Town boss Mick McCarthy hailed his front five after the Blues won an extraordinary game 4-3 at Millwall.

Reflecting on the match, which was finally won when Jordan Spence headed home with two minutes remaining, McCarthy said: “[It was quite some game].Thankfully I’m the one that can enjoy it because we’ve won, it could have been different.”

Does he enjoy matches like that while they’re progressing? “When we’ve won I enjoy it. I enjoyed it when we equalised, I enjoyed it we went in front. I didn’t enjoy it when they equalised and it looked like they were going to win it.

“Our front four were magnificent tonight and we’ve had to withstand a barrage, fair play they’ve done it, but the irony is that it was a defender that’s won it with a header. Happy days.”

McCarthy promised more entertainment for fans this season but he admits he wasn’t anticipating a seven-goal thriller, Town's last 4-3 away win also having been in London, at Crystal Palace in October 2003.

“I wasn’t expecting a 4-3, I have to be honest,” he said. “We’ve conceded three goals. I thought the front five, because Wardy was part of that, were really difficult to stop and we’ve scored some good goals, but we’ve conceded three as well.

“They’re hard to play against, I thought they were good, they did it well, the front two were a real handful.

“And, of course, when they put the big fella [Tom Elliott] on I was looking at our bench and I was going to have to put two of them on to cope with him. To stand on his shoulders, by the way.”

McCarthy admits that Town’s four-game winning run at the start of the season wasn’t something he was expecting and hopes it has helped revitalise the mood among fans after last season’s struggles and fractiousness.

“I would hope it has, I would think so,” he added. “The lads have been great, they’ve been really good in all the games.

“And yet we got really lucky on Saturday, we got away with murder in the first half. But there’s a certain thing about staying with it when you’re having a tough time, and that could be said today as well because having got back to three-all they looked favourites to win it. They’re a belligerent bunch, which is nice, they’re hard to beat.”

Reflecting on his old club Millwall’s prospects for the season ahead, he said: “I think they’ll be fine. It’s probably only that our front five have played very, very well. As I say, the irony is that we’ve scored with a header after all the balls in our box.

“They haven’t been beaten too many times here and I don’t think they’ll get beaten too often, and I hope they don’t. I’m glad we beat them, that’s me being professional, but I’ve a really good feeling for the club and I hope they do well.”

Asked whether he’s enjoyed shopping in Glasgow, recruits from Rangers Martyn Waghorn and Joe Garner having netted twice and once respectively to take their Town tallies to three and two since their moves.

“I had a good time in Glasgow me, I won the double and the cup,” McCarthy said recalling his time with Celtic.

“And I nicked the cup off the Rangers team in my last game and I’ve just nicked two strikers off them as well, which I’m delighted with. I’m really pleased with the pair of them.”

Regarding Waghorn, who was making his full debut, he added: “I knew he was a good player, but he’s surprised me, he’s better than I thought he was, actually. I knew he was versatile, he’s playing wide right and his movement in the box is good. I thought he played really well and I’m really pleased with him.”

Town, who last won three away games on the trot in December and November 2015 during an overall streak of five, had 10 players missing due to illness or injury but he says Flynn Downes will be back Saturday. He confirmed that Bersant Celina is again unwell, as is keeper Dean Gerken.

“When they all come back we’ll be shit!” he joked when quizzed about the number of first-team absentees.

With so many senior players out the bench was probably as youthful as it was during Joe Royle’s time as manager when he used to refer to it as “the creche”.

“I would have loved to have done something to try and cope with what we were having to cope with but I kept turning around and looking and I’d got the best team on the pitch that could cope with it, the experience,” McCarthy said.

“I thought about lots of things, but we didn’t do them and we got away with it.”

Millwall manager Neil Harris was furious with his team's performance.

“It’s not good enough, it’s not a good enough performance here at the Den. It’s unacceptable,” he said.

“We had a go, yeah, scored three goals, but let four in. I could sit here and say the better team lost. Possibly, over the course of the game.

“But then again Ipswich showed their class and ability with the football at keys moments. We’ve given them four goals, we’ve given them four goals.

“We’re 1-0 up in 45 seconds. Yes, the goalkeeper should save it [Joe Garner's goal], it’s a horrendous effort by the goalkeeper. But we gave the ball away twice leading up to it. The second one we gave away the ball cheaply in midfield.

“The third goal we gave away the ball cheaply in midfield, and good teams are going to punish you, good players are going to punish you.

“The fourth goal is the icing on the cake. We’re back at three-all, two minutes to go at the Den, give the ball away cheaply, make a bad decision, give a corner away, give a silly free-kick away right on the edge of the box.

“And then I’ve not got the professionalism in my group, or the leadership in my group, to be able to defend a wide freekick. It’s a really poor goal to give away against a non-physical Ipswich side.”

Photo: Action Images

osborne added 22:52 - Aug 15 Roll on Saturday! Well done lads
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osborne added 22:52 - Aug 15 Roll on Saturday! Well done lads
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Mark added 22:54 - Aug 15 Absolutely brilliant. So many players out, yet we went for it and it paid off. It feels a million miles from last season's defensive displays already. Fantastic to see the new boys gelling so quickly, and to see strikers scoring goals.
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StokeHigh97 added 22:57 - Aug 15 The team spirit is as good as 3 seasons ago when we made the playoffs: it's such a encouraging start not getting carried away but the football is better squad is better: I hope we make a big noise Saturday & really get behind the lads: COYB!!
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MVBlue added 22:59 - Aug 15 Well done Mick, keep doing the right thing.
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Edmundo added 23:01 - Aug 15 I'm just loving this. Happy days. Long may they last!
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PavlovsCat added 23:01 - Aug 15 Big difference is that we're far more clinical in front of goal. This could change of course, and McCarthy may well revert to type if we encounter a Reading 2015. But at the moment it's happy days. And whatever one thinks of his past tactics, MM is pretty astute when it comes to attracting decent players. Early days of course but ... COYB!
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jutever added 23:06 - Aug 15 COYB's......
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bedsitfc added 23:09 - Aug 15 Town are starting to remind me of Newcastle united in the Kevin keegan era "if you score 3, we will score 4" mentality
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algarvefan added 23:44 - Aug 15 Credit where credit is due, last season I think Mick would have kept it tight, one up front and tried to nick it by one goal and it would have probably have gone tits up!! Today we have gone in with an attacking attitude and won 4-3 so well done Mick and I'm guessing the fans have gone home happy with a right old thriller. Long may it continue, well down Town .
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Seasider added 23:52 - Aug 15 Considering the number of players we have out,this was a great result. Mick McCarthy has to take most,if not all,the credit for this run,together with the players of course.
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midastouch added 23:57 - Aug 15 Love it, given a choice of a 3-4 away win or a 0-1 away win I'll take the 3-4 all day long! 3-4 games always live long in the memory, 0-1 games while still very nice are not nearly so memorable! The best form of defence is attack! :-)
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Vancouver_Blue added 00:03 - Aug 16 Everything is looking rosy except Skuse, who gave away the ball far too many times and Chambers who I thought is a liability at times in defence. I'd like to get Josh Emmanual back from Rotherham with Smith & Webster out for weeks
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KiwiBlue2 added 00:36 - Aug 16 Yes, this time last year it would have been Scuse and Dougie in central midfield slowing everything down. Looking forward to seeing Huws and Adeyemi back. Playing the four strikers is a great idea so much more threat, teams having to worry more about us than MM focussing on trying to stop the opposition from playing. Still early days of course and much harder tests to come but 3 league wins with 2 of them away is a great start with two winnable home games up next and, of course, a couple of our injured players close to making a return. Onwards and upwards......

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milliem added 00:43 - Aug 16 That's an interesting comment right at the end there from Millwall's manager Neil Harris: 'It's a really poor goal to give away against a non-physical Ipswich side.' I was under the impression that opposition managers have always considered McCarthy's Ipswich sides to be physical if not necessarily skillful. Perhaps Harris was just wound up when he said it.
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chevvymalc added 01:25 - Aug 16 Just got back from from a great nights entertainment well done to the team and I even heard a few strains of the Super Mick song so take heart Mick you're getting there!!
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GiveusaWave added 02:39 - Aug 16 Milliem Strange comment by Harris, especially given the fact that we did get stuck in and competed well up front. Maybe he's thinking that we no longer have a typical target man up front? (Murphy/Moore style)? We will beat Brentford if we continue to finish like that. Strikers (particularly Didz, Waghorn and Garner) offer a continual threat. 12 points could leave us 11 points away from the Budgies with 4 games played.

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BlueMachines added 06:45 - Aug 16 MM's heart must've nearly stopped during that!! Negativity is Mick's passion so thank goodness he wasn't able to make any changes to spoil the entertainment!! (He admits he wanted to change it above!) We played with four strikers on the pitch at times last year but never looked a threat. With an improved midfield we now seem to be able to provide the strikers with chances. Something we weren't able to do in recent times.

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martin587 added 07:02 - Aug 16 Well done mick.A great performance with a patched up defence.Strikers outstanding,once again.Great signings.👍👍
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corfu72 added 07:32 - Aug 16 Well done Mick.Same attacking formation for Saturday.Well done last night lads,credit to the club.
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Len_Brennan added 07:33 - Aug 16 4 strikers starting a league game, each of them given licence to attack, a return of 6 league goals in 3 games from them already (4 in 8 if we include the cup game), it's like we went to sleep in the summer & woke up in an alternative universe. Brett Pitman is a fine goalscorer & given the service he like may well end up being one of the leading strikers in Div 1 this season, but I think what he brings to the table in his overall game is far less than either Garner or Waghorn, who thankfully brought their shooting boots here with them anyway. When fit & healthy Celina, Adeyemi & Huws all have goals in them and we know Grant Ward can score a few too, so hope Mick recognises that not only will attacking play get us results this season, it will continue to breed confidence, bring back disgruntled supporters who love this club and even get them to give him their support again too.

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ChrisFelix added 08:14 - Aug 16 It's clear to all that we need in the short term a big central defender along side Chambers. 3 league games in we have the points on the board & it's pleasing to have won all three
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miltonsnephew added 08:17 - Aug 16 Make the 2-3 signings we need to maintain this momentum. Evans you have to back Mick and the start we've had this season!!!
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Southamptonblue added 08:22 - Aug 16 ~~~ “When they all come back we'll be s***!” he joked when quizzed about the number of first-team absentees. ~~~ It wasn't a joke though, was it.
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H1960 added 08:25 - Aug 16 I have been one of MaCarthy"s biggest critics over the last two two or three years and wanted him out long ago. I can't help thinking that something has gone on behind the scenes at Portman Road that we don't know about., I reckon Evans, Milne and Co have told MM that the rubbish served up last season is unacceptable, things have to change to bring back supporters and they will back him. True or not what is happening now is great and totally unexpected, I have not felt so positive in a long time long may it continue, well done all COYB

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