Ten-man Town fell to a 3-0 defeat away against fellow play-off challengers Birmingham City with Will Buckley, Jon Toral and Maikel Kieftenbeld on the scoresheet. Buckley made the most of some hesitant defending to put the home side ahead on 23 before Douglas was shown a straight red card just prior to the break and Toral and Kieftenbeld smashed home stunning second-half volleys to seal the victory.

As expected, boss Mick McCarthy reverted to the team which drew 1-1 with Preston last Saturday, having changed his entire XI for the FA Cup replay at Portsmouth on Tuesday.

New signing Kevin Foley’s international clearance came through and the full-back took a place on the Town bench, while loanee Paul Digby was included in a Championship matchday 18 for the first time.

The home side made one enforced changed from last week’s 3-0 win at Derby with Jacques Maghoma unwell. On-loan Sunderland winger Buckley came into the side for his full Birmingham debut.

After a quiet opening few minutes, the Midlanders created the first opening in the fourth minute, Buckley, often a thorn in Town’s side when a Brighton player, finding himself space 20 yards out but scraping wide.

A minute later, Stephen Gleeson, who played for Blues boss McCarthy at Wolves, scuffed another effort well past the post.

Town weren’t far away from going in front with their first chance of the game on six. Ryan Fraser laid the ball back to Kevin Bru on the left and the Mauritius international whipped over a cross which Daryl Murphy headed just over Tomasz Kuszczak’s crossbar from six yards.

Soon after, Clayton Donaldson thought he’d failed to take the chance of the game up to that point when he slid in but failed to connect with Maikel Kieftenbeld’s cross from the left but the linesman’s flag had been raised.

Murphy went close again for the Blues in the 11th minute when Bru fed the Irishman just outside the area to the left, where he flicked the ball up and smashed a strike across the face of goal.

Both sides were continuing to have chances and on 14 Jon Toral struck a powerful 25-yard effort which Blues keeper Dean Gerken did well to bat away from goal.

On 21 Birmingham defender Paul Caddis inadvertently presented the ball to Fraser on the Town left when trying to avoid conceding a corner, allowing the Scotland U21 international to whip over a cross which Freddie Sears flicked towards goal, however, Kuszczak was able to claim above his head.

Two minutes later, the visitors went in front via a goal Town will think they really ought to have prevented.

Tommy Smith’s headed clearance only reached Jonathan Grounds, who crossed from the left. The ball was turned away from goal but hit Douglas and ran to Donaldson, who hit a shot which Gerken saved superbly at point blank. However, the rebound fell to Buckley, who tapped home his first Birmingham goal from close range.

As the game moved towards the half hour mark Gleeson picked up the game’s first booking for a blatant trip on Fraser as the winger broke down the left.

After the resultant freekick had been worked down the left, the ball came out to Cole Skuse midway inside the Birmingham half but the midfielder’s shot flew well over.

Kieftenbeld went close to adding to his side’s lead on 40 when he made the most of more hesitant Town defending on the edge of the area, but the Dutchman’s shot was deflected wide.

Next it was the Blues' turn to threaten. With Kieftenbeld down injury and the home crowd calling for play to be stopped, Fraser cut in from the right and hit a powerful low shot which Kuszczak saved down to his right. Sears was first to the rebound which the Polish keeper again saved.

The ex-Colchester man got the the loose ball first again but his strike was deflected behind for a corner. From the flag-kick, Sears was just unable to get a touch to Christophe Berra’s header before Kuszczak claimed.

In first-half injury time Fraser crossed from the left and Murphy glanced a header well wide.

Seconds before the whistle Town were reduced to 10 men for the second successive game.

Douglas dived in for a ball which had run away from him midway inside the Blues half and caught Buckley with a one-footed but studs-up challenge on his shins.

Referee Michael Bull had no hesitation in issuing the 34-year-old with what looked a correct straight red card, Town’s first of their Championship campaign. Douglas now faces a three-match ban.

There hadn’t been much in the half as a whole with both teams having created opportunities - Town’s best was probably Murphy’s early header - and the two keepers each having made saves.

The Blues were made to pay for poor defending for the goal and having been reduced to 10 men have an uphill task to get back into the match in the second half.

Town switched Bru for the more combative Luke Hyam ahead of the start of the second half.

Skuse struck the first shot after the restart from distance but it gave Kuszczak little problem, then Paul Robinson got his name in the referee’s book for a foul on Fraser with the Blues starting the half on the front foot, despite their numerical disadvantage.

But nine minutes after the break the home side doubled their lead. Donaldson knocked down a long kick from Kuszczak and on-loan Arsenal midfielder Toral smashed an unstoppable volley past Gerken from 25 yards.

Despite what now looked a hopeless cause, the 10-man Blues kept pushing forward in ever greater numbers, Sears winning a couple of corners with strong runs into the area from first the right and then the left, but without the set pieces coming to anything.

