Debutant Kevin Foley felt Town could have got something from Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Bristol City having got a foothold in the game via Brett Pitman’s 61st minute goal.

The Robins, with new manager Lee Johnson in charge for the first time, had claimed a two-goal first-half lead via Aden Flint’s almost identical headed goals from right-sided Luke Freeman corners.

“The main thing is the result, it’s disappointing, especially in the first half to go down to two identical goals,” the January signing said.

“We pride ourselves on set pieces so we were disappointed. We got ourselves back into the game and we could have got something at the end, but it wasn’t meant to be.

“[Freeman] swings them in like a shot on goal and it was all about the delivery, just one of those days. Foley, 31, started the game in a right wing-back role before moving to the centre of midfield when the Blues switched to a 4-4-2 system having gone behind.

“I preferred it in the middle because I got a bit more of a foothold in the game and I managed to get on the ball a bit more,” the former Republic of Ireland international admitted.

#itfc defender Kevin Foley said it was 'good to be back out there' after making his Town debut at the weekend.https://t.co/Pi0jz4914T– Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) February 15, 2016

“We always knew we had the ability to change it, so that wasn’t an issue, and the goals didn’t come from our shape as it was just the set pieces.

“Second half I think we went a little more direct and we caused problems, getting the goal out of it, but it just didn’t happen at the end.”

Foley has been impressed with Town’s 10-goal top scorer since he joined the club last month: “Brett’s fantastic in front of goal, he’s so calm and he slotted it home nicely there, we had our chances at the end, but it just wasn’t our day.”

Meanwhile, manager Mick McCarthy is giving his senior players a couple of days off with the Blues not in action again until they take on leaders Hull City at Portman Road a week tomorrow.

“There’ll be a bit of downtime for them, some of them will be playing on Monday in the U21s but other than that they’ll get a couple of days rest and hopefully recover from any knocks that they’ve got.”

Town’s U21s are in action against Colchester United at their Florence Park training ground this afternoon (KO 1pm).

Photo: ITFC

Photo: Action Images

MicksZzzTactics added 11:05 - Feb 15 1RWR: I don't think anyone here seriously even tries to make Mr. Foley the "scapegoat" of Saturday's defeat ... well I personally don't! .... He didn't play poorly but imo he didn't make ANY noticeable difference whatsoever to our (or Mick's rather) "estranged" game or 'gameplan' either! And btw on a mostly sarcastic note we all know his hmmm MAIN "prerequisite" for Mick bringing him here and fancying him ..... i.e. he is an ex-Wolves player (like soooo many before him in the last 3 years) drum-role, please!:-) Anyway when you make clunky rosytinted statements like the above, statements which cannot be said to be in ehhh particular good 'sync' with neither reality but especially which team deserved all the points over the WHOLE 90 minutes , you kind of bring it -- any heat that is -- entirely on yourself. Sorry! ... but that's just how it usually is when saying things which don't quite 'hold water' in just about any other profession etc.. I think most if not all Ipswich fans bid Mr. Foley a fairly warm welcome, like any newcomer, even those who have 2nd doubts about him actually contributing anything extraordinarily positive ....to this "estranged" gameplan of ours ..... but hey let's not forget it was his 1st outing (and as with all 1st outings in a new shirt & new system etc. we should cut him some slack!) so I get it why he might have felt shall we put it 'compelled' to say what he said in the above interview ..... but also as he seems slated to get lots of more minutes in the foreseeable future, let's all just be fair to him and wait to cast any definitive judgement on him as an Ipswich player -- as well as an EXPERT post-game analyst! :-) lol -- after a mere 1 game shall we???

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essexboy added 11:11 - Feb 15 Time for Mick to walk before the rot really sets in.As a supporter of 50 years I'm sorry to say it and it really hurts but if something is not done now we will just stagnate in this league for ever. 😒😒
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foot_kick_ball_goal added 11:59 - Feb 15 Championship team loses 2-1 away to another championship team. Stop the press!!! Anyway... Bart is looking pretty good. Just a shame no-was marking that far post for the corners. But that's how it goes sometimes. What bothers me more is that last season we used to score plenty from corners and this season I can't remember the last time we scored from one.
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Fatboy added 12:17 - Feb 15 @ foot kick ball goal: I thought the same. There's not much you can do when a 6'6" player perfectly jumps and meets a well-delivered corner, other than having a player on each post to try to keep it out. If not the first time, then certainly the second. Very few of our goals seem to come from set pieces, despite our reputation as a direct team. Perhaps that will change now we have Pringle, who has a decent delivery on him.

