Town boss Mick McCarthy believed his side deserved something from their 1-0 defeat at Bristol City with his only complaint with his team the manner in which they conceded Milan Djuric’s 64th minute goal.

Asked whether his side ought to have taken something from the match, which was played in heavy snow and a strong wind, he said: “Yes, I do. We certainly shouldn’t have lost it anyway.

“I think we haven’t had as much of the ball as them but we’ve had as many chances as them, probably more actually, truth be known, but it’s the one that goes in the net that counts.”

He added: “I think my teams are generally well organised and well disciplined, as they were today, but it wasn’t just that, I thought we created chances as well.”

For the decisive goal, Town gave Lloyd Kelly too much time to put in his cross, before Adam Webster was beaten by Djuric and McCarthy felt it should have been defended better.

“Yes, they didn’t get too many crosses in the box,” he reflected. “They got overloaded that side and then I think Adam’s tried to stop him, he should have gone and attacked it and he’s beaten him to it.”

Asked whether he believed Webster might have been fouled, he added: “I thought it was a good goal on their part. I’ve no complaints about it at all.”

At the other end, Town have now gone three games without a goal, although McCarthy felt his team had opportunities: “We’ve created chances there, we’re just not scoring them at the minute.

“There’s not much we can do about that other than keeping going and keeping trying to put it in the net.”

He added: “I’m not bemoaning my luck, somebody’s got to be running and moving in the box and getting on the end of it. We work on that, TC works on that constantly with them, so it’s not just down to luck. Maybe somebody taking a chance.

“Certainly, the last couple [of opportunities], Callum’s header across the box, Jonas struck one across the box, you’ve got to have somebody moving and getting on top of it.”

Is there currently a lack of confidence in front of goal? “Did it look like it? Did anybody fluff their lines in front of goal? Did anybody miss a really good chance? Did anybody look like they panicked. No? Well, there’s your answer.”

Might players not getting in the right positions inside the box be down to a lack of confidence? “I don’t think so, I think we’ve had a really confident display there today but not managed to score and I think we’ve let one in.

“They’ve put the big fella on that cost £1.25 million or something, so he’s got a bit of a pedigree and he’s managed to find the net. That was the difference.”

McCarthy switched back to his three-man backline with Cole Skuse sitting in front of them and Callum Connolly and Grant Ward ahead of the former Bristol City man, which he thought worked well.

“We played Skusey as the central one and played Callum and Wardy as two midfield players just up against them and I thought Wardy played well, to be honest,” he continued.

“I think you could see when they scored how much it meant because I don’t think they thought they were going to score. It didn’t look like they were going to.

“We’ve been well-organised and disciplined and done that side of it well, but I thought we did well as well, I thought we created chances in the game.”

Regarding the less than ideal weather, he added: “Conditions are unusual probably for March, but that’s playing football in England, isn’t it? That’s the way it comes and you never know when the weather’s going to be like that.

“I thought both teams handled it well. My only complaints are that we’ve conceded the goal the way we did. Other than that I think we’ve played well.”

On Thursday, Town revealed striker Joe Garner would miss the rest of the season having suffered a small fracture to his skull in the Sheffield United match.

The 29-year-old had been due to be in the squad on Tuesday, his wife having given birth to their baby earlier in the day, but was eventually left out on medical advice.

“He’s probably got a headache,” McCarthy joked when asked about the former Rangers and Preston man’s condition.

“No, he hasn’t. He’s got a tiny fracture but he had blood in his ear and in his mouth on Tuesday night when he was down to [be on the bench]. Typical Joe, very selfless and willing.

“It was the doctor who pulled him out and on having an x-ray, he’s got a crack [to his skull]. That’s six weeks and in the meantime he’s going to have his shoulder operated on Monday.

“And when that’s better and he can go on crutches, if his knee needs operating on he might have that done as well, so that’s the type of player I’ve got, it’s great.”

Bristol City boss Lee Johnson felt the result was more important than this team’s performance, which he thought improved after the break.

“We played really well tactically in the first half but didn’t have enough intent to make the box and to get in behind, a lot of people were in pockets, good touches, very difficult for Ipswich to play against,” he said.

“But at the same time, dare I say it, on the verge of being boring. The difference between that and the Sheffield Wednesday game [which they won 4-0], every time we stuck five or six passes together, the next one cut the line, the next one either scored a goal or created a chance.

“And it’s a Catch-22 because you want to play football in a certain way. Our distances were too stretched, which dropped the tempo and in the second half we just wanted those to get a bit tighter, play off Milan a little bit more and we did alright.