On 64 Murphy fed a speeding Fraser down the left and the on-loan Bournemouth man took the ball into the area before hitting a low shot across the face of goal from a tight angle.

Two minutes later, again after Fraser had outpaced defenders down the left, Murphy laid the ball back to the Scot but his shot flew well over.

At the other end Gleeson saw a 67th minute shot deflected through to Gerken from the edge of the area, off a Town hand claimed the Birmingham players and fans, but not referee Bull.

Any doubt about which way the points would be were going were ended in the 70th minute when Kieftenbeld made in 3-0 with the afternoon’s second stunning volley.

The Blues again made heavy weather of clearing a ball in from the left and Chambers’s hook away fell to the former Groningen midfielder lashed past Gerken and into the corner of the net.

Sears looped a Fraser low cross over on 75, then a minute later Smith was booked for a foul on Donaldson on halfway.

With 12 minutes remaining Brett Pitman and Luke Varney replaced Sears and Murphy, then a minute later James Vaughan replaced Buckley for the home side.

Four minutes after coming on, Varney fed Fraser to his left inside the area when he might have shot himself, but the winger’s effort was blocked.

Birmingham’s Grounds was extremely lucky to avoid a red card on 84 when he caught Fraser in the face with a high boot just outside the area. Amazingly referee Bull failed to see the challenge as a foul let alone a card. If Douglas’s challenge warranted a red card, then that certainly did.

Gleeson smashed a shot not too far over, then Gerken required treatment after colliding with Vaughan as the two went for a Donaldson knockdown. The Blues keeper was eventually able to continue.

Deep in injury time Fraser, once again Town’s outstanding player, cut in from the right and struck a shot which flew just over the bar.

The game had been an even affair with both teams creating chances until Douglas’s red card, Birmingham having made the most of poor Town defending for Buckley’s opening goal.

The Blues continued to take the game to the home side in the second half and had a number of decent chances, but holes began to open up in the Town backline and Birmingham capitalised with first Toral’s and then Kieftenbeld’s brilliant strikes.

While the scoreline was a reflection of the 90 minutes overall, the game had been much tighter when 11 against 11.

The result sees the Blues - previously undefeated in seven away from home in the Championship - drop to eighth with Birmingham moving ahead of them but only a point behind Sheffield Wednesday in the final play-off place.

Town have a free Saturday next weekend with scheduled opponents Reading still in the FA Cup. The game has moved to the following Tuesday, February 2nd.

Town: Gerken, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Bru (Hyam 46), Fraser, Sears (Pitman 78), Murphy (Varney 78). Unused: Bialkowski, Digby, Foley, Hyam, Maitland-Niles.

Birmingham: Kuszczak, Caddis, Morrison (c), Robinson, Grounds, Gleeson, Kieftenbeld (Solomon-Otabor 74), Davis (Adams 90), Buckley (Vaughan 80), Toral, Donaldson. Unused: Legzdins, Spector, Lowry, Brock-Madsen. Referee: Michael Bull (Essex). Att: 18,272 (Town: 1,887).

Photo: Action Images

Bert added 18:11 - Jan 24 Pinewoodblueboy you have just made my point. There are PL teams who are no better than us so we cannot be as awful as some think we are. Of course the PL should be our ambition and it remains to be seen whether the club truly aspires to that. Do I want to see PL footballers every week, in theory yes but I would hope that we would retain our values which some in the PL have not.

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StochesStotasBlewe added 18:30 - Jan 24 Bert, While I respect your opinion, in reality, all the PL teams are better than us.
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grumpyoldman added 18:56 - Jan 24 People keep quoting statistics to prove their opinion or shoot somebody else's opinion, so I did some research, according to which, the order of manager rating is Alf Ramsey, George Burley, John Duncan, Bobby Robson, Joe Royle, Mick McCarthy. Does any true supporter of this club believe that John Duncan was a better manager than Sir Bobby Robson. To us mere supporters it is about opinions, whether we like the way the team plays or not we have no influence over the manager, we all watch and come away with different opinions about how certain players performed we may not be right but it is our truly held opinion. Just because we differ it does not mean we are any more or less intelligent. I personally don't like the present style so will not return until MM is gone or he changes his style (unlikely I know), as a Yorkshireman friend of mine says, "You can always tell a Yorkshireman, but you can't tell him much"

