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

SpiritOfJohn added 08:27 - Aug 16 Fair play to Mick for bringing in the two strikers from Rangers. They have certainly freshened up our attack and McGoldrick has also looked more threatening as a result. Our conversion of chances into goals has been phenomenal so far this season.
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itsonlyme added 08:34 - Aug 16 Should we worry about the goals we are conceding? Come on ME, open the wallet and get us a decent Centre Half!
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NoelTheDub added 08:50 - Aug 16 Well Mick here I go I cant believe your the same manager that Ive been slating the last few years something has changed and maybe it was the Charlton brubbing we got or is it because its your last throw of the dice but its working.We are for some unknown reason going out to attack teams that we should be beating as seen in our first few games even your changed outlook on the league cup what the has come over you.Im on record as saying that Garner/Warhorn are and will be real handfull in this league and Im delighted with us getting proper signed players.Please dont change a thing we will have our ups and downs give us for gods sake something to cheer about its long over due and get PR buzzing again Win Lose or Draw.Well done everyone on our great start Im happy for a change not just our results but team selection is so different from your usual Mick...

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vanmunt added 08:56 - Aug 16 Beggars belief the difference to last year, it does go to show how entertaining football can be without 7 defenders. Good work lads even if that 88 minute goal did cost me nearly £500 pounds on my accumulator!
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rollercoastertown added 09:06 - Aug 16 The Manager and the Team have done their bit after last season, now it's up to the fans to do theirs. Get that ground full and rocking Saturday.
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RoyalAscotBlue added 10:57 - Aug 16 Cannot understand the credit being given to our manager? Last night he simply fielded the most senior players he had fit. Several of them out of position. A rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest... and in the first minute it looked like it was going to be a disaster. The players we had on the field deserve the credit because it was them that really went for it. Waghorn and Garner are attacking players, and they have not had that instinct trained out of them yet. Didz too, he only knows one way to play. The only real choice our manager had with personnel last night was Knudsen or Kenlock? The other choice he made late on was to take off Waghorn... who had been causing the opposition problems all night.

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Razor added 11:19 - Aug 16 Royal Ascot Blue----what you fail to see or realise is that there has been a massive culture change in the summer and this explains the start. The penny has actually at long last dropped that it is GOALS that win games hence last nights starting line up and transfer policy. Try and embrace it my friend----it could just take us a long way!
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TimmyH added 11:57 - Aug 16 Right decision from McCarthy to go all out attacking wise (easy in hindsight I know) but the midfield is decimated with injuries/illness presently, so hats off to you Mick for going for it, and hats off too for admitting it could have been different. Personally feel we've had a bit of luck on our side so far. Brentford next up...also a team struggling a bit defensively but can score goals, so maybe the same again for Saturday?

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howdonblue added 12:23 - Aug 16 It's great to have positive things to say about our club again! Extra striker waghorn really puts us in a great place ! Plus how well are didzy and joe garner playing ! Love it
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bostonusablue added 12:24 - Aug 16 "Against a non-physical Ipswich side." I never thought I'd hear another manager say that about us. Onward and upward!!
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RoyalAscotBlue added 12:50 - Aug 16 Razor. In my opinion the only reason we had the lineup we had last night is the fact that there wasn't anybody else available. That does not indicate a massive culture change at all, it just indicates that we struggle to keep our players fit. Most of the second half last night, whilst we had a lead, was backs to the wall defending... which is exactly how our manager has always played throughout the entirety of his career.

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RoyalAscotBlue added 13:14 - Aug 16 The point I'm trying to make is that we do not know whether or not the manager has changed in his approach at all at this point? When the squad is fully fit, and there are real choices to be made, we will see how he chooses to line up then and we will get a genuine picture of how he actually wants to play... Right now he has little option. The two choices he did make last night I disagree with. I believe Kenlock is better than Knudsen and I would not have taken Waghorn off, I would have taken off Freddie.

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RoyalAscotBlue added 13:14 - Aug 16 The point I'm trying to make is that we do not know whether or not the manager has changed in his approach at all at this point? When the squad is fully fit, and there are real choices to be made, we will see how he chooses to line up then and we will get a genuine picture of how he actually wants to play... Right now he has little option. The two choices he did make last night I disagree with. I believe Kenlock is better than Knudsen and I would not have taken Waghorn off, I would have taken off Freddie.

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martin587 added 13:33 - Aug 16 RoyalAsctBlue,Are you at least happy that we have won Four on the bounce irrespective of team selection.If not then all I can say is your a very hard person to please.Just enjoy it while it lasts.
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Telford_Blue added 13:36 - Aug 16 Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely delighted at the start we've had (more so with the win at Luton than anything else because I hate us throwing cup games to concentrate on coming 15th) and the two strikers we have picked up for a song are brilliant. I am also acutely aware that Celina hasn't played yet and if reports are true he will add a further attacking dimension as well as being a dead ball specialist from all accounts I can find. But (yes there was one coming) we have looked shaky against Milwall, Barnsley and Birmingham. Yes we've won where last season we would have lost or drawn but excuse me if just for the moment (and yes hit the minus button) I take the Ranieri 'Dilly Ding Dilly Dong' approach and regard this start as us now being just 41 points off safety! I am over the moon honestly I am but feel that we need to get to the end of our current London run (brentford, qpr, palace and Fulham) in the various competitions as I feel these will be sterner tests, before I start to believe. However, it is 9 points against opposition that should we have any ambition we should beat and hallelujah praise the lord for that. COYB

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RoyalAscotBlue added 13:49 - Aug 16 martin587 if you check my historical comments you will see that I was pleased after the victory at Barnsley and I can assure you I was delighted with the win last night. Of course I am happy that we have won the first four games of the season so far.
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itfcserbia added 13:59 - Aug 16 Lewin Nyatanga is free. Pretty experienced, good age, has something to prove, and is left footed. Could be worth a try, at least on a short term deal.
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Bluetone added 15:56 - Aug 16 Just picture the Millwall manager having looked at all the playing Info he can find on a McCarthy team playing the McCarthy hoofball way then he get the Town's team sheet and sees not one, not two, not three but four strikers his next thought WTF1. The rest is history.
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oldelsworthyfan added 16:01 - Aug 16 It was really refreshing to watch Ipswich play like this again. Given some service, our new forward line looks full of goals. It's obvious our defence needs tightening. On the pitch Chambers is not the man to organise it. His positional sense and anticipation are poor. I'm sure MM would love to have a strong, rock-solid, experienced Centre Half to slot in. One who's not injured for half the season! Well done last night!

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NoelTheDub added 17:02 - Aug 16 AscotRoyalBlue you are very right in some ways but even last season if we had key players out Mick would have put 11 players behind the ball hoping to hang on for a 0 0 and then you know what happens we concede very late on it used to drive me up the wall.I agree also Chambo on the right side at the back and Knudsen on the right are very weak points but if you have a better attacking midfield and have decent forwards who take their chances it take that weakness away a bit but we will have our bads days I like yourself are not getting carried away but my god Im going to enjoy this bit of entertainment while it lasts hopfully for most of the season and see were it takes us mate ENJOY...

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norfolkbluey added 08:00 - Aug 17 In total agreement with H1960 What a massive change in approach. Keep the faith and let's just think MM has been given some money and encouragement the old dinosaur!! I actually feel quite positive.
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