Town boss Mick McCarthy was delighted with a “tough, resolute, well-organised” performance which saw the Blues to a 1-0 win at the MK Dons, the Blues' third successive away win.

“I’m delighted, it was a really tough, resolute, well-organised performance, I thought,” McCarthy said.

“Against a team who had a lot of the ball and dominated the ball, dominated possession, but couldn’t get through us and when they did Gerks was bang in form again.

“And we had chances to put it to bed before then. I thought we had the most clear-cut chances.”

Having won their previous two away games by three-goal margins, McCarthy was delighted to record what’s been a rare 1-0 win.

“We haven’t had too many,” he reflected. “I think we have in the past, that was a bit more like us, we didn’t give a lot away.

“But I think they’re a good side, they played all the football, they’ll take all the plaudits for the way they play.

“There are a lot of things that you have to be to be successful in this league and I think amongst them are all those ugly qualities of being tough and resolute, standing by it, sticking with it, fighting and scrapping and being organised.

“All that, the nasty side of the game, which is just as important for me because without that you get done.”

McCarthy felt that in many ways it was like an away performance from earlier in his time as manager when the Blues were grinding out away wins and points on a regular basis.

“Maybe they forced it on us,” he added. “I didn’t set up that way. We’ve got Ainsley and Freddie and Murph and Pits on the pitch, that’s not set up to be defensive. You can be defensive by keeping the ball and attacking them.

“To be fair, I thought in the first half we had the better of the chances. And then later, they got the chances, they were pushing and pushing.

“It’s great, if that’s more like a Mick McCarthy performance then I’ll take it as a compliment. It was a clean sheet.”

He said the MK players reacted to the stinging criticism from their manager after last week’s 2-0 defeat at Brentford.

“Without a doubt, they were bang at it,” McCarthy said. “If I was them I’d be thinking we deserved something out of it.

“I’m thinking we’ve defended really well and had the better chances. And, of course, they’ve had the weight of possession and attacking late on, but you need all sorts of qualities to be successful in this league and we’ve shown that dirty side of it today.

“We’ve had to stop a good football team really causing us any problems until the last 10 or 15 minutes.”

Regarding Brett Pitman’s 10th-minute winning goal, he said: “It was a goal of real quality.

“It was the first time we really got the ball down and played from a short freekick and got it wide and it was a wonderful ball from Chambo, who has bought into playing full-back.

“We know he’s a centre-half, but he’s just told Sky he’s a bona fide right-back now and I’m delighted with that.”

Cole Skuse was named Sky’s man of the match but there were plenty of candidates, something which pleases the Blues boss.

“Isn’t it nice when there are other contenders? There’s not just a stand-out one or somebody gets it because they score the goal.

“Brett got the goal and I thought he had a great performance in stopping them playing or attempting to and I thought we did from the front.

“I’m not bothered who gets it. I got another one of those Manager of the Month awards this week, it’s been nice.”

Pitman now joins Murphy on six goals and McCarthy is delighted to see his strikers sharing the load.

“They’re good players, aren’t they?” he added. “Every manager I speak to talks about the forward players I’ve got.

“Quite clearly from the goalscoring records they’ve got they are good players. We know they’re good players but they’ve got to score as well. Murph hadn’t got any in 13 and I guess other people’s doubts start to creep in.

“He’s now proving his worth again, as is Freddie, as is Pits and Didzy’s back now as well so we might get a contribution from him before long. He’s just finding his way back, it’s been tough for him.”

Regarding the run of three away wins in the league - the first time the Blues have managed such a streak since victories at Derby, Crystal Palace and Barnsley in January 2009 - he says Town now need to match that at Portman Road.

“Let’s look at our home record,” he said. “But it’s where we end up in May, it’s how many points we have, wherever we get them.

“I don’t know but this league seems to be throwing up away performances. It’s not us trying to sit back. Heavens! I’ve got Brett Pitman, I’ve got Murph and I’ve got Freddie on the pitch and Ainsley, so that’s not a defensive team, we didn’t come to set up and do that.

“We’ve been scoring loads of goals and we’ve let goals in, so it’s pleasing today. A good clean sheet for everybody, that’s great.”

He admits he was as nervous as anyone in the closing stages with MK pressing and even sending keeper David Martin up for a late corner.

“Of course, your heart’s in your mouth, isn’t it?” he continued. “Anyone who has anything to do with Ipswich we’re all the same, we’re all hanging on and hoping we don’t lose a bloody late goal. It was great, we didn’t.”

Having won the November Manager of the Month award, the Town boss insisted that the famed curse had been got out of the way against Middlesbrough last week.

“That was done!” he laughed. “I’d played in December, how can they keep it until mid-December and decide they’re going to give me the award and put the curse on me? It’s not going to happen now.”

Ryan Fraser was back on the bench for the first time having been out with a knee problem since early October.

The Scotland U21 international underwent his rehab back with parent club Bournemouth and returned to Town yesterday when he showed he was ready to get back into the matchday 18.

