Midfielder Kevin Bru says Town will have to take the traditional approach of concentrating on the league and next week’s home game against Leeds following Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup third round defeat to Sheffield United at Portman Road. It’s a position the Blues, who won the competition 40 years ago this season, have become accustomed to in recent years having failed to progress past the third round stage for eight successive campaigns.

“We tried but they were just too good,” the Mauritius international admitted afterwards.

“It would have been good to win but now we have to concentrate on the next game and the league. They were a good team and it was a good game.”

Nathan Thomas scored the game’s only goal, the midfielder lashing home from 25 yards in the 25th minute.

“The difference today was a quality goal,” Bru continued. “We pushed on in the second half but couldn’t get the ball in the back of the net.

“It’s disappointing, but on a personal note I feel good and it’s nice to be getting some games, of course you want to win though.

“We have to win for ourselves and for the fans so hopefully we can do that next week at home to Leeds.”

Manager Mick McCarthy made six changes from the side which lost 4-1 at Fulham last Tuesday but still fielded an experienced team, while the Blades named a more youthful side having made eight switches of personnel.

“The gaffer put out a good team and I can’t explain why we were not able to win,” Bru continued.

Blues keeper Bartosz Bialkowski was the subject of interest from Crystal Palace last week although, as reported on Saturday, we understand the Eagles have cooled in their pursuit of former Poland U20 international having moved their focus to another on their list of potential signings, Getafe’s Vicente Guaita, for the moment at least.

“He made some good saves again today but that’s his job,” Bru said of Bialkowski. “We know he is a good goalkeeper and he kept it at just 1-0.

“He is definitely good enough to play in the Premier League and we know Premier League clubs are interested in him so we will see what happens and if he stays.

“He would be a big miss for us, he has been a big player for us for three years now. He is a good lad, we have good dressing room with many good lads.”

Bru himself looked set to leave the Blues in the summer but a deadline day switch to Toulouse fell through.

The 29-year-old, whose Town contract is up in the summer, although with the club having the usual option to keep him for a further year, appeared certain to move on in January but the Blues’ lengthy list of midfield absentees could see him stay for the rest of the campaign.

“I have six months left so we will see what happens in the next few weeks,” Bru reflected.

“It is the same for everyone, all we can do is concentrate on what is happening now.”

Leeds, sixth in the Championship, six places and seven points ahead of the Blues, also exited the FA Cup this weekend after losing 2-1 away against League Two Newport County on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites will be without midfielder Samuel Sáiz, who was red-carded late on for spitting at Newport’s Robbie Willmott.

Meanwhile, Town’s U23s play their first match of 2018 away against Palace this afternoon (KO 1pm). The game takes place at their Copers Cope training ground with fans not able to attend.

Photo: TWTD

GiveusaWave added 06:09 - Jan 8 "They were just too good" "I can't explain why we weren't able to win" Er...you've already stated the explanation.... Sadly...I can't see us beating Leeds at the moment...hope the team proves me wrong. Loads of praise for Lavery after the game....he'd be a great signing for us.... Oh.....
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lightingblue added 06:19 - Jan 8 Thought you shown the door kev. Or aren't you simply not good enough that nobody wants you and Evans doesn't want to pay you of
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textbackup added 06:36 - Jan 8 The man not given a squad number is nowdoing the interviews... and Sheffield United reserves are too good for us. Cool
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warktheline added 06:54 - Jan 8 The PR sinks further and further! You hit that point when you just laugh!......it must be self mechanism to protect ones battered pride!
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Cakeman added 07:02 - Jan 8 textbackup, you have summed up our season and the sorry state our club is in perfectly in just a few words.
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cat added 07:11 - Jan 8 “We tried but they were just too good,” - that we could not even muster a shot against them blades reserves. We have well reverted to type. Better improve big time on Saturday, otherwise another spanking will be the order of the day.
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howdonblue added 07:29 - Jan 8 Hahahah textbackup I agree what a state we are in
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Mark added 07:51 - Jan 8 “We tried but they were just too good,” That's pretty much the reserve side of a team that was in League One last season he is talking about, and they were playing away from home. “It would have been good to win" There doesn't strike me as much burning desire to win on Saturday, with the manager also reaffirming the importance of the league in preference before the game. At 1-0 down was it in the back of players' minds that the manager/players might not want to travel up to Sheffield for a replay? I am not sure we did everything we could to win that game. Why was Sears kept on the for whole match when we had Drinan and Garner on the bench? Without doubt MM's league results (if not style of play) can be defended or praised given his budget and injuries faced. What is harder to defend is his total failure in the cups over his years here, starving the fans of excitement and being a factor in more fans drifting away from supporting the club. This seems intentionally exacerbated when MM said he was not unhappy with the performance Saturday, when surely every Ipswich supporter watching could see how awful it was. If left us all feeling that standards are very low at Ipswich at the moment, and that has to change.

