Blues boss Paul Lambert hailed his injury-ravaged squad being just two points off the top of the table as “incredible” following their 2-1 home victory over Burton Albion.

Emyr Huws netted an 80th minute winner against the Brewers to send the Blues up to fifth in the table, two points behind leaders Hull and level with Portsmouth, Peterborough and Lincoln in second, third and fourth, although with the three sides behind them all having at least two games in hand on them.

“To be two points off the top of the table considering the guys that we’ve got is incredible,” he said.

“It was important to get the three points, we have a team out, 10 lads out injured at the minute but we need them back as quick as we can. The guys are hanging in there which I think we have got to do at the minute.

“We got caught on the counter [for Burton’s equaliser] and after that they sat deep. I will take anything at the minute and I thought we deserved it on the amount of pressure we put on them but they are a hard team to break down.

“Considering what we have got here we have got a team out but sitting two points off the top, I’m really pleased.”

He added: “What’s happened here, it’s incredible, we’re two points off the top. It would be easy to think we were two points off the bottom. Two points off the top with the guys that we’ve got is incredible.

“Considering how the squad is, I’ve never known this in football, this number of people getting injured. I don’t know why it’s happening to us, but it’s happening, we’ve far too many out injured.

“The guys coming in have done great. Two points off the top, you’d think we were second bottom.”

Asked whether he was pleased with the reaction following the weekend 2-0 home defeat to Portsmouth, he added: “Yes, but as I said to you on Saturday, you could feel it when we had the chat [after the match].

“We fought and we started the game really well, we were on the front foot, they couldn’t get out apart from the odd counter-attack which you know is going to happen.

“But they sat and defended in their box, played really, really deep and again we tried to break through.

“Keanan scored a really good goal and then he wrong-footed the keeper with his later shot. If that’s on target, that’s in and it becomes a different game.

“We lost a poor goal with a counter-attack, I don’t think Mark [McGuinness] should have tried the diagonal from so deep, it was too far and we got caught.

“In the second half I thought we forced the issue, we forced it and forced it and forced it and I think got our just rewards.”

Opening goalscorer Bennetts was replaced at half-time with a groin problem and Lambert isn’t sure how significant that injury might be.

“I think it’s just his groin at the minute, I don’t know how bad it is, we’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “If that’s another one out, that’s another one out.

“If we can just keep hanging in there until all of them come back, then we’ll be a stronger squad.”

Lambert felt the winning goal could come with the way the game was progressing in the second half.

“Just the way was going,” he said. “The only thing we had to be really careful about was the counter-attack and the long ball and corners and set plays.

“Everything else, football-wise and getting on top of the ball and moving the ball, I was really pleased with.”

Quizzed on winning goalscorer Huws’s performance, he added: “I thought as the game went on, he was getting better and better. Emyr’s got to give more to us, I think he knows it himself, because he is a talent but he’s got to give more.

“Hopefully that little break there and that game [will benefit him], because I thought he did better as the game went on and on. He is a talent but hard work and effort and grit has got to become before the talent.”

When it was suggested that Huws would probably say he needs a run in the team, Lambert countered: “Well play well and you get in the team. It’s not rocket science that.

“Play well in the team. If you don’t play well in the team then when everybody’s fit then you find yourself out of it.

“You’ve got to play well in the team. It’s only the individual player who can do that for himself, you don’t look at the manager or the crowd, you look after your own corner.”

Regarding Kayden Jackson starting wide on the right, the Blues boss said: “We just threw it on him yesterday. He said he could play that role so we gave him a shot at it.

“I changed it to going through the middle with Oli Hawkins, two up and put Judgey wider. That seemed to work, but he did well on that right-hand side.”

Jackson limped off in the second half but the Town manager says it was nothing too significant: “I think he’s OK, I think it’s just a knock wuth him. But again we’ll have to see, hopefully he’s OK.”

After a run of three home defeats on the trot Lambert admitted his side needed to win tonight’s match.

“Yes, considering it was against the harder teams,” he reflected. “But again we’ve got a whole team out, guys that you’d probably think would start, a lot of them.

“So, big credit to them. Two points off the top with the squad that we’ve got at the minute is incredible.”

"Lambert doubts if anyone will be fit enough to return for the trip to Peterborough: “No, we’ve probably lost one in Keanan. Freddie Sears just trained the other day so we’ll see how he is, but he’s been out for a few weeks so probably wouldn’t be ready to start.”

Reflecting further on the club’s injury problems, he said: “It’s mad, I’ve never known anything like this. It’s a mad situation, but all credit to them because two points off the top is absolutely brilliant for them.

“Hopefully whenever they come back it’s going to be a lot stronger but if we can keep hanging in here at the minute, they’ve done great with where they are with the amount of injuries and with the young guys playing.

“As I’ve said before, we’re the team in the division that’s had 26 per cent young players playing, everybody else has had two per cent. We’ve had to go down that road because we don’t have anything else.

“There’s a lot of good stuff here with the kids. The guys are giving everything and that’s all I can ask.”

“We are disappointed with the result as in the position we are in we are looking for points but overall the performance was good,” he told the Brewers official website.

