Following Saturday’s clash between Ipswich Town and Sheffield United, here are the instant reactions from both managers.
Ipswich Town hosted Sheffield United at Portman Road on Saturday March 10, with both sides playing out a scoreless draw.
With a first half devoid of any real threatening chances, the visitors came the close to winning it as James Wilson’s dipping effort rebounded off the bar.
United slip in their Play Off hopes and they sit in ninth place in the table, but are now five points adrift of sixth placed Middlesbrough. Ipswich sit in 12th but have now picked up seven points from a potential nine in recent times.
Teams:
Ipswich:
Bialkowski, Iorfa (Spence 45 (Garner 81)), Carter-Vickers, Chambers, Webster, Kenlock, Gleeson, Skuse, Connolly (Hyam 60), Waghorn, Celina.
Substitutes:
Ward, Sears, Nydam, Crowe.
Sheff Utd:
Blackman, Basham, Stearman, O’Connell, Baldock, Evans, Lundstram (Donaldson 87), Fleck, Stevens, Evans (Wilson 69), Sharp (Brooks 78).
Substitutes:
Moore, Leonard, Lafferty, Holmes.
Speaking to the BBC’s cameras a short time after match day referee John Brooks blew the final whistle, Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy explained.
‘I thought it was a right royal scrap from two teams who commit themselves to everything they do. Was there a great deal of quality? I’m not sure the pitch gives us the ability to have that quality to be quite honest, it’s not wearing well. I thought we were good in the first half, in the second half I thought they were better than us but I’ll take a goalless draw, they can’t take that off us. I always take the positives out of it, not the negatives. It was not a great pitch – it’s in poor shape at the minute – but it was a tough ferocious game.’
United gaffer Chris Wilder in his comparative interview explained.
‘There were two honest teams and both were going for a result but the wicket wasn’t the best. It’s uncompromising and relentless is the division, and the schedule, and I thought my players in the second half really dug in and were positive in trying to win the game. I think we’ve spurned a couple of chances to win the game and I think if we had got our noses in front I believe we would have won.’