“He came in and was as bright as a button, he was terrific,” McCarthy said. “This wasn’t the game for him to go on today, not really. We needed just to be tough and stick it out.

“There were other players that were better options than him, but he’s available for Tuesday, which is great.”

The result moves the Blues up into the top six, although with other teams still to play, as McCarthy pointed out.

“There are a few that are playing this afternoon!” he said. “But it’s better than still being where we were. It’s three points, all that doesn’t bother me. May will decide where we are and where we end up.

“It was just another really good performance from my team and a great three points to be taking away from it.”

Late on Jonas Knudsen was pole-axed when he blocked a shot and required treatment, but McCarthy says the Danish international is OK.

“I’ve just said it would have been a lot worse if he’d have ducked and it had flown in our net!” he joked. "He’d have got a harder smack in the chin!

"He’s fine, he’s different class, Jonas. He’s proper warrior, he’s sticks his body in where it hurts.”

MK Dons boss Karl Robinson was delighted with his team's display, which he felt was worth more than a defeat.

“The players were sensational and last week we were bad with no work ethic but today we were good with a lot of work ethic," he said.

“We deserved to get more than what we got out of the game against a team that got into the play-offs last season.

“I can’t ask no more of the players and I clapped them off because they can’t give any more.

“They got in some really good areas and we had a number of chances and we hit the target but the keeper made some unbelievable saves.

“Sometimes you say things and you worry about the consequences but not with this group because of the honesty and belief they have in each other .

“They understand what it takes to play for this football club and we didn’t have that last week — we looked punch-drunk to an extent.”

Photo: Action Images

ArnieM added 16:17 - Dec 12 I died a thousand deaths watching us defend so bloody deep. And what the use of bringing on Didsy? He cant/ won't run for the ball. That same tactics cost us 3 pts at Brentford this season. Anyway it's another 3 pts that's all that matters at the moment. Moment of the game for me was Douglas sublime 30 yard chip to chambers for our gold.
6

Andy32Cracknell added 16:28 - Dec 12 That performance was shocking. Sitting deep to a very very poor championship team (it almost cost us at the end). We should be hammering teams like that. But im afraid if we continue to play such negative football we will lose more point than we gain. 3 welcome points but come MM sort out standard of play out, its Sunday league level at best.
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directorsbox added 16:31 - Dec 12 I watched this on TV accompanied by a football enthusiast friend , who is neither an Ipswich nor an MK Dons supporter. His conclusion was" definitely not an event of beauty." Looked at objectively the point must be conceded. Except for one thing. A win away from home is still three points. Which is always a thing of beauty . Will be at Craven Cottage to see if we can make it four away wins in a row, when did we last achieve that feat?

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TimmyH added 16:36 - Dec 12 Same as Charlton game really...very little pleasurable football to watch from us but I won't mind if we can do the same against higher placed clubs starting at Fulham mid-week. Rotherham/Charlton and MK Dons all teams which WILL be in the bottom 1/3rd this season (at best). Saying that though Mick probably has had his tactics right for these games.
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muccletonjoe added 16:39 - Dec 12 Mk are by no stretch of the imagination "a good team", people will say how can you knock a winning team, but really need to be alot better at retaining the ball and taking our chances
12

DurhamTownFan added 16:52 - Dec 12 Sometimes I think we play worse if we score early. MM is a defensive manager, and so when you've got something to lose I think he finds it very difficult to gamble and push forward. Wolves away last year is a good example and we saw this again today. Sadly I think the reading game further enhanced this is Mick's thinking. Still, we won 1-0, Knudsen played alright, chambers actually went forward and put in a peach of a cross. so nobody should be complaining.

6

blueboy1981 added 16:54 - Dec 12 ........ we certainly know how to bore a connoisseur of the 'beautiful game' . Good job Thyssen and Muhren aren't at the Club now - they'd tear their hair out in frustration.
4

theman added 16:56 - Dec 12 I hate how Mick seems to think that he's being adventurous simply by having a load of strikers/wingers on the pitch. It doesn't matter who's in the team, if your only tactic is to kick the ball up the pitch and hope a tall guy wins a header then you're going to spend a lot of time losing the ball and having to defend. We're hopeless at retaining possession and that will always prevent us from being as effective an attacking threat as we could be.

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Kesgraveblue57 added 17:07 - Dec 12 I saw McCarthy at the game then you wait for his comments which I have to say are total nonsense we were playing a very poor side which looks better than the town for most of the game
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Palestine added 17:16 - Dec 12 MM calls another very poor team a "good team" "who will think they should've got something from the game". Why? Because we played so poorly, and retained possession so poorly that we made a League 1 side look good. We have got a big threat up front (though they were wasteful today - especially Murphy), but other than that, we cannot pass, cannot hold the ball and the defence is nowt special. Thank god the run of Sky games is over so the rest of the country won't keep seeing what we are about. It is pretty bloody minded of MM to insist his players don't pass and move. It is hoof, hoof all the way. LIke last season if this gets us to finish 6th it seems pretty pointless. Can get us nowhere. Seems like we have a chairman who is happy not to invest money, doesn't mind if we go up or not, and a manager who is content to say "I have done very well with no money", which is true, but should he happy to settle for this? We have a better squad than under Roy Keane, but the football is kind of as dreadful now.