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bohslegend added 19:46 - Jan 24 A lot of people moaning on here need to read the actual forum more often: http://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/365556/when-to-get-rid-of-a-manager/#22
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Kirbmeister added 21:02 - Jan 24 What's the bloody point in everyone calling for MM's head? He's just signed a new long contract. He's going nowhere for a long time.
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wayway added 21:12 - Jan 24 It is good to read the Comments of Oldegold on here. He has obviously been a supporter, like myself for many years and is not one of the 'school playground' brigade. While I accept that McCarthy saved the club from relegation (apparently no other manager could have done this) and Evans PLC saved us from bankruptcy. Think of what has passed since. The appointment of Keane was just a ploy by the PLC to see him being interviewed on TV in front of the Marcus Evans logo. A supposed big name with an opinion on everything. The appointment of Clegg as ceo, a man who admitted he knew nothing about football but another big name to enhance the profile of Evans PLC. Move on to the present and what are we leftt with? Owners who do not care one jot about the club and are only still involved so that they can write the Debt down against the PLC tax. Stuck with a stubborn dinosaur of a manager who does his best to stifle any flair or creativity and who it seems we are stuck with for the next two years. We may have made the playoffs by default last season (remember Derbys result on the last day) so if this season we finish outside the top six that will mean we have gone backwards. Will then Boring Billy offer his resignation? One more thing, who will be sold in the close season to further line Evans PLC pockets? The Cresswell and Mings Transfer fees have been well invested haven't they.

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Gcon added 22:04 - Jan 24 The overriding sentiment on this site is not reflective of match going fans. It's actually embarrassing. We lost a game where we had a player sent off early in the game. It was a shame. Get over it and move on. To be calling for the mangers head is pathetic.
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thebeat added 22:33 - Jan 24 Gcon i disagree. I go to the games and can clearly see Mick for what he is, solid but unspectacular manager whos teams bludgeon teams to death for their victories but are found wanting when it comes up against real quality. Im so bored of watching the same game with the same tactics week after week after week. I also dont like seeing quality players like Parr and Oar underused and then walk out the door because they know no matter how well they play they'll never get a fair crack of the whip because they arent one of his favourites. Ten years ago it might have got him a few promotions but it obviously wont now, the games moved on. In 3 years we've played nice football 3 times, at home against Birmingham in 2013, Boro last season and Leeds the other week. Hes a safe manager as in we'll never get relegated but we will also never push on. I appreciate the stabilising job he's done but we need to get promotion to clear our debts, stagnating on the fringe of the play offs will not pay the bills in the long run. I understand Evans had his fingers burned by bringing Keane and Jewell in and wasting money on substandard players but these days you cant get promoted with freebies and a plodder of a manager, we have a great foundation to build on now, all set up for somebody like Nigel Pearson to come in and push us to the next level, i even think somebody like Brendan Rodgers would be interested in coming to a club like us if given a bit of money to spend to add that bit of quality that we lack. His Swansea team played proper football, perfect for a club with our traditions. Mark my words if Micks still here at the end of his contract in 2018 we will be in exactly the same predicament we are in now, play off flirters and nothing more. We all know it but only some of us will admit it.

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essex57 added 22:35 - Jan 24 Grumpyoldman whilst i dont agree with your opinions i admire you standing by your principles
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DannyITFC added 23:03 - Jan 24 I was there Sat and there was not too much between the two teams until the sending off. Tad harsh decision but reckless from Douglas maybe a yellow would have been the right choice. Our defence yet again was extremely sloppy particularly Smith on their first goal and Chambers on on the third however the second was a fantastic strike! We also had our chances and another day would have scored 2 or 3......we had a stonewall penalty turned turn again. It just was n't our day.....we can't win them all however it is evident to me we are missing that creative midfielder in the absence of Bishop so surely this is a must to sign at least a quality loan til the end of the season? Personally I think the lad Moncur from Colchester would be ideal but Evans is not providing the funds? Simple fact is this.....if we don't spend on some new players we will not make the play offs this season, the supporters deserve better than this? The style of football is dreadful but we can put up with it if results are positive! Please Mick convince Evans we need a creative midfielder at least in this transfer window......a decent left back and CB too would be nice but that won't happen either. We are only a point outside the play offs but need to start picking up wins again otherwise we will soon drift behind and this season will be a massive failure! Sort it out MM anything below 6th this season is not good enough.... I am seriously considering not renewing my season ticket as quite frankly the sub standard football we have been subject to at Portman Road this season is not good enough for a club apparently seeking promotion? Sign Moncur!

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Gcon added 00:03 - Jan 25 I hear you thebeat. But even you, who I may not agree with but you strike me as rational, were praising him (albeit faintly) as recently as Brighton and Leeds. Now after a loss with 10 men you would happily axe him?
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derby123 added 00:27 - Jan 25 Spot on posts Gcon.
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warktheline added 09:56 - Jan 25 Talk of axing McCarthy is nowt short of lunacy! Evans obviously believes the manager will achieve success without costing too much. This theory is a long term project, time will tell if he's right. Until then we sit very comfortably in championship, and all hope for a touch better!
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thebeat added 10:40 - Jan 25 Gcon i didnt praise him after Brighton and Leeds, more the players. Obviously on the occasions we get really good results im ecstatic and will give praise where its due but if you look at the situation as a whole all the stats, facts etc point out that Micks style and ethos isnt enough to get to the promised land anymore, id give him the rest of the season and if we dont make it (which we wont) id say thanks for everything youve done but we need real progression now. Obviously thats not gona happen now we've given him.a new contract. So we all better buckle up for 2 more years of scrapping into the top 10 but nothing more.