“It’s a tough game, we needed to win, it was a really big game and sometimes the result is more important than the performance.”

Regarding Djuric’s goal, he added: “It was a great goal, he should have scored before that when the little rebound came off the keeper, but that was a proper, old-fashioned almost like a Duncan Ferguson type goal and the crowd like them. We’ll watch that back a few times, I’m sure.”

Turning to Town and Blues manager McCarthy, he continued: “We had to make sure we were resolute in the circumstances in a very difficult game against a side, by the way, who do very, very well for their resources and what they’ve got.

“I don’t really understand the moans and groans because they’ve got a top manager there.”

Photo: PagePix

runaround added 19:30 - Mar 17 Mick says we had more chances yet all the reports don't mention us have many actual shots, either off or on target? Face it Mick, you played for nil nil, got a nil & deserved nil points. Surely there's more to football than this?
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dukey44 added 19:33 - Mar 17 Hahaha mick u are a total.......... do they practice shooting anyone? Cause they don't practice passing along the ground any more? Silly question what happens to Ipswich Town FC if he stays cause I have a horrible felling.......
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howdonblue added 19:34 - Mar 17 I saw ccv at Sunderland and he did look class that game
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blackcat added 19:35 - Mar 17 Good grief I cannot say it again JUST GO
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ITFCsince73 added 19:46 - Mar 17 Howden Blue; Very well put...and very very true.
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ronnyd added 19:48 - Mar 17 runaround, according to BBC stats we had two shots on target. Both weak efforts by all accounts.
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Swn98 added 20:03 - Mar 17 Full respect Howden for taking my question mark in jest unfortunately many people on here have lost their sense of humour. It's going to be a long time coming the end of the season i cannot see MM going till the end. So we might as well have a laugh until then. Hope you have a pleasant evening.
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NoelTheDub added 20:20 - Mar 17 They've got a £ 1.25million player OMG, whats your next excuse McCarthy.You got exactly what deserved from your tactics today.Players are terrified to express themselves because they know exactly were they will end up.
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BlueandTruesince82 added 21:20 - Mar 17 As William Munny once said "Deserves got nothing to do with it" no goals in how many games now? Conceeded again. Dour again. Were getting this week in week out, 1/2 the squad in the treatment room and still only 2 mins for Morris..... Football is dead, who wants to form a Basketball team with me?
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alfromcol added 21:44 - Mar 17 I'm one of those that want MM gone, but I have to say, a much better performance than Tuesday. We did try to pass the ball around quite successfully at times. With a bit of luck near goal, we could have won the game - even with 2 or 3 players having poor games. I was at the game. Ward should be in the team every game.
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BlueInBerks added 21:54 - Mar 17 It's not complicated, until we start spending at levels similar to those clubs in the top third of the table we cannot expect to be part of that gang.
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Steelmonkey added 21:55 - Mar 17 If you don't score goals then you don't deserve to get any points. Mr I'm happy with a point, well you didn't get one today, I wonder why?
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OohArrPaulGoddard added 22:34 - Mar 17 Mick is an honest chap doing his best in terrible circumstances. There is a reason most people in football say good things about him. The fault is Marcus Evans'. He refuses to put in as much as the majority of owners in the division yet charges amoung the highest prices. He will not sell the club unless he receives a masssive offer. Most of our players would not get in a top half team in this division. Some of them would not get in any team in the division. I will be very interested to see what happens in the next couple of weeks. A football club without hope is dead and we are on life support.

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minesapint added 22:42 - Mar 17 Thank you, Suffolkboy, for putting things into perspective. Thank you, alfromcol, who actually saw the match. On this site we get lots of "well-informed" comments from people who have inside information about how MM's training methods have caused the injury crisis, about details of Marcus Evans' affairs that his own accountants are unaware of, about matches that took place 300 kms away. Snow in March? Mick out! Like everyone else I am writing under a nickname. In such circumstances of anonymity it is easy to talk tough but, being old school, I have a simple rule: never post anonymously something that you would not have the courage to say face-to-face. I might add that I am old enough to remember the North Stand chanting "Robson, Robson, you must go" during a match in which an inspired George Best tore Town's defence apart. John Cobbold kept faith with the Geordie dinosaur even while providing extremely limited funds, but then the investment in the youth scheme started to pay enormous dividends: Whymark, Lambert, Burley, Talbot, Wark, Beattie, Gates etc. It is possible that we are about to see the emergence of another golden generation of youngsters. I hope Mick will stay long enough to see the results of his youth coaches' work. And he is due an injury-free season after a 2017/18 in which all his most creative midfielders have been crocked.

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Radlett_blue added 22:49 - Mar 17 The usual Mick nonsense: "We've had as many chances as them, probably more actually, truth be known". Then, "Did anybody miss a really good chance? Did anybody look like they panicked. No?" and, of course, he has to say this: "They've put the big fella on that cost £1.25 million or something".
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MicksZzzTactics added 23:18 - Mar 17 My "compassionate" nephew, a Liverpool fan btw, brought this over the other day... Genre-wise it's quite fittingly what is known as a "SURVIVAL HORROR GAME" :-) lol :-) ...in full 3D for Playstation from 1999, very similar in style to those in the best-selling game series "RESIDENT EVIL" (which what do you know?! sounds exactly like another awesome befitting title when looking to alternatively describe the current manager & regime at moribund ITFC! lol). HaHaHaHa So while I myself usually prefers to play only deep strategic video games, if time permits! , I just wanna be a 'Good Chappie' here and let it be known: That since this title and it's no less than 4 sequels!, exist not only for Playstation but also XBox, Dreamcast & Microsoft Windows and ANY *distraught* Ipswich fan out there eagerly feels like letting out their *steam, anger & frustrations* with 'Dinosauric Mick' as well as utterly 'Indifferent Marcus's ITFC ....by outlasting and of course especially whacking a plethora of very scary & nasty behaving rampant DINOS! ....all the while unveiling an intricate & nail-biting plot evolving around a monstrous secret weapons project on some secluded island! ....well for *THAT* specific purpose, i.e. giving you YOUR much needed adrenaline release or otherwise just totally being your NEW "recreational thing , I can only warmly recommend it! HaHaHaHa

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Swn97 added 23:22 - Mar 17 I thought we created chances. Nobody else did but that's because they know nothing.
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Bert added 23:36 - Mar 17 Suffolkboy has a point about the lack of objectivity from many posters. To come on here and simply add personal comments about MM shows very little intellect. Yes, it is time for MM to go but less and less people post nowadays because of the spiteful drivel and at times, bullying of other posters. There is no place for that.
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madmouse1959 added 00:52 - Mar 18 Quote " Somebodys got to be running and moving into the box. Terry Conner is always working with the lads on that "..........What a joker !!! There is no other trade where you can blag it as much as the football industry. A clean sweep right through this club is needed. Our only hope is if Evans finally throws the towel in and we get a club owner who knows a bit about football and is willing to invest wisely. Let us pray we get passionate people owning this club and recognise we are bogged down and have been burdened too long with the wrong people taking an easy wage. We need a personality at this club. Someone who the supporters like for a change . A manager like Paul Cook at Wigan and his side-kick Peter Reid. Two characters that can get the best out of players . The atmosphere at ITFC is as dull as the football it produces.

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JimmyP45 added 06:58 - Mar 18 We will go to Bristol as fired up as ever he said after Hull. Still plays a back 8 and Freddie Sears up front though playing for 0-0.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 07:10 - Mar 18 Swn97: I disagree. I think the problem is very much that while we maybe pass the ball (endlessly) around a bit better than before, we don't create chances. Surely if we did, by the law of averages, we would have put one or two away; but in the last 12 games, we've failed to score in 6. This is slightly weird because at the start of the season we were almost scoring for fun for a short time. I think the solution we are crying out for is an attacking midfielder who can drive forward those times when we do get a ball in from the wings, plus someone who can finish - a big, burly bruiser type or a fox-in-the-box; either one would be a help. Both would be even better.

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Swn98 added 07:37 - Mar 18 You sum up the situation perfectly Bert.Unfortunately this will not change until MM departs. The question is how long will the peace last once the miracle of a new manager fades and we are still mid table or worse i wait with interest.
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bobble added 08:06 - Mar 18 aw well at least there was a great result in the rugby at twickenham
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kevinocallaghan added 08:53 - Mar 18 Credit to you both Suffolkboy and Minesapint. Some realistic and commonsensical views there. Fully agree. I will always support and encourage any player donning the blue shirt of Ipswich ! We're also missing McGoldrick , Dozell , Gerken and Garner to that list . More than half a decent team long term injured. Mick Can manage !! He needs a team and resources though. And a decent pitch would help too .

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kevinocallaghan added 08:57 - Mar 18 Realise you did mention Dozzell.
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