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battyblue added 12:21 - Feb 15 Rest does us no favors we are sill crap because nothing changers in training or style cannot even defend corners in the basic manner of a Sunday league team and this defense has been shipping goals for over a year now and they cant be dropped because they all deserve to play whatever position that happens to be and he cant find better. The one position he has finally got right is the keeper but not through good judgement because of the former was injured just about sums up our manager good at keeping his favorites happy otherwise has`nt got a clue.

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jocasaja added 12:27 - Feb 15 I am one of the most optomistic of Town fans...but our pattern of rise and fall is beginning to tire my enthusiasm ...we really need to beat Hull next Tuesday, otherwise it will be yet another season of if but maybe
1

Witchesaswell added 15:43 - Feb 15 Rather bizarrely if we beat top the table Hull I'm sure everything will once again be rosy in the garden but there's something seriously wrong when Town (pretty much top 1/3rd of the table all season) are constantly outplayed by the allegedly poorer teams languishing in the lower reaches of the league. I know we made a complete team change against Portsmouth to lose but that just proves our lack of strength in depth. Poor football is all we are being asked to watch and I'm getting very frustrated when I was brought up seeing us play a sweet passing game. It's hard work being a life long Town fan at the moment!

4

Currie10 added 16:48 - Feb 15 Decent debut Foley, played in two different positions and far better than Bru in a central midfield 2 in a 4-4-2 any day of the week. I like Bru in a 4-3-3 when he has a bit of license. In the middle of a 4-4-2 not a fan whatsoever positionally horrific sets up not a lot offers no goal threat. One of the most overrated town players I can recall for a long long time in this system anyway.

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TimmyH added 20:37 - Feb 15 We didn't deserve to get anything against a relegation candidate on Saturday...note even EADT Stuart Watson today is now basically saying the same as the majority on here (who post regularly) - and that basically we're making all the same mistakes as of last season (into the New Year) regarding poor form, lack of transfer activity, poor FA Cup etc. good post PortmanTerrorist and interesting Wychyblue but not surprising.

1

RaymondovicBlue added 21:39 - Feb 15 We Criticise MIck for all the players out of position ... why no criticism ever of Christophe Berra who is one of the few IN position, often covered for by Tommy Smith who is good enough to play out of position and take lots of flack! If it wasn't for Berra seeming to refuse to jump to even try to head the ball ... TWICE ... we might have won one nil and the talk on here would have been very different! Personally I would rather see Chambers and Smith in the middle, both in position, both capable and both understanding each other. Then we can play a RB at RB and Smith can help Knudson out instead of always watching Berra Sue the down votes. Just my view.

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RaymondovicBlue added 21:43 - Feb 15 That'll be cue the down votes!
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BrettenhamBlue added 23:56 - Feb 15 Sorry but Foley had an OK game. As MicksZZZtactics has already pointed out, its his first game for the club and its going to take a while to gel. Lets not judge him until we've seen him a few times (like Coke...14 times too many..)
2

prebsa added 08:17 - Feb 16 RaymondovicBlue, I don't personally think people can vote you down for that, Berra was nowhere near for either of the goals so I agree with you there. However I'm not sure he deserves to be out of the team based on that, he has been a massive part of our team over the last season and a half and where the has been mistakes I feel there has been alot more positives. But yes he should have been closer on Saturday and it may have been a different outcome.

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RaymondovicBlue added 15:12 - Feb 16 Prebs... I think I may have been fully of exaggeration to make a point... Unbelievable that Berra wasn't slated... I couldn't believe what I was seeing... Yes their guys both got it just right but how he didn't even get of the ground not even near him either time was just wrong! I agree he is a good player but maybe a reminder that he isn't indispensable might help.... A game on the bench wouldn't hurt... But then again.... We don't have an RB to pay at RB so how can wet complete my cunning plan?!?!? Thank you for explaining where you disagree rather than just down voting!! * it helps me reflect and learn!!

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prebsa added 15:25 - Feb 16 RaymondoviBlue, agreed perhaps a game on the bench may show berra rather than the fans that he needs to step up again to what he was last year, and again you are right we don't have someone to play RB so who we going to replace him with? Your plan will fail due to the fact that we have no one else other than the current 4 not because it is a bad plan!
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bluelodgeblue added 16:35 - Feb 16 This guy has a lot to say for someone who's just arrived on the scene, maybe he,s been told to get out there because the rest are so embarrassed?
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Seasider added 16:41 - Feb 16 Could Foley not play full back,after all he played wing back on the right at the start in a back 5?
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RaymondovicBlue added 21:04 - Feb 18 I think Foley COULD play RB - but let's face it - It is Berra and Smith in the middle, Chambers and Knudson at full back! We all know this but it has been fun discussing alternatives !
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Razor added 15:30 - Feb 19 MID TABLE MEDIOCRITY---AGAIN
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