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thebeat added 10:43 - Jan 25 bohslegend thanks for the down arrow yet again but seriously ur opinion from your armchair means nowt to me. Get to a game once in a while and ur opinion might matter, until then keep saying ur prayers to ur effigy of Mick every night.
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Facefacts added 17:44 - Jan 25 Can't believe anyone thinks Gus Uhlenbeek was potentially the worst ever player to pull on the shirt. You obviously weren't at Burnden Park to see him outpace the Bolton Wanderers defence in a 70 yard run and lay on an open goal for James Scowcroft. Final score Wanderers 0 Town 1
1

derby123 added 20:45 - Jan 25 Thebeat it's a bit rich calling bohslegend an armchair fan. Why because he doesn't have your negative attitude and negative drivel. The opinions on this match report from the majority were from people clearly not at game. I was and what I witnessed at the end was 1000 plus people still behind the manager and team. So the drivel spouted on here really wouldn't give a fair reflection. Just because bohslegend doesn't attend every game doesn't make him any less of a fan.

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thebeat added 22:25 - Jan 25 derby123 how can anyone have an opinion on what they never see? It means nothing cus its just guesswork
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thebeat added 22:28 - Jan 25 And i also dont have a negative attitude. Im just a realist. I love the club but im not gona ignore whats right infront of me. McCarthys a safe but boring championship plodder. Nothing more nothing less
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derby123 added 23:57 - Jan 25 In which case then half the opinions on this site are clearly worthless then Thebeat. All you get on here is negativity and people calling for managers head. At brum on Saturday and at Portman road I see none of this. Or is it ok to have an opinion if your an armchair fan if it follows your negative views on mick? But because bohslegend offers a different viewpoint a positive one it's deemed worthless. Rather contradicting don't you think?

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thebeat added 09:18 - Jan 26 derby123 my issue with bohslegend is Mick is untouchable in his eyes and if you go to the game and comment on something Mick gets wrong he down arrows you even tho he wasnt there. Hes not the one forking out on a season ticket and away games just to watch a slog week after week. And when we win he's on here in a flash with the 'told you so comments' even if we've gone 5 or 6 games without a win. I comment on here win lose or draw, i just dont look at everything with blue blinkers on, if we are crap i'll say we are crap, if Micks getting it wrong i'll point it out which i have the right to. Its my club not Micks i'll still be here long after he's gone.

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derby123 added 11:24 - Jan 26 To be fair it's very rarely we go 5/6 games without a win though is it and I do accept that you do comment win,lose or draw Thebeat. My issues come from when we win it's all down to the players with certain posters. Yet when we lose it's all micks fault it's garbage. Whilst when we win certain posters go missing until we next lose. If people would give credit where it's due maybe people wouldn't find the need to speak up for mick as much. It's been a rough two weeks granted but were still in a good position. Rough patches happen, just look at derby now? It's how you bounce back. I'm confident we will.

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MrDiddle added 12:10 - Jan 26 We lose a couple of games on the trot and there's 172 posts (at the time of writing), the majority of them written by the same anti-ITFC brigade that post everytime results don't go the club's way. Every bloody time the same thing is written; the owner is crap because he's not investing, the manager is crap because his tactics and team sheets don't conform to a few fans unrealistic expectations, the players are crap because we didn't pay a transfer fee for them or they are being played out of position... the list goes on. Pathetic, clueless fair-weather fans!

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thebeat added 12:46 - Jan 26 Unrealistic expectations? Is it unrealistic to expect to see Sears playing in his correct position upfront where he terrorised defences in the 2nd half of last season scoring goals instead of being shunted on to the wing and totally wasted? Unrealistic to expect midfielders to be decent footballers instead of dogs of war and the ball to be played through the midfield instead of just lumped up to Murphy? Unrealistic to expect players to be picked based on ability on not likeability?

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callmeted added 16:34 - Jan 26 I am not, for one minute, saying we are playing exciting football , in fact Preston was one of the worst in a long time. I agree we can be one dimensional, it needs freshening up and that sometimes MM decisions are baffling but the way some have attacked after this defeat is a little over zealous to say the least. It almost as if there is a wish for MM/team to fail and then to get over a "told you so". I cant get away from the FACT we are 6 points off 3rd place. Now i am not going out on a limb to say we will get that but please get behind the team. Everyone has an opinion, i respect that as other should when they don't agree whether you be lovers or haters but in the current position are we really dead and buried and the talk of sacking and mid table already?

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