Town boss Mick McCarthy says 17-year-old right-back Josh Emmanuel's debut performance deserved the win the Blues looked on course to achieve at Brentford on Saturday.

McCarthy’s side were well on top and looked to be cruising to the three points until they conceded twice in injury time and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Blues manager was delighted with the academy product’s debut display: “Outstanding. I said to him, I’m disappointed for me, all of us, for the club, for the fans, but for him, he should have been on the winning team today, Josh Emmanuel. He deserved that, a great debut against a good player [Alan Judge], I might add.”

McCarthy said he had had no qualms about starting with two 17-year-olds in his side with on-loan Arsenal man Ainsley Maitland-Niles also making his debut on the right of midfield.

“I didn’t think it was a risk playing two 17-year-olds,” he said. “I know them both, they’re both physically capable of playing.

“Josh Emmanuel has really stepped up to it this summer, he came back after pre-season and he came back a man. He’s trained with us every day and he’s really done well.

“Ainsley Maitland-Niles, from walking in the door, he’s just been an outstanding player. I wasn’t worried about them, and neither of them have caused me any problems [which led to the late goals], have they?”

McCarthy has even handed Maitland-Niles the responsibility of taking freekicks on the edge of the area: “He’s a confident lad, he can play. He’s a talented boy.”

He added: “When you sign players [such as Maitland-Niles] you want them to produce performances, and the pair of them did.”

Meanwhile, Town’s U21s start their season with an away game against Leeds at Elland Road this evening (7pm).

Photo: Action Images

StowTractorBoy added 12:14 - Aug 10 Harry I don't think he had to deal with Pritchard as he went back to Tottenham at the end of last season but I get your drift.
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Chicago_Blue added 12:40 - Aug 10 I think Smith needs dropping.
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HarryfromBath added 13:05 - Aug 10 StowTractorBoy - apologies, you are spot on. I meant to say Jake Bidwell but have had Brentford names scudding around in my brain over the weekend. MikeyBloo - I would back Mick as far as the back four are concerned, but have an amber light switched on regarding our keeping. Steve M flagged up Bart's habit of being staying back or being rooted to the line over the weekend and I reckon that this needs monitoring.

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jas0999 added 13:12 - Aug 10 I've heard conflicting reports from people at work who went Saturday. General consensus is he did okay, but is still one for the future not for 45 more Championship games. We need a right back and new keeper ASAP.
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hotdog added 13:17 - Aug 10 I signed up to Ipswich player before the game (as I live on the London/kent border) and listening to the game it sounded like we had more pace and creativity (then last year) with fraser and AMN but also the ability to dictate the game from central midfield. So despite the result I am still optimistic that we can do better than last year. As a few people have mentioned, we need to sort out those defensive lapses- once that is sorted out then can't see us doing worse than 6th again....

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groovyASH added 16:01 - Aug 10 He's 17 and held his own in a tough debut; I think that alone means this young man has the potential to make it, and is somebody we should keep an excited eye on this season.
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