Town boss Mick McCarthy was pleased with his side’s response to having gone behind and eventually draw 2-2 at home to Bristol City, Ryan Fraser netting an 86th minute equaliser.

“I thought they started well,” McCarthy said. “I had to change the shape of the team and we got to grips with it and I thought we were the better team in the first half, having had Gerks make a fantastic save to keep us in it early on.

“Having scored and started brilliantly in the second half, the deflection’s a real kick in the ging-gangs, of course, but we should have done better to stop him getting in there and then their second is a good goal by them but it’s appalling defending by us.

“Then I have to admire the response that we had to get back in the game, as always. I’m delighted with the lads for the way they kept going. And we’ve had plenty of chances, we’ve had enough chances to win that game.”

He felt the first Bristol City goal, Luke Freeman’s shot deflected past Dean Gerken off Tommy Smith, was more than a touch fortunate: “A large slice of luck, don’t you think? I’m not so sure the shot was going to reach, it wasn’t going anywhere.

“If you get that break, then good luck to the opposition, I can’t do anything about that. We’d take it if we get it.

“It’s funny because we had a shot which was deflected and it went wide of the post. We kept going, that’s the really pleasing thing about them.

“They’re a handful, they play real open football and make you defend, so they’re no mugs. It’s a point in the end, a good point, I think. Five minutes to go to get a point back is good.”

The Town boss felt the flat performance in the first half was due to the way his side was initially unable to deal with the Robins’ 3-5-2 system: “It was probably the shape of the team.

“I was tempted to change and play 4-3-3 against them and once I went that way after 10 minutes, probably less than that, I could see I had to because we couldn’t get the press on because of the shape of the team - you go chasing in it and suddenly it’s gone elsewhere.

“So that made it difficult for the lads. There’s always that hope that we would start well, start aggressively and powerfully but we didn’t and I think Bristol City had a part to play in that, that wasn’t only us.”

He added: “I think they are a better side [than their position suggests]. They played far better today than they did at home against Reading [last week].

“It was different, Reading scored two goals very quickly on the bounce and the chance [we had] just before they got their first, if Freddie had got across the keeper and we'd scored a second, who knows what would have happened.

“But they’re no mugs, they can play and I don’t think they were as wide open as they were against Reading. I thought the three defenders were far more diligent and weren’t rampaging up the field which I’ve seen them do. They were a far more solid unit today.”

McCarthy was impressed with his side’s well-worked second goal: “Ryan Fraser was on the move in the box, he wasn’t stood still and we had a number of those when we were.

“He got across his defender and he deserved it because I thought he was great, Ryan, I thought he had a good game.

“He’s terrific, he really is. We’re delighted to have him and he’s a constant threat, a good player.

“I wouldn’t doubt that he’s a Premier League player in the making, he’s got that lovely touch and a low centre of gravity and he can go past people both ways, and he’s got a goal in him. I’m glad we’ve got him for the year.”

The Blues boss said his skipper Luke Chambers is OK, despite having been substituted late in the second half: “He got cramp, I think. He’s fine.”

Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill felt his side could have won the game: “I think we should have gone on and won the game. I’m a little bit disappointed with us, if I’m totally honest.

“If you’d have looked at the game before we came here you’d have said we were going to get a draw at Ipswich, I think we would have looked at that thinking it would have been a decent one.

“But I think at 2-1 we stopped playing once we’d got our noses in front.

"So that was a disappointment really because I think if we’d have carried on playing like we did to get the two goals, albeit one a bit fortunate with the deflection, we’d have have gone on and got the third goal.”

Photo: Action Images

Keaneish added 19:39 - Sep 26 Our equaliser started with Parr picking the ball up and comfortably running with it inside before feeding it off. This is the benefit of playing a natural right back at right back. Chambers has to be playing central now and maybe this will stop us leaking goals. Flint was their MoM today for me but why we kept trying to feed off Murphy was beyond me when Flint had him in his pocket all game. Murphy looks a shadow of last season at the moment.

