Boss Mick McCarthy admitted that Portsmouth probably deserved to beat the Blues in this afternoon’s FA Cup third round tie, which ended 2-2, Ryan Fraser having grabbed Town’s 88th minute equaliser.

McCarthy admitted that a draw was a result which neither manager would have been after at the start of the game.

“I don’t think either me or [Pompey boss] Paul Cook wanted it but we’ve got it and after 88 minutes I would have taken it because I didn’t want to lose,” he said.

“I didn’t want to get beaten in the game, although we probably deserved to get beaten, I thought they were excellent.”

He added: “I was relieved it was still 0-0 at half-time, I thought they were excellent. I thought we were better in the second half.

“I was disappointed to concede almost immediately after scoring but then delighted that we kept going as always and ended up with a draw, which we didn’t deserve really, they deserved to win.

“But, you know what, it’s testament to the players that they kept going and didn’t get beaten.”

McCarthy admitted that it rarely looked like there are two divisions between the teams: “They’re one of the better League Two sides with a lot of quality and some players with experience, who have played a fair bit.

“It didn’t [look like there were two divisions between the sides], absolutely not, it probably looked the other way around, to be honest.

“I don’t know what I can add to that, other than we were lucky to get a draw, I think they deserved to win, I thought they were excellent, I thought we were below par.

“Maybe having Peter [Malarczyk] playing, Diggers [Paul Digby] playing, Tommy Oar playing and Reg [Varney] playing who haven’t been playing had an effect on it, who knows?

“I’ve gone through them, I’m not making them as an excuse, I thought [Portsmouth] were excellent, they deserved to win, they didn’t and we’ve got a bloody replay a week on Tuesday.

“But, like I say, after 88 minutes, I wanted that, I didn’t want to be beaten. We’ve got Leeds and Preston coming here now, so we remain unbeaten.”

Having conceded that the changes he made contributed to the disappointing display, he says that he might otherwise have been forced into switches of personnel for the two important Championship games.

“That then could have been Leeds United on Tuesday night or Preston on Saturday, had I got somebody injured, the [players coming in] haven’t played and they have to go in and play and they’re below par because they’ve not been playing. So, if anything it’s worthwhile for them.

“They’re the positives that have come out of it, that Tommy Oar has now had 90 minutes, Luke Varney’s had them, Peter’s had them, Diggers has played.

“He did all right, I thought, it was a tough game for him, coming in, he’s not been playing to then be playing at that level.”

Having started Digby, who joined on loan from Barnsley last week, at the centre of the defence, McCarthy quickly switched the debutant to right-back.

“I just wanted Chambo to more vocal being in the centre of the pitch,” he explained. “I’ve got Peter who hasn’t been playing and Diggers, who hasn’t played. It just looked a little bit disjointed, it was better with Chambo in there.”

The draw for the fourth round takes place from 7pm live on BBC1's The One Show on Monday.

Portsmouth assistant manager Leam Richardson was pleased with his team’s performance and not too disappointed that the game ended in a draw.

“I think first and foremost the manager and myself just want to come and play football and give a good account of ourselves and apply ourselves the best we can and I thought we did that today,” he said.

“There’ll always be a tinge of disappointment when you’re in the 80-plus minutes and you don’t end up winning the game and you don’t end up going through, but it’s still a positive result.

“If you spin it round, certainly in a cup competitions, if we were 2-1 down and we got the same result, 2-2, you’d have a different elation and I think the lads know individually and collectively that they performed to a certain level and when they digest it I think they’ll realise that.

“We know Ipswich through the manager and the players they’ve got and the club itself, it’s a very well established, good quality club with a quality manager and quality players.

“As a chance for us as a young management team to pit our wits up against such a team and manager it’s good for us.”

Photo: Action Images

Stato added 23:41 - Jan 9 Pig headed Mick is letting our best fullback leave the club because he wont accept that his highest transfer fee has been spent on a squad player. He won't accept that Gerken is not our number one keeper and he won't accept that we shouldn't been playing two defensive midfielders against weaker sides when playing at home. There is no hint any of these issues will change. No hint of better players joining and no hint of entertainment coming to Portman road anytime soon. Never wanted him in the first place.

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Cheshire_Blue added 00:46 - Jan 10 This match was just a distraction from those that really matter and MM was well aware of this. The only real disappointment is that we now have another distraction to deal with a week on Tuesday and MM will be aware of this. Get real, we are not going to win the FA cup and the sooner the distraction from our real objective is dispensed with the better. Anyone who thought they would see a world beating performance against Portsmouth is living in cloud cuckoo land. It is an irrelevance in the scheme of things.

