Town recorded their third successive home draw after their game against Huddersfield ended goalless. David McGoldrick came closest to breaking the deadlock for the Blues in stoppage time, forcing a superb instinctive save from Terriers keeper Jed Steer, while Nahki Wells had the best chance for the visitors - who had sub James Vaughan red-carded in injury time - in the first half when Christophe Berra hooked his effort off the line.

Town boss Mick McCarthy made three changes from the team which lost 2-0 at Blackburn a fortnight ago with left winger Tommy Oar handed his full league debut.

The Australian international, who was making his first appearance at Portman Road, came in for Larsen Touré, who dropped to the bench, with Ryan Fraser, who missed the game at Ewood Park with an ankle problem, sidelined for two months with a knee injury.

Jonas Knudsen, who was ill at Blackburn, returned at left-back with Jonny Parr also amongst the subs. Up front, Brett Pitman replaced Daryl Murphy alongside Freddie Sears.

Town started brightly, Oar sending in a second minute cross which Pitman was only able to flick on towards Luke Chambers but Huddersfield left-back Jason Davidson cleared ahead of the Blues skipper.

Two minutes later, Ishmael Miller turned Tommy Smith on halfway after Maitland-Niles had lost possession and broke away into the area on the left but Berra got across to block his shot.

Play quickly moved to the other end and Oar whipped over a low cross from the left which Terriers skipper Mark Hudson cut out ahead of Sears.

With Oar off the field receiving treatment for a nose bleed after an early clash with Huddersfield keeper Steer, Miller again escaped down the visitors’ left flank on nine but rather wasted the opportunity by scraping a poor effort across the face of goal and wide.

The Terriers continued to have the better of it with the Blues giving possession away too easily with the ball rarely sticking up front.

There was an escape on 10 when Knudsen slipped allowing Sean Scannell to get away from him on the right but keeper Dean Gerken easily claimed his cross.

A minute later Chambers got his name in referee Andy Davies’s book for a trip on Harry Bunn with Huddersfield breaking following a Town attack.

Maitland-Niles hit a shot against a Huddersfield defender on the edge of the area on 26, Town’s first strike of the afternoon, albeit one of little consequence.

However, the Blues were starting to see more of the ball but without particularly threatening, while the home crowd were becoming increasingly frustrated by some of referee Davies’s decisions.

On the half hour a contentiously freekick awarded against Maitland-Niles almost led to Huddersfield taking the lead. Miller flicked on a header and Wells, who scored three times in the two games against Town last season, lifted the ball over the advancing Gerken but Berra did superbly to get back to hook off the line.

Cole Skuse showed an impressive turn of pace to get back to muscle Scannell off the ball in the 34th minute having initially slipped, the Terriers again having broken quickly with Town short of numbers at the back. Shortly afterwards the Blues midfielder mis-hit an effort from distance which trickled through to Steer.

Three minutes later, Dean Whitehead, a Town target during his former Sunderland boss Roy Keane’s time in charge at Portman Road, was booked for a foul on Sears on halfway.

With the half in its final five minutes, Oar whipped in two dangerous freekicks from the right which Martin Crainie and then keeper Steer cleared. The Terriers also managed to deal with the latest in a number of Knudsen long throws, albeit at the third attempt.

The game remained goalless at the break with Huddersfield having gone closest to opening the scoring with the Wells chance that Berra hacked off the line.

The visitors had presented the greater threat throughout the half, particularly on the break, with Terriers keeper Steer having had a very quiet first half.

Oar’s first appearance at Portman Road lasted only 45 minutes with David McGoldrick replacing the Australian, who had found it hard to get into the game, at the start of the second half with Sears moving to the left.

McGoldrick hit a low effort through to Steer in the 54th minute after Maitland-Niles had laid the ball off to him but the Huddersfield keeper was again untroubled. Four minutes later Smith was booked for a foul on Miller on the halfway line.

Huddersfield put the Blues under pressure as the game moved towards the hour mark but were unable to create a serious chance. Then on 61 McGoldrick shot well over from distance. A minute later, Douglas was booked for a foul on Bunn.

Murphy replaced Pitman on 68, while for the Terriers Mustapha Carayol took over from Scannell, who had suffered a knock a few minutes earlier.

The Blues number nine made an immediate impact, feeding Sears, who hit a powerful low effort which forced Steer into his first proper save of the afternoon.

There was controversy moments later when Huddersfield keeper Steer kicked the ball out of play as one of his team-mates was injured. As he did so the player got up and Chambers, much to the annoyance of the visiting players, took the throw quickly to Maitland-Niles.

The on-loan Arsenal man crossed towards McGoldrick and Murphy but the offside flag was raised.

Joel Lynch headed Carayol’s corner over, then at the other end Douglas nodded a Maitland-Niles’s freekick over at the far post.

Town were having most of the ball as the game moved into its final 10 minutes but still without creating many significant openings.

On 81 McGoldrick cut a low cross back from he byline on the right to Douglas, who was tripped, the loose ball falling to Murphy, whose effort was stopped brilliantly by Steer.

However, it was all academic with the linesman indicating that the ball had gone out as McGoldrick crossed.

Huddersfield went close in the 84th minute when Davidson's freekick from the left fell to Emyr Huws on the edge of the box. Gerken saved his shot, but the loose ball fell to Terriers sub Vaughan. His effort looked set to be saved by Gerken until it was turned over by Lynch. With four minutes remaining Touré replaced Maitland-Niles.

Town continued to push, Skuse seeing a shot blocked after a Chambers cross from the right was blocked.

The Blues had a great chance to win it in injury time. Knudsen’s long throw from the right was cleared to Touré. The Guinean international’s shot took two deflections and fell to McGoldrick eight yards out but Steer instinctively stuck out a leg to divert it wide.

Huddersfield were reduced to 10 men in the closing stages when Vaughan needlessly threw the ball in Knudsen’s face as the pair argued over a throw. Referee Davies had no hesitation in brandishing his red card.

The former Canary’s dismissal was the final action of Town’s third home draw on the trot with the Blues now having gone four games at Portman Road since their last win, against Burnley on August 18th. Their most recent previous 0-0 draw was against Bolton at Portman Road in January.

Having been very much second best in the first half Town, who kept their third clean sheet of the season, were better after the break but without ever dominating or creating many openings.

The Blues improved after the introductions of McGoldrick and particularly Murphy and probably should have claimed all three points when the former Nottingham Forest man had his chance late on.

However, aside from that opportunity, Douglas’s header over was perhaps Town’s only other serious chance of the half and the visitors, who recorded their first clean sheet of the season, also might have won it via Vaughan’s rebound from Huws’s late shot.

Town, who have now won just once in seven league games, are up to 10th ahead of back-to-back away trips to Hull City on Tuesday and Forest next Saturday.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Skuse, Douglas, Maitland-Niles (Touré 85), Oar (McGoldrick 46), Pitman (Murphy 68), Sears. Unused: Bialkowski, Malarczyk, Parr, Bru.

Huddersfield: Steer, Davidson, Cranie, Hudson (c), Lynch, Huws, Whitehead, Scannell (Carayol 68), Bunn, Wells, Miller (Vaughan 73). Unused: Murphy, Smith, Paterson, Dempsey, Billing. Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire). Att: 17,937 (Huddersfield: 395).

Photo: Action Images

airliner added 06:01 - Oct 18 What has Bart and bru said to mick to see them so publicly excluded ? Has Douglas got something on the management to be a permanent pick? This team lacks creativity and cohesion, mid table to relegation at best
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warktheline added 08:10 - Oct 18 @essex57, with 8 million we could of added a touch of class to the squad, not the likes of Coke, Douglas etc. go check Gray's impact at Burnley. Money doesn't guarantee success, but in this instance it would of shown our intent. McCarthy, like him or not had taken his team of 'bits and pieces ' to the play offs . When we ultimately failed it were obvious to many that a right back and a leader ,with positive influence were needed in midfield !! Essex57, you answer this then, did Evans say no can do? Was McCarthy oblivious to the needs of the team? McCarthy added raw untried flair to the team, and to an extent, up to now has been successful, nothing new that since his appointment, but has he asked for funds and been refused, or does he believe there not required? Personally I believe he likes to hold complete control on team, and bringing in young lads on loan, and free-bees, enables him to keep that control. He harps on about not wanting too many players, and unsettling the camp, for me it all points towards McCarthy's failings as a manager.

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tallguy6767 added 08:25 - Oct 18 The tide is turning on McCarthy even his loyal backers are now speaking out against him! And by his own admission he has the best squad of players this season but we keep churning out the same old crap every week. The man is a football dinasor and we're going nowhere fast!!
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warktheline added 08:29 - Oct 18 .....examples of this, McCarthy has 4 good championship strikers, he doesn't know who to play, from one week to next! In Smith, Chambers and Berra he has good championship centre backs, he can't pick his two favoured pairing, he compensates this by playing all three! I don't want to sound disrespectful but maybe after his spell with us ends, a managerial position in the lower leagues would suit!!

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tallguy6767 added 08:47 - Oct 18 Walktheline..I think average is the word you should of used. Yes we have good strikers but they can only be as good as the service they get from midfield and that at the moment from that joke pairing of Douglas and Skuse is non existent!!
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Jimmy86 added 09:07 - Oct 18 Keane ultimately didn't get many things right, but 1 thing he did get right is that as a team and a fan base we have to develop a nasty streak. We are all a bit too nice, you go to places like Elland Road and they make it a cauldron, an intimidating atmosphere for away teams and the ref. When the con artist Lynch kept falling over and pretending to be injured their keeper kicked the ball out of play, it was their choice, no head injury, technically the ref doesn't have to stop the game. One of the best things Chambo did was not give the ball back to them. All there players were insensed by it, but why should we have given it back?? He was alright enough to get up and give away another foul in the same corner mins later, that somehow was given his way. Think we also need someone who can get in the refs ear from time to time too. Got to be a bit more nasty in my eyes

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Penguinblue added 09:23 - Oct 18 MM - go - now
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sidtheswan added 09:32 - Oct 18 By MM thank you for all your hard work . The club is better for you being here . Unfortunately the team is going backwards .
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rachelsdad added 09:56 - Oct 18 dreadful afternoon, fans are paying good money to watch this rubbish, we have looked very poor and drawn three home games against very average sides .Smith and Chambers are beaten every time the opposition have any pace and neither can pass the ball. Douglas never makes himself available for the ball and Naitland Miles has some nice touches but is too lightweight and out of the game for long periods. We looked better last 15mins when both McGoldrick and Murphy were on the pitch. We have a slow defence and a weak midfield not a recipe for a good season ahead. Come Mick sort it out.

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bressinghamblue added 09:58 - Oct 18 Just watched MoTD, which is what we allegedly aspire to being on. No chance with the hoof-ball, avoid creativity at all costs, a draw at home against a poor team is a goid result mentality. Wake up Mick - your stubbornness (loyalty my ars5e) is losing all the good will you've built up. Get Bru or McGoldrick in and Douglas out. Diamond or number 10 behind two strikers. And please please sort right back. Hoof ball will NEVER get us where we need to be.

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GAZ1234 added 10:19 - Oct 18 I personally, am not too bothered how management has chosen to spend any of the money from the mings / Cresswell sales. ..If it had to go towards our debt.... so be it. What does bother me is what is happening on the pitch. I believe that Mick has managed to cobble together a squad of players capable of making a challenge. .......... However ! ...... This is unlikely to happen. We need a new manager, to take a fresh look at the players we have, to build a BALANCED team playing to their strengths. We have got all the ingredients ... They just need to be blended correctly. Unfortunately, Mick is the only person in the ground unable to see what has been staring him in the face. (Except for TC ..... unless he is just a yes man & won't have a quick word in his ear ). .. This is not a new problem., as other people have said this whole year has been poor. .. only papered over by Murphy and Derby County

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neillrumsey added 10:23 - Oct 18 WOEFUL...........
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essex57 added 10:29 - Oct 18 Wark the line just goes to show how dogmatic and anti most other supporters you are when you ask me to answer questions on behalf of the manager and owner when I am not privy to the discussions between manager and directors.
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Gcon added 10:38 - Oct 18 I would ask the boo boys and those calling for McCarthy's head to really consider what it is they want to achieve. I personally like McCarthy. I like his ethos. I like the fact he is building the club back up from the ground. He knows every receptionist, tea lady and schoolboy by name and gives them all the time of day. He works for an owner who is reluctant to spend money and he knows he'll achieve more by creating a strong sense of family within the club. To me those are important traits suited to a club like Ipswich Town. They are essentially the same core principles adopted by Ferguson at United that lead to years of success. Last year we over achieved. We did that through the self-belief that comes with unity and solidarity amongst a team, developed by the manager. This season we got off to a good start, a few weeks ago we were top of the league, but since then the form has gone. There are various factors and all relate to a loss of confidence. The Reading game was a kick in the teeth but it's clearly not just that. Murphy was seen by every player last season as the match winner. He was brimming with confidence. This season it hasn't happened for him. The frustration that comes with that will be evident to every player and will have a knock-on effect. At the other end of the pitch I am guessing that Bialkowski is currently battling with a few demons that have arisen through the loss of father. It doesn't take a lot for the confidence of a team to ebb away and McCarthy's focus is on restoring that. We have the same core team as before but it's obvious to all that they are currently struggling to even string a few passes together. At the same time it doesn't take a lot to swing it back round. If we had knicked a late goal yesterday that could have been all it takes to bring the positivity back. All I am saying is that it might be more productive to exercise a little patience right now. Booing and calling for a change of manger is not necessarily the answer. It's surely undestandable that he will prevail with his core team and try to rebuild their self-belief. He knows that dropping players to the bench can potentially exacerbate the problems. I am sure he feels that having players like Douglas, a tough ex- team captain, could help to build morale and restore confidence. He's not going to make the best decisions 100% of the time but respect the fact that his focus is on restoring confidence and he's doing that in the way he considers best. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of the individual players far better than we do. 'Fans' booing their team and calling for the manager to be sacked only destroys confidence further and accelerates the team's demise. We then sit back and watch results get worse and worse till the next hot shot manager freshly sacked from elsewhere comes in and we start the process all over again. Be careful what you wish for. McCarthy has brought a sense of pride and stability back to ITFC after a long period of mediocrity. We are in 10th place, 3 points off the play-off positions. All is not lost. For me, this is a time to really get behind the team, and the manager.

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TimmyH added 10:57 - Oct 18 Quite a few people harp on about 'be careful what you wish for' but the fact is the period 2009-2012 was the worst in this clubs history for over 50+ years and if we were to get a new manager in we'd be heading straight back down towards the foot of the Championship. What annoys me more than anything now is the lack of ambition from the owner/board thinking they can get us promoted (if they really do) on a complete shoestring budget. McCarthy is not the manager to do that, we need a more dynamic passing game to our football and have doubts if MM can really take us any further. Other clubs have done it on relatively tight budgets so it is not impossible but by playing far better football than us.

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essex57 added 11:01 - Oct 18 Gocon what a terrific piece of realism you'll get sLagged off for it on here I agree 100% all the anti mm BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.
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PJH added 11:46 - Oct 18 Morning blueboy. You have not actually told me what this light is that we are supposed to be seeing-how would anyone know if they see it if they do not know what they are looking for? In relation to yesterday's game,Gerken for the first time this season looked like a capable goalkeeper and Berra's performance was a big improvement on his recent ones. I will be going to Hull(with a few hundred others)hoping for better than we have seen lately. I use the term "we" loosely because I am not sure how many that post on here actually go to games. In the meantime I will keep an eye out for this mysterious light.

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truthhurts added 12:22 - Oct 18 One of the worst games i've ever seen Ipswich play. Typical McCarthy attitude of starting with a point, so lets not loose it. We can't pretend (and pretend is the right word) to be challengers in this league with tactics like this.  His style of play (but play i mean hoof ball) belongs in the Stone Ages. Yesterday i virtually fell asleep and, in all my years of having a season ticket, was the first time i walked out early. Bored. Bored. Bored.  Will i be back? Very debatable.  Oh. And our captain Chambers. What a utter disgrace taking that throw in for a Town attack when Huddersfield played the ball out for an injury (however pathetic the contact may have been) H

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essex57 added 12:23 - Oct 18 Sorry PJH meant to push agree button 100% correct I will be at Hull as well SUPPORTING whatever team mm puts out coyb only 3 points off Play Offs And It's Still Oct.
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blueboy1981 added 13:19 - Oct 18 essex57 ........... your choice - but, who's the fool ... ??
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blueboy1981 added 13:25 - Oct 18 PJH .......... obvious to so many ......... but obviously - NOT you. Told you before - don't read my posts. Thank you - in anticipation of that happening. Just carry on ignoring the obvious - keep smiling, and being satisfied with Mick and his performance.
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blueboy1981 added 13:28 - Oct 18 PJH ......... hope you're taking essex57 with you. Enjoy each other's company.
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Granthamblue62 added 13:57 - Oct 18 3 years ago I was delighted to welcome MM to Portman Road. After the 'wilderness' years of both Keane and Jewell I thought that a pragmatic approach, coupled with a history of 2nd tier success would turn things around. Until this season I have had no cause to doubt the man. He has delivered improvement season upon season. Naturally, back in August (and after a superb start) I had high hopes that once again we could make improvements. However, I am troubled by this stubborness shown and an almost childish approach of not listening to supporters. Anyone with a modicum of football knowledge can see that either combinations of players, or players in the wrong positions is just not working. Smith, for me, has been the only player in defence playing consistently well. Both Chambers and Berra have at times been appalling. As a football coach myself I have been watching Knudsen. His decision making at times is dreadful and he is currently a very weak link and a poor substitute for either Cresswell and Mings. I am not calling for MM's head yet, but feel he must turn things around very soon before large sections of the crowd will be baying for blood. Results and player performance are unacceptable at the moment. Sadly, I cannot see us getting anything from the next two away games. I cannot help but feel we have gone backwards, and not forward.

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paulcooperisgod added 14:20 - Oct 18 122 comments over 5 pages and the majority saying the same thing...... hope your reading this MM but we all know you couldn't give a toss what the people that are paying your wages think but I'll say it anyway..... thanks for what you did you really was the saviour of ITFC but you've gone as far as you can so now be the big man you are and admit you can't do anymore and let a young hungry manager come in and take us to the next step before its too late and we go back to were we was when you arrived.

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PJH added 14:31 - Oct 18 No problem essex57-I can tell who the true supporters of ITFC are on here.
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