5

sidtheswan added 17:27 - Dec 12 Shame Murph left his shooting boots at home as in the last 10 mins MK Dons were all over us . We could have been 4-0 up by then ! Poor performance all round by the match officials who were equally poor for both sides . If we ever sack MM don't ever appoint Karl Robinson, I have never seen anyone moan or bitch as much . Overall a welcome 3 points against a very poor team.

2

Seasider added 17:36 - Dec 12 He's a different class Tabby,whoops no,its Jonas this week. We are all delighted with the win;but Mick seems to also be delighted with the way it was obtained.Well I can only partly agree with him,as I saw us pass to the opposition as much as our own side; and the ball spent far too much time in the air for my liking.Towards the end notably Pitman and Douglas tired letting MK Dons into the game,and a better side might have scored 1 or even 2 goals in the last 15min when we could hardly get the ball,and were stuck in our half. Still a win is a win,but like JAS feel that Town could do with a Marquee signing like Jonny Williams in the second half of the season to add further class to the midfield,which already I know is prone to injury.This would hopefully mean however that Mick could call on a good midfield player from the bench,instead of the likes of Giles Coke;as on the law of averages all our sicknote classy midfielders would not be out at the same time as happened recently!

4

carlo88 added 17:58 - Dec 12 STOP MOANING WE WON!!
14

Blue041273 added 18:12 - Dec 12 In the old days the hope before a game was to win. Anyone who has ever played the game will understand that the point of playing is to win. The manner and style employed is somewhat secondary. We won today and I for one am more than happy to celebrate that success. If the armchair critics on here cannot share the joy of winning it is largely their loss. Their opinions on style etc are meaningless to anyone who understands the whole point of the exercise. For me, job done; well done!

6

commuterblue added 18:37 - Dec 12 A chairman that doesn't invest? Actually we have an owner that burns £7mn a year.
10

jert16 added 19:09 - Dec 12 Great character again by the boys! Very proud and with didz, fraser and the bish all coming back we can only get stronger!
6

scumbuster added 21:01 - Dec 12 I know I'm going to get shot down here. But if this afternoon was the last game of the season and we finished 6th I would really fancy our chances...just a thought.
0

StowTractorBoy added 21:12 - Dec 12 Makes me laugh when so called fans keep knocking our manager. The whole of our stand were chanting his and TCcs name today so they are doing something right.
4

jollyroger added 22:11 - Dec 12 The only time we put three passes together we score for gods sake lets do more of that
3

jpring89 added 22:17 - Dec 12 Really dont understand the negative comments we won were in the top 6 plus micks hardly going to come out and start slagging MK DONS off saying oh yeah their a crap team we should be smashing them off the park. I know it was ugly but we won id take that every game from now till the end of the season.
6

brockleyblueboy added 22:18 - Dec 12 Some people just love having a moan. Crikey you would think we lost. I would take a poor performance away from home and come away 1-0 winners any time. MK Dons out performed us but how many points did they get today. Get over yourselves, on a side note well well done to all the travelling fans, you lot are the heart beat of this club. We won, now onto the next one #inmickitrust #coyb #mmtc

3

GiveusaWave added 23:04 - Dec 12 You'd think we got thrashed given some of the comments on here. They had more possession, passed the ball more and created more chances. But we have the 3 points and that's what counts. This isn't a pretty Ipswich side to watch, but we grind out the points and keep moving forwards. We have become hoof ball specialists, but it's paying dividends. We are SIXTH in the table. A Xmas Miracle given our squad. Douglas was the highlight for me, outstanding performance. think we are getting better and better at Hoofball. The whole team operates well with it and forwards are reading the long balls from the back much more effectively. They are running into spaces well before the actual "hoof" takes place. It's not pretty, but we are in 6th!

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ipswichboi added 03:30 - Dec 13 Hats off. Tough 3 away points
2

Pendejo added 07:40 - Dec 13 1. 3 Points are 3 points regardless of whether you score 5, 3 or 1 2. Clean Sheet This was my first visit to Stadium MK and I liked the stadium, and would imagine its nice when its warm & sunny. Yesterday was colder than my last visits to Oldham or Stoke. I thought we let them play too much and they were quite a pretty side to watch. Good pass & move, tried some tricks & flicks and probably deserved a point. Gerks made sure it wasn't zero points. Not the prettiest we've played, not the best performance. But we've won 3 points. Roll on Fulham at the Cottage.

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HarryS_H added 08:33 - Dec 13 Can people stop bloody moaning, we're in the playoffs who cares about the performance when we win away from home and go into the playoffs??
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