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coolcat added 19:59 - Sep 26 Felt like a defeat. However felt we did well to come back the way we did. Good header frm Chambers 2nd half putting Town level and Fraser. Murphy didn't have a good game. Don't think the rb is that much ofa prob. We seem to concede more on the left in recent matches, as we did again today. Also think mf is a weak spot - puts more pressure on defence.
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coolcat added 20:00 - Sep 26 Felt like a defeat. However felt we did well to come back the way we did. Good header frm Chambers 2nd half putting Town level and Fraser. Murphy didn't have a good game. Don't think the rb is that much ofa prob. We seem to concede more on the left in recent matches, as we did again today. Also think mf is a weak spot - puts more pressure on defence.
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coolcat added 20:01 - Sep 26 Felt like a defeat. However felt we did well to come back the way we did. Good header frm Chambers 2nd half putting Town level and Fraser. Murphy didn't have a good game. Don't think the rb is that much ofa prob. We seem to concede more on the left in recent matches, as we did again today. Also think mf is a weak spot - puts more pressure on defence.
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coolcat added 20:10 - Sep 26 Felt like a defeat. However felt we did well to come back the way we did. Good header frm Chambers 2nd half putting Town level and Fraser. Murphy didn't have a good game. Don't think the rb is that much ofa prob. We seem to concede more on the left in recent matches, as we did again today. Also think mf is a weak spot - puts more pressure on defence.
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grumpyoldman added 20:27 - Sep 26 Just think what would have happened if most of them didn't have the mid-week game off. Poor headless performance only a couple of players seemed to want to play.
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gippeswyk added 20:57 - Sep 26 Mick putting a gloss on two points dropped at home, against a team who have only won once this season. The players and manager need to own up to the fact that today's performance was no where near good enough, and this hasn't been a one off. I can't remember when we last played well and had a convincing win, and where we havent had to come from behind. If our 4 so called top quality strikers dont start doing their job and putting the ball in the net then we are going to continue to slide down the table.

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1RWR added 20:59 - Sep 26 It's very rare I post on here, but with the greatest respect MM if "your happy with the response" then I certainly am not! It was Sunday football at best, back to the trademark 'hoofball' 7 i'm seriously thinking of staying at home against Huddersfield. That game today was dire-appalling-tripe-bonkers call it what you like, it was sh*te!!!!!
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1RWR added 20:59 - Sep 26 It's very rare I post on here, but with the greatest respect MM if "your happy with the response" then I certainly am not! It was Sunday football at best, back to the trademark 'hoofball' 7 i'm seriously thinking of staying at home against Huddersfield. That game today was dire-appalling-tripe-bonkers call it what you like, it was sh*te!!!!!
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1RWR added 21:00 - Sep 26 Apologies for posting this twice.........apple Mac!
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Keaneish added 21:06 - Sep 26 I think we've been guilty of hoofball in the past but thought we played the ball on the deck a lot more today in truth. Should start pulling the trigger from distance a bit more though. Chambers and Knudsen are the guilty two for launching it as per.
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TimmyH added 21:10 - Sep 26 'Pleased with the response' - struth! against the bottom placed club - how we've gone backwards since the opening couple or so games. Forget about automatic promotion if we can't sort that defense out.
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PunchNoHopers added 21:53 - Sep 26 Absolutely trash today, there is no way we were the best team in the first half Mick, we were not at the races for the first 15 minutes and our tactics were wrong from the start. We were lucky in my opinion to even get a draw today, which is rather worrying against a side in the bottom three. We need creativity in central midfield urgently, it is crying out for it, and our defenders on Wednesday looked better against a strong Man Utd side! Both Berra and Chambers especially were poor today, Skuse and Douglas kept going backwards. Murphy still doesn't appear to be match fit, and sears never got any service! Mid-table is the best we can hope for on today's poor showing!

1

Pettitt10 added 22:32 - Sep 26 A lot of comments moaning at Chambers playing RB, although I agree he should be playing in the middle, if he wasn't playing RB today, he never would've scored the goal... Sick of seeing Gerken in goal, of course the deflection didn't help but i've just seen the highlights and i cant help but think a half decent keeper would've kept that out anyway. Yes he made a 'good' save, but it was straight at him, was more of a routine one. Bart has to play for me; he was first choice up until the Brighton game and dropped out due to his very sad personal reasons, but hes back now, Gerken has conceded 11 in 5, so why the fork is he still getting picked?!

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grubbyoik added 22:33 - Sep 26 If your going to play with wingers you need to play with fullbacks that push on with the ball and also support the wingers... Our full backs only step over the halfway line for throw ins and corners. Parr is a great right back... Chambers isn't. Bru in midfield playing it to Mcgoldricks feet... Did I say feet... I think the name football is lost on MM .. Should be headball...

