Ipswich Town fans should be proud to have Mick McCarthy as their club’s manager.

So says former Blues striker Alex Mathie after McCarthy reacted angrily to one Town fan’s frustrated comments from behind the dug-out on Saturday, the home side having let a two-goal lead slip to draw 2-2 with Huddersfield Town.

It was the fourth game in a row that Ipswich have failed to see out a victory from a winning position. The bigger picture is that the Blues are four points better off than they were at this stage of last season, have lost just one of their last 10 matches and are just five points behind Championship leaders Derby.

“It’s harsh if anyone is slagging the manager or players off,” said Mathie, who attends a lot Town games in his role as a radio pundit.

“I’m a big Ipswich Town supporter and I get disappointed just like everyone else, but I think we all need to remember the progress that has been made and where this club is at.

“They have become victims of their own success. What Mick McCarthy has achieved, with virtually no money, has been exceptional.

“Expectations go up when things go well. Everyone starts dreaming of the Premier League. Let’s be realistic though. It’s a good squad, but it’s cost next to nothing.

“Ipswich fans have a club and manager