McCarthy Delighted With Tough, Resolute, Well-Organised Display Saturday, 12th Dec 2015 15:48 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.”
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