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Cakeman added 01:22 - Jan 10 I wasn't at the match today as I refuse to pay to see what are really just practice games or matches that just appear to give trials to some. The FA Cup has become so devalued these days which is sad. Reading the previous posts I am glad I wasn't there. This has done us no good whatsoever and indeed it could have damaged our confidence. We should always play our strongest eleven whatever Mick deems that to be and if we had I am sure we would have won and thus avoided an unwanted replay.

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Penguinblue added 07:13 - Jan 10 MM please go. Bring football back to East Anglia
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sidtheswan added 07:30 - Jan 10 Having had time to reflect I think the crux of the matter is that we need to start playing football. We need to be strong powerful and start to pass the ball more . If MM wants to do that fine if he doesn't then it's time to move on . Whoever the manager is he then needs to be backed up by the chairmen in the transfer market sensibly . Never heard of Paul Cook but thought Pompey actually played a lot better football than us & were more passionate and would expect them to win promotion.

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muccletonjoe added 09:06 - Jan 10 Alot of ott comments here, if we beat leeds on Tuesday, which I think we will, most of these will be forgotten. The bottom line as ever, is we lack investment in quality players and we have a manager who can scrap results from the bargain basement, which is music to the ears of the chairman
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Warkys_Tash added 09:34 - Jan 10 @bohslegend, Muscletonjoe et al. Whilst there is no denying that we are 6th & most likely Mick will get us to the play-offs, yesterday was a dire embarrassment. The brand of football being served up is just not good enough. We were played off the park by a ball playing footy team & credit to Portsmouth, they taught us a lesson. Doubt they will be in League 2 for long. Mick has done great for such limited resources & I am not sure where we would be without him & we have to be careful what we wish for. HOWEVER - Everyone in the ground yesterday knows that Johnny Parr is a far better Full back than Knudssen - at this present time ( he may come good, who knows?) Fact. Parr's agent is his Dad & if he was my son, I'd be engineering him a move too. We all have been banging on about lack of quality midfield, it's still no better - save for the fantastic Ryan Fraser, who sadly after this season we will likely never have the pleasure to see in a blue & white shirt again. We have 2 number 2 goal keepers & then there is the right- back debate that rumbles on. We do however have a quality strike force & Christophe Berra, no questions about them. It would be good to see proper football being played though, will Mick grind us out promotion & then change his style in the Prem?

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ChrisFelix added 09:36 - Jan 10 Oh for a creative midfielder and two proper fullback. Names like Holland & Burley come to mind. Dream on
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J45 added 09:43 - Jan 10 I must be missing something?? We drew at home to Portsmouth in the fa cup with a weakened side many of whom haven't played in God knows how long due to injury or not being selected ahead Players performing well in the league! I will not defend the performance on Saturday it was a shambles and MM will not happy about it either, but let's not take too much away from Portsmouth they were brilliant!! We have too important home games coming up in which we will play the same football we have seen over the last 3 years, If the style of football bothers you that much don't turn up simple as that. But if we make the playoffs then the style of football won't bother you that much anymore will it?? MM isn't going anywhere whether you like it or not! So can you just save the moaning until the end of the season and get behind the boys for the remaining games!

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J45 added 09:48 - Jan 10 *two important home games
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bluelodgeblue added 10:30 - Jan 10 Definitely below PARR! nuf said!
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Palestine added 11:59 - Jan 10 I hate MMs football but those above re-writing history saying "anyone cudve kept us up that first MM season" - dream on. He did work a miracle that year. Sadly this is his style of football though. And seems flirting with play-offs is good enough for the chairman who doesn't seem that bothered. To field a weak team and still play dogsh+t football - that is had to take though for the poor fans. Every team plays good football against Ipswich - because we let them have the ball and pass the ball. Oh well...

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karls_dad added 13:15 - Jan 10 It was just awful! the team selection said it all before kick off, MM is not interested in the cup, considers it a distraction, can,t we just not turn up and give them the tie? the bus broke down or something, lets get on with what matters, staying in the play offs!
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Bluetone added 13:36 - Jan 10 We play (more's the pity) the style of football McCarthy played in his playing days, the style of football his mentor Jack Charlton played both as a player and as a manager it is a style devoid of much skill relying on muscle, size and old fashioned intimidation. He's devoid of any ability to do anything different. Just hoofball with little entertainment value will be served up while he is here. Watching Yorkshireman of this sort McCarthy;'s hoofball and Boycott's batting if you could bottle it as a cure for insomnia you could be on a winner.

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chepstowblue added 13:37 - Jan 10 They've got a fella called Gary Roberts who would walk into our team ! He looked familiar !
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bohslegend added 13:44 - Jan 10 Bluetone is that Jack Charlton who played for England in 1966 you're referring to? Or Jack Charlton who masterminded an Ireland victory over England in 1988? Or the same Mick McCarthy who guided Ireland to victory over The Netherlands to qualify for WC 2002, or MM that saved us from certain relegation to League 1 where it seems all these great "footballing" teams seem to thrive? And the that same MM who steadily turned round the oil tanker IpswichTownFC which had over many years been sailing the wrong direction and is now firmly pointed in the right direction? Your total lack of credit to each of these men serves only to fuel your total bias against the current manager regardless of the reality of the situation we are currently.

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Bluetone added 14:14 - Jan 10 bobslegend as Jack Charlton said he saw his job as finding out how fast the opposing centre forward could limp. Yes in their day these footballing thugs did OK but these are different times. To my mind entertainment is imperative and is the missing ingredient in the hoofball style of play being played by the McCarthy teams. I waited behind at Portman Road waiting for the results to come through that saw us crowned as champions in the old first division I saw Mick Mills lift the FA Cup at Wembley and can only view with dismay and disbelief at what we are now reduced too.

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TimmyH added 14:27 - Jan 10 Anybody with an IQ of at least 1 could obviously tell how seriously you took this game Mick - who tells the press a day before the game the team he'll be playing? - feel sorry for all our support that paid up to go yesterday.
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chevvymalc added 14:44 - Jan 10 Ok so we left out key players got outplayed but pinched a draw and replay so MM has a chance to put it right and put a side out to beat this (although impressive) 2nd division side. The loyal fans that will certainly travel there deserve to be entertained with a team in with a chance not to end up humbled by lowly opposition also a incentive will be our next opponents (draw on Monday} so come on lets keep a winning run going. {PLEASE MICK!!!)

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terryf added 15:30 - Jan 10 Only one Team trying to play football and it wasn't us. The fans love the FA Cup so playing a weakened Team is an insult to the supporters paying good money for tickets and travel. No doubt he'll repeat the exercise on tuesday week. Those playing weakened Teams in the FA Cup should donate their prize money to grass roots football. The territorial football we play is rubbish and anyone thinking results are the be and end all has my sympathy. Where's the entertainment? You can count the number of games on your two hands since McCarthy has been in charge where we have come away thinking that was a great game. OK he saved us at a vunerable time but is no doubt paid well. Surely you wouldn't employ a Manager on good wages to fail. Also thought the Pompey fans were great, as we will be at Fratton Park. Now we here Johnny Parr is on his way. He should have been in the Team yesterday and many more games this season. I completely understand his frustration in wanting to go somewhere else where he'll be appreciated.

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999blue added 15:52 - Jan 10 mm clearly got his tactics wrong switching chambo and rigby early on im sure that rigby will be one for future games but to play an inexperienced player on his debut out of position was a schoolboy error made by a very experienced manager im a mm fan but clearly he needs cash to improve not maintain the squad .....if we want to improve further and make that jump from an good championship team to getting promoted MR EVANS needs to provide funding

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Cheshire_Blue added 17:52 - Jan 10 Anyone who saw Parr's first half performance at Hull should know why he is on his way.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 20:04 - Jan 10 I am by no means happy with the corporate mindset with which our ( and let's face it, most other) club is run, but if it is true that ME doesn't give a toss, why did he replace the three previous managers?
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pablo123 added 20:43 - Jan 10 "Portsmouth deserved to win" , that must be the understatement of the year !!! We were 2nd best all over the park to a league 2 side !!
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cobboldblue added 21:15 - Jan 10 First half we were dreadful. It was embarrassing. At half time I had to apologise to a Dad with his two kids for our performance, a Bournemouth supporter living in this area wanting to watch some live football. 27% possession at home is unacceptable. If you did not know the teams I challenge anyone not to think Pompey were the Championship team and Ipswich the league two team. Our "style" is effective but please can we try and play a bit of passing football as well?

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