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raycrawfordswig added 07:53 - Jan 8 Clown
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bobble added 07:56 - Jan 8 funny that mick tried to dump bru a while back, but bru might yet outlive mick at town..he is certainly more useful than mick...
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airliner added 07:58 - Jan 8 It was quite evident that mm didn't want to win or replay by the lack of any substitutes in the game, it's just a disgrace that the owner does nothing and keeps backing McCarthy when he doesn't give a dam
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BrettenhamBlue added 08:04 - Jan 8 We tried and they were just too good? Sheff Utd Reserves must have been laughing their heads off after hearing that! If you describe Barcelona like that, understandable. However, this was Sheffield Utd Reserves? Could it be that WE weren't good enough? Is that possible?
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TimmyH added 08:39 - Jan 8 What a stupid headline!...no I disagree we should concentrate on the FA Cup now we've been knocked out and shouldn't bother about the league (if we have in the first place). :) Talk about stating the bleedin' obvious!
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liam88 added 08:55 - Jan 8 Credit where credits bru he did knuckle down and keep himself fit and ready despite being told you're not what we're after. Speaks volumes of him on a professional sense. I'm now off to make a kev, milk 1 sugar.
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Jimmyonthewing added 09:12 - Jan 8 1st September seems an awfully long time ago, our luck didn't take long to run out. We are now in freefall. This is the first time I have posted in a while and its unlikely to happen again any time soon. Just awful, utter garbage
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Northstandveteran added 09:36 - Jan 8 😂 😂 😂 Brilliant. I'm well aware that footballers aren't noted for their intelligence. "We tried but they were just too good" ha ha ha. With no chance of promotion and probably safe due to the fact that there are unbelievably worse teams than us in this division, surely a cup win would have lifted some of the gloom? I hope Sheffield United get a trip to Manchester United, a home tie against Manchester city or Spurs and a trip to Wembley. Perhaps then Evans might realise that he's missed out on a nice little earner. While their fans anticipate the fourth round draw we can look forward to trying to draw the remainder of our games 0-0 and the most average Norwich team in many years beating us at carrot road, finishing above us yet again claiming the bragging rights. I feel desperately sorry for parents that took their children to the game as they are out priced from doing so for league matches. They won't be doing that again. I admire anybody, season ticket holder or not that intends to attend any further matches hoping for anything but negative, dire, uninspiring, insipid football but under this current regime it's not going to happen. Safety first for the rest of the season is all that can be expected. As a 43 year old supporter from Essex that only caught the last few games of the Robson era and can't remember f.a cup and uefa cup wins, the current state of the club hurts me. How those of you from Ipswich that are a few years older than me must feel? I can't imagine....

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PortmanTerrorist added 09:57 - Jan 8 I have immense respect for players like Bru and Skuse who despite lacking in general quality, through sheer determination and desire to be better, make solid carers for themselves. However, to get promoted you need a team ethic and players kicking on to the degree that at least some of them could be said to be able to play at a higher level. Our squad has one goalkeeper that ticks that box, some solid championship performers, and a few who might even struggle in League 1. MM thinks Bru is the latter but he now represents the Club to the media. WTF ?! Going nowhere fast......this squad would not shine in League 1 based on Saturday so we (at a minimum) need to keep all resources to ensure survival for another year in the Championship.

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tractorboybig added 10:11 - Jan 8 What we need is a new defence, creative midfield new manager and new owner. UNFORTUANTLY I don't think we will get any of them.
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dirtydingusmagee added 10:14 - Jan 8 mmmmmmmmm yes may as well concentrate on league, as there is sod all else.So either stating the blindingly obvious or the fact that they weren't interested in the cup anyway, .Glad to see Bru has been given something to do, and he looks more believable than Milne [just].
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midastouch added 10:14 - Jan 8 Bru usually looks assured and tidy on the ball but he usually plays it safe and doesn't affect a game that much whenever I've seen him play.
1

dirtydingusmagee added 10:24 - Jan 8 deviating slightly, I can remember [being part of it] the excitement , the noise, the pumped up feeling of 78 Cup run and the joys of winning the final, a far cry from the atmosphere the past few years ,and yet our owner and manager [having not been part of it, just cant see it, and are content to achieve nothing, and see dwindling support,because of their inept apathetic performance. Shame on them .

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Rensham added 10:32 - Jan 8 why concentrate on the league? We have no chance of progressing to the play-offs. Would have been better trying to progress in the Cup. More money for players. Repair some of the damage with the fans. Might have had a Knock on to our league form. Opportunity to try out some new players. Kev, is ME telling you what to say?
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Taricco_Fan added 11:11 - Jan 8 Told to find another club last summer, now sent out to deal with the press...
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callmeted added 11:24 - Jan 8 we had as much chance of getting to Wembley via the FA Cup than the play offs !! Too good? We didn't have a single shot on or near target , Bright start and then after 20 mins back to normal. As soon as the crowd asked for change you could see it wasn't going to happen . He had no intention of drawing that game but whats even more disappointing i am not sure he had any of winning it either

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Surco72 added 12:00 - Jan 8 We don't know what were doing !! Let our best defender go in summer and have not replaced him . Let young right back go on loan and replaced him with Iorfa who is shocking We have so few centre backs we have had full backs playing there a lot this season and now we are letting another go Majority of players we sign seem to get worse over time , what Is happening with our coaching ? What has happened to Sears , Ward , Dids ? The only players that look any good each year are the loans from the premiership who Bart aside would have walked away with player of the year number of years now

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