening to the fans and stop thinking you are a big shot. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

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Pip50 added 18:14 - Mar 1 12 games left now is the time to change the manager big bounce and we are top two. If a unknown from Hamiltceltrangersdundoo can do it. Marcus be brave grow some football balls. Ball to feet width not rocket science !
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Bluetone added 18:14 - Mar 1 McCarthy you are showing why you are regarded as a doughty opponent as a Championship level manager but you and the teams you cobble together will never amount to more than that. Time to move on?
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itfc1981 added 18:16 - Mar 1 the stats back Mick up, they are even in our favour for the game.
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runaround added 18:16 - Mar 1 It's becoming like a broken record this "nothing in the game apart from the goals" routine.If we don't score first we just won't win. Total lack of anything from midfield apart from hard work, players played out of position but in because of hard work, defensive mindedness & character. we have an excellent front 2 but they have to try & engineer chances themselves. For a team so dangerous from set pieces, today we had no-one capable of taking a corner of free kick. Mick needs to stop being "appy with a point" & try to win games home or away otherwise all the good things earlier in the season will be for nothing Yes he has done very well in the 2.5 years but now is the time to push on but Mick seems too stubborn & scared of being loose defensively to do this. Yet this pragmatic approach means we ARE losing as we have no idea to break down teams once behind if they sit back & pressure us on the ball

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bluefeast added 18:17 - Mar 1 its a shame to feel so disappointed , i understand the financial control etc ,but why sign chaplow vardey and smith. £ players who are not fully match fit. What do they offer us, whats wrong with signing players on loan who could actually offer something different .All very odd and so so disappointing. Feel sick tonight over that performance , we dont support our front 2 who can clearly be lethal ,but crosses into the box are a rare beast from areas level with the box ,straight lumps centrally are easy for centre halves ,change it up mick or we will be nowhere neare play offs.

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rinkydinkpanther added 18:20 - Mar 1 Do you remember when we lost 9-0 to Man Utd? Well, the only difference between the two teams that day was nine goals. Otherwise it would have been 0-0. And who knows? We might have nicked it. Thanks for the insight Mick.
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bluelad26 added 18:21 - Mar 1 We have still got a chance I ain't a manager and I only play football on the odd occasion and I still support mick and terry with everything they bring to town and the game but why do we play like s';@te in front of cameras, Southampton at home was the same. We play same awesome football at times but today I feel we bottled it, hope we can play some close passing football like the team have shown sometimes I think that's the only way you get near the other end with half a chance, 3 players working out how to get that ball in the back of the net not just one, that's my two pence anyway,good luck lads

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pablo123 added 18:32 - Mar 1 Shut up mcCarthy you pr*** !!! We were sh*** !!! Johnny parr , do yourself a favour son and find another club , coz this idiot will always pick that t*t chambers over you !! No matter how many points he has (and still does) cost us !!! Pathetic !!!!!
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Blue_Again added 18:33 - Mar 1 Jesus we need to learn to pass! it's as bad as watching England play sometimes, no connection between defense and midefield. I mean Tabb, how is he in the team, his corners are shocking so are his free kicks, why not try Connelly or Stewart. The players just don't look up for it and seem to be aware of their shortcomings in terms of ability and skill. I understand the need to have players with the right attitude rather than journeymen, but christ do we need some creativity in the team.

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hairbear added 18:39 - Mar 1 Boooooo Listening to some on here we might as well pack up and go home now. We were awful today, no question but it's still in our hands where we finish. People who keep banging on about the January transfer window soooo need to change the record! Like it or not Narwich are in a completely different financial league to us and that has to be understood. Bigger picture people COYB

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Gingerblues added 18:45 - Mar 1 I have to say I disagree with most on here. Yes I'm hurting but I don't think we were terrible today. Quite simply they took their chances and we didn't. Sears should have equalised on a couple of occasions and their second goal was lucky. I agree Tommy looked poor today and needs a rest. We are still in this, never seen a championship so tight...COYB!
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bluefeast added 18:45 - Mar 1 our form since Jan is the 4th worst in the league ,thats a little shocking ,just shows how far ahead of norwich 10 points and wolves 15 points ,now behind norwich and 3 in front of wolves. I predict and 8th or 9th finish on this form. tragic , if so MM will need to go as he failed to plan b
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virginblue added 18:48 - Mar 1 There's only 1 embarrassment today and that's Bluefeast. Fans like you are the reason I didn't go today. Why are we suddenly only playing for sixth? Last time I looked we were 3 points from second. Are two most creative players are injured - I didn't agree with the team selection, but I don't agree with a lot of what Mick has done, but he's got us into the top 6 and clearly knows more than any of us.

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virginblue added 18:54 - Mar 1 Our not are - I think my anger got the better of me!!
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bigfatjoe87 added 18:54 - Mar 1 Funk off mick. Its about time you realise what matters to the fans. About time you funked off back to the north east
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Deep_Blue added 18:56 - Mar 1 virginblue - you are the epitome of the kind of 'Keep the Faith' blindly optimistic fan that I was talking about in my previous post. The point is that we are on the slide and look like sh*t recently. Our form is terrible and I hate the way people like you just pipe out with 'look how well we've done' drivel. It's all about the here and now - and right here, right now, we look like slipping not just away from automatic promotion, but out of the playoffs. Blind positivity doesn't achieve anything other than inevitable disappointment.

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brittaniaman added 18:57 - Mar 1 Of course MM. GOALS is what the game is all about !! that is a silly remark of yours !!!
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bluefeast added 18:57 - Mar 1 CAN YOU SPOT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SUM UPS ALEX Neil was satisfied at how his Norwich City team got the job done against rivals Ipswich Town in their high stakes Sky Bet Championship clash on Sunday. Bradley Johnson and Lewis Grabban struck to secure a 2-0 victory — City's sixth in a row — as they moved above their opponents in the table and to within a point of the automatic promotion places. Neil admitted afterwards that his team had been in a contest, but repeated his pre-match statement that the result was always going to be the most important conclusion from this game. “I didn't think it was the best game if I'm being honest. In these types of occasion, and particularly with the way Ipswich play, it's always going to be a bit of a battle,” he relayed to Norwich City TV. “I'd have liked to have got the ball down a bit more and played, but ultimately, as I said during the week, the most important thing was to go and get a win, and I thought we deserved to win the match. “I wouldn't say I was worried at any stage. I don't think Ipswich had any clearcut chances where they should have scored. They had one in the first half that probably the best chance of the game for them. “I thought all in all it was a relatively comfortable afternoon, but it was hard fought match. The guys have put a lot of effort into that, and made sure that the fans can go home happy.” Read more at http://www.canaries.co.uk/news/article/alex-neil-norwich-city-ipswich-town-react

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Deep_Blue added 18:57 - Mar 1 *Pipe up
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virginblue added 18:58 - Mar 1 Please define "fans" bigfatjoe87? What I care about today is 3 points lost to a rival in the top 6. Yes it's more painful because it's them, but are you really suggesting we should try harder because it's Norwich? Players should give 100% against all opponents, and if they give more because it's a derby then they are letting us down every other week.
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feelinblue2 added 19:00 - Mar 1 Well, what a disappointing match that was. Before the haters say anything I was there. We had no midfield, Bru and Chaplow completely ineffective. We didn't show any class and I can't believe I'm going to say this but we resulted to the long ball. I have never criticised MM but in the last few games we look short of ideas and I predict a slip outside of the top six. I hope I'm proved wrong but after today's display I don't have much confidence.

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