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blues1 added 22:42 - Sep 26 here we go.. another player being the scapegoat for all our poor performances. when we signed him w=everyone was saying what a good signing douglas was. now according to the usual moaners on here hes crap. no, hes a good player. the problem is that you cant paly him and skuse in same team. at least, not at home against poor opposition as they are the same player. I watched both of them at different parts of match today and they both did the jobs asked of them. and, it has to be said, that if dougle=as hadn't taken it on himself to drive forward at one point we wouldn't have got the equaliser. was his run and excellent pass that led to the 2nd goal. but, in general, that partnership doesn't work unless trying to keep it tight away from home. I kow that, you know that but it seems the only one who cant is mm.also feel murphy should not be in team as hes not done nething this season so far, and at start of season when he wasn't in the team we played much better football. as soon as he got back into the team weve started playing hoofball again.also think the final sub stitution showed the limit of mms ambition in todays match. when chambers came off he made a straight swap. would have been a perfect opportunity to bbring on bru to play in midfield,by putting skuse at right back thus giving midfield a better balance.

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blues1 added 23:04 - Sep 26 coolcat, were u there today chambers goal put us in front, not level
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pablo123 added 23:39 - Sep 26 The only thing mick got right is that ryan is terrific !!! I cannot moan at watching such dross again because i get shot down on here , so all i will say is if we keep defending so badly why not change it ?? Ffs play a rb at rb and stop filling round holes with square pegs ,!! And get bart back in !!! Ffs sake mccarthy even youre most loyal fans can see it !!! Bristol city are awful and will go down without doubt , and we made them look decent , SORT IT

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Cheshire_Blue added 23:46 - Sep 26 When Berra is poor the defence is poor. It is time to give him a rest, move Chambers to centre back and bring in a genuine right back. Overall, the performance was not good enough. Four points dropped in the last two games against teams who are at best average.
1

truckerblue added 23:52 - Sep 26 Gerken had about a fortnight to save the first deflected goal but couldn't therefore the defence were shot of trust for the second. With him in goal the defence are more wobbly than bambi on ice. That's after he made a great save in the first five minutes. Sorry but it had to be Bart in goal and crow on the bench.
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Tractorboy1985 added 23:59 - Sep 26 Right I'm getting a little f**ked off now!! Every supporter who has seen the team this season knows the skuse/Douglas partnership is utter garbage!!! I will be telling the main man on the teams golf day coming up on the 14th October that I'm lucky to be playing in! No doubt mick mc carthy is more capable about running ITFC than I am but for goodness sake man play our strongest team in their strongest positions!!! I know gerken has done little wrong in the past few games but our WHOLE side have more confidence in Bart than they do gerken.. Statistics prove we have a better win rate when Bart is in goal!! Then a right back who is ACTUALLY a right back! Now if that maybe Emmanuel or parr or the pole but for God know NOT chambers!! Then 2 centre halves who are comfortable on their side!! Chambers/Berra yorwerth/smith.. Play someone who actually moves the ball.. Douglas ya Mrs is nice on thee eye but u r from it! What he brings to the team I do not know! Daryl Murphy I hope u r still struggling with an injury.. P*** poor so far! I have seen enough this season to predict if we don't start to get it 2geva sooner rather than later other teams will pip us to where we wanna be.. THE PLAYOFFS!! Please come back bish and bru ASAP!!

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coolcat added 07:13 - Sep 27 Apologies for multiple entries. Had probs with reception at Liverpool Street station having just got back from the game, so didn't look like it had been sent. Blues1 yes I was, I just made a typo - annoying small phone keyboard. Go to all the home games.
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coolcat added 07:36 - Sep 27 Agree Pettitt10 esp re goalkeeping. Was a good header from Chambers. Gerken lying (?) on floor before their 2nd goal went in. Not good. From what I can see, seem to concede more from the left. Knudsen I feel is slow to respond at times, esp in prev home game against Birmingham.
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tallguy6767 added 08:08 - Sep 27 Douglas must of been a passenger in that good Brentford team last season! Average at best I'd say. Going nowhere if he continues with that midfield when will he learn!
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Shauny78 added 08:35 - Sep 27 Papering over cracks as usual,it would be nice to take the lead,instead of going 1 down and chasing the the game all the time,got quality players here that are not being used to their potential....
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