“The lads were disappointed with the goals we conceded but we created opportunities, played some good football and the togetherness and attitude is correct.

“We conceded in the first passage of play for Ipswich, a long ball and we didn’t quite deal with it and it’s a classy finish. But there is no question about the character in the group and we responded well and scored a cracking goal ourselves after that.”

Regarding Town's winner, he added: “We talk about first contact and trying to stop crosses coming into your box especially when the opposition has a 6ft 4 [sic] centre forward [Oli Hawkins].

“We allowed a ball to come into the box, Sam Hughes did get first contact but we didn’t get the height and distance and then there was a little bit of a mix up, Kieran O’Hara makes a great save and we aren’t alive to the second ball.

“But overall in terms of the performance, what the lads are showing on a daily basis in training and going into the past five games I’m happy with that as we aren’t doing much wrong.

“I know the position we are in and the table doesn’t lie and we know we need points.”

Lucas Akins missed a big chance for the visitors in the closing minutes.

“Lucas is kicking himself and is a little bit down as he knows the position we are in and he has been at the club a long time,” Buxton continued.

“We had a lot of opportunities on Saturday to get three points. Tonight was a bit more against the run of play. It’s one of those things and we have to move onto the next game.

“We have a big game on Saturday [at home to Doncaster] and we are looking for three points.”

Photo: TWTD

Dolphinblue added 07:35 - Dec 16 A few more wins and watch #thenegcrew melt away. Do they sit watching beloved blues and actually hope we lose! SAD JUST SAD COYB
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Len_Brennan added 07:36 - Dec 16 Tractor Boy in HK You're not replying to Bert by deliberately ignoring his point, yet responding to his comment as a simplistic one dimensional argument. Do you remember where we were at the time Mick left? Do you remember the state of the football, the atmosphere at matches, the attendance figures dropping by 5,000, the despondency of supporters & the actions/reactions of the manager? Marcus Evan's may have wished for things to go, but his business was suffering at that point & it was only getting worse; so it's not like everything would have been rosy had he tried to keep Mick in the job. The problem was not with Mick leaving, it was with whatever conversations the owner had with Paul Hurst as part of the interview process & his subsequent disastrous appointment, which immediately started to unravel much of the positive elements to the squad that Mick had assembled, & that he should be rightly acknowledged for. But as I've said before, making a bad appointment after Mick was gone, does not mean that having him leave was the wrong thing at that time.

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Len_Brennan added 07:37 - Dec 16 Oh hi Dolphin, morning. You're up early.
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MonkeyAlan added 08:02 - Dec 16 Awful football against the bottom team. Another thumping coming Saturday. Even with the fit players they arnt good enough. Bunch of has beens taking their pay check. And a load of youngsters keep being bigged up, that arnt good enough. Evans you muppet.
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BettyBlue added 08:15 - Dec 16 Lambert: Incredible to Be still Here. What Do I Have To Do To Get The Sack? Should be sacked after a pathetic performance like that.
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BettyBlue added 08:16 - Dec 16 The fixture list fairy saves his bacon again.
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Kirbmeister added 08:17 - Dec 16 Christ some of you are willing us to get beaten at the weekend. Unbelievable.
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Texastom added 08:22 - Dec 16 Suffolkboy always makes sensible comments on here. Good result last night but struggling against a bottom of the table side?! Take it all the same. Peterborough will destroy again Saturday with their Frontline.
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Nobbysnuts added 08:29 - Dec 16 For once Paul i agree with you...to be anywhere near the top 10 serving up this garbage that you call football is incredible....
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Billericay12 added 08:42 - Dec 16 Not a great performance but will always take the win. I will reserve full judgement until we have some of the injured back. Not all of the injured would be first choice starters but if we had Edwards, Downes, Bishop, KVY and Norwood back I think they would make a significant difference. Agree with Lamberts comments on Huws. He definitely needs to do more. He does not contribute enough which justifies why he is not a regular starter.

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BettyBlue added 08:43 - Dec 16 After a win against the bottom club he's all puffed up and belligerent. Look how great I AM. LETS SEE HOW HE COMES ACROSS ON SATURDAY NIGHT. LOSER.
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inghamspur added 09:00 - Dec 16 Sunday morning football continues at Portman Road. Unbelievable and extremely fortunate Mr Lambert to find we're still only 2 points off the leaders. That's what might save the season, as the League is so bad and once the injured players are back, maybe a push to go up? Who knows, fascinating to watch though.
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norfolkbluey added 09:01 - Dec 16 Belligerence again almost cost us three points. 442 PAUL! I cannot understand PL's modus operandi when it is so obvious to press the opposition. We have two excellent forwards in Jackson and Hawkins. They could be ripping this league up. Instead we leave some poor b****r up front unassisted because we don't pass forward quickly enough. We don't have the likes of Muhren who could place the ball diagonally on a sixpence so we should rely in taking the ball as a unit up the wings and crossing into the box. However well done team in not giving in and being disciplined. Just wish PL would manage like William Wallace in Brave Heart! COYB

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Marinersnose added 09:14 - Dec 16 Totally agree with PL in relation to where we are in the league. It is incredible considering the way the team are and have performed. Make no mistake this league is so poor and other than Crewe and maybe Portsmouth who were reasonable it is pretty much a level playing field of below average teams. I thought McGuinness was outstanding last night but he still makes mistakes as you would expect for a young inexperienced player, but PL called him out for his misplaced pass which eventually led to a goal. This is dreadful man management why dig him out in public after being our best player on the night. Similar to his comments on Woolfenden and McGavin previously. He is a negative man and very bitter. Three points and much room for improvement but building blocks in place.

