Christophe Berra has reflected on the defensive heroics that under-pinned Town’s 1-0 win at Derby on Tuesday in a game that saw Mick McCarthy’s men under pressure for the majority of the 90 minutes.

Ram-raid, smash and grab, call it what you like — the facts are that Luke Varney’s goal earned all three points and the Town rearguard stood firm to keep their third clean sheet in five games and climb into the Championship’s top 10.

Scotland international Berra admitted he relished the performance but said: “Don’t get me wrong, I’d have preferred us to win two or three-nil and we hadn’t had to defend as much. But this is a league that can make you defend, especially away from home.

“It’s never easy and you’re never going to dominate a game for 90 minutes. You are going to be on the back foot a lot. But we’ve won 1-0 at a difficult venue and after Friday’s disappointment at Reading it gave us a good feeling to come away with three points.

“It was a very good three points for us. We always know it’s going to be difficult away to Derby because they have a big squad and a lot of good players. To be honest, any away game in the Championship is very difficult so it was good to get the win.

“It’s always good to keep a clean sheet but in the end the way we look at it is just about getting the points on the board and it’s not just down to the defence. It starts with the guys at the top of the pitch and works through the whole team.”

Older fans will find Berra’s no-frills displays reminiscent of McCarthy the player at Barnsley, Manchester City, Lyon and Millwall, as well as with the Republic of Ireland when he was one of then manager Jack Charlton’s favourites at the heart of defence.

Berra added: “Mick McCarthy is the type to appreciate that sort of defensive display.

“I’ve never seen the gaffer play, even on video, but you can tell that he loved defending and he’s got high standards. If we make a mistake or could have done better in a situation he lets us know.

“I think nowadays people are guilty of forgetting that it is a skill, even an art form, to defend — to put your body on the line, intercept, tackle, head and get your timing right.

“The game’s not all about players being fancy — there aren’t many teams in the world with players like that, except Barcelona and a few others.

“Especially here in England, a big part of the game is defending and it’s about knowing where to be at the right time.

“Maybe we don’t get the headlines very often, unless it’s a 1-0 like the other night at Derby, but it’s enjoyable when it happens.

“There are still a lot of us who go in where it hurts, get our headers in, make the right tackles and do our utmost to keep a clean sheet.

“As the gaffer was saying, it’s an in-vogue thing — people might want a [Gerard] Pique at the back but sometimes in British football you need a mixture, players who can and players who can’t.

“If you can’t defend first and foremost you are probably going to lose more games than you are going to win.”

When Berra faces newly-relegated Aston Villa at Portman Road tomorrow he will be looking to end a 17-game spell — seven this season and 10 last without scoring. He said: “First and foremost my job is about defending but I like to get on the scoresheet when I can.

“I’ve been getting my head on a few things recently and the ball’s been dropping down in the box. What we need is for it to fall at someone’s feet and they stick it away. I feel I’m doing okay at getting my head on things and hopefully the goals will come.”

Photo: TWTD

battyblue added 06:23 - Sep 16 We all know McCarthy likes defending much more than attacking we see it every match,but well done Chris keep up the good work.
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SheptonMalletBlue added 07:49 - Sep 16 "I'd have preferred us to win two or three-nil and we hadn't had to defend as much" So would we Christophe, but sadly no chance of that with the dinosaur in charge!!!!
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Kirbmeister added 09:37 - Sep 16 SheptonMalletBlue - another post where half is cut and pasted (we can read) and then a tired dinosaur reference (makes a change from 'hoofball' I suppose). We won Tuesday in case you forgot.
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roytheboy added 10:17 - Sep 16 Well done for the solid defending, particularly Bart; without him we could be in trouble this season, of course we're all pleased with the win, however we have simply got to score more goals, what is wrong with our system of attack ? and why can't good strikers like Freddie score at all now ? these things need addressing urgently if we are to achieve anything at all.

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Gazelle added 11:07 - Sep 16 Surely we won't win many matches after being under pressure the whole game, can't you see that MM. " we always knew it would be difficult away to Derby ". Why, they've only got one goal.
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Miles added 11:46 - Sep 16 We'd all like to win 2 or 3 nil but as its stated its never that simple so the fact that we have a team capable of keeping clean sheets is a massive positive!
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Lathers added 12:22 - Sep 16 Would still have him over Smith any day. Better footballing brain and makes slightly less errors! He is getting slow though and probably only has a couple more seasons left at this level. Still don't understand why MM doesn't play Chambers and Berra in the middle together with a proper right back.
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jas0999 added 17:38 - Sep 16 Yes, great defensive display primarily thanks to Bart. Otherwise cricket score springs to mind. Very little attacking intent though. Overall very lucky.
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