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blue86 added 09:50 - Dec 16 Good 3 points, but we will need to play alot better to beat posh. After that game, we have five games against teams lower down, highest being fleetwood in 10th. I am a big critic of Lambert, that said with a fit norwood, flynn downes, bishop, edwards and vincent-young back (whenever that is) it should give us a spark. It's so frustrating how we get so many injuries, there must be reason and it needs to be rectified asap. Lambert seems stubborn and inflexible with his approach to the game, I am not saying we always need 442 or even 2 strikers all the time, but with the available players who are fit, it seems the best fit at present. Lambert mentioned before if we play 442 we just lump it to hawkins route 1...... well I'm not saying we want hoof ball all the time, but why did you bring In a 6 foot 5 striker? Surely it was to give us an option? Hawkins if used correctly is an asset, wins headers, flick ons and holds it up. There needs to be a plan a, b and c, not just 451 and 70% possession in our half. Mick mills said on ifollow when I was watching the game, Southampton in the prem, Bournemouth when under howe all play with 2 strikers (in a 442) It dosent have to be route 1 all the time playing like this. Just wish lambert was more flexible with his tactics/formations etc, sometimes we just need to move the ball fowards quicker and be a bit more direct.

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BettyBlue added 09:54 - Dec 16 Are you lot all idiots? We have just played the bottom of the table League One side who haven't kept a clean sheet all season. And it should have been a draw, with them missing a sitter at the end.
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BettyBlue added 09:55 - Dec 16 At home.
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heathen66 added 09:56 - Dec 16 Yes we have injuries, but only KVY, Edwards and perhaps Downes and Norwood would be anywhere near the starting XI. The rest are no more than squad players. Most fans are questioning the tactics and formation not the team or the injuries. Under performing senior pros playing week in week out insistent on playing one isolated striker, despite not scoring against 11 men for 5 games Passing around aimlessly at the back and then claiming we are dominating play...ultimately ending up in an aimless hoof up the pitch. Goalkeepers dropped for no reason. There are serious issues with the training and probably the warming up prior to matches with so many muscle injuries in the first half...and in training

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herfie added 10:06 - Dec 16 PL continues to labour under the illusion that he's a tactical genius, and ace manager - after all, he's been there, read the book and got the tee shirt. It's the rest of us that just need to be converted and become uncomplaining believers. Good luck with that, Paul!🤪
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TJS added 10:12 - Dec 16 The reason everyone is so fed up Paul is because of the previous three home games when we have been completely outplayed by top six sides and conceded seven goals without scoring a single one. If we had played well in and won even one of those three games the depression might have been lifted a bit. If you want to improve things properly you can start by winning at Peterborough on Saturday - until then nothing changes.

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BettyBlue added 10:31 - Dec 16 Norwood. Ho many goals has he scored??? Oh he's been wrestling and injured and....
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Razor added 11:46 - Dec 16 Bennetts----wont see him again till next year. At least Dobbs may get a run now which is good but please please NO Freddie Sears!!
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Bert added 12:00 - Dec 16 @Tractor Boy HK - as Len has said I think you have missed the point. The days of MM I refer to are when he became stubborn in the extreme, stuck two fingers up at fans and the football was far more dreadful than it even is now ! At the time MM's appointment was a good one but his own vanity got the better of him. Lambert could yet turn things round but if he remains stubborn and really thinks that playing one striker is going to get us goals he will lose what support he has left. I am open minded about a change of manager and will give him a fair chance once he has key players back.

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oldegold added 13:17 - Dec 16 Evans Reiterates Commitment to Town Thursday, 16th Dec 2010 Town owner and chairman Marcus Evans has reiterated his commitment to the club, almost three years since he took over at Portman Road. Shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of Evans's takeover at an EGM on December 17th 2007. In a statement, Evans says his intentions with Town are unchanged despite the lack of return on his investment so far: “I remain as committed to Ipswich Town now as I did when I first became involved with the club three years ago and the target remains the same — to take ITFC back to where it belongs — the Premier League.” The reclusive businessman says he never thought of his involvement with the Blues as a short-term thing: “I have always looked long term as a businessman and that's certainly the case at Ipswich Town as well.” Evans doesn't specifically mention manager Roy Keane or speculation over his position, but says the current situation needs to be reversed sooner rather than later: “We all know that this needs to turn around quickly and we need to see a return to our early campaign form if we are to end the season, which is not yet halfway through, in a position to which everyone aspires.”

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oldegold added 13:18 - Dec 16 Non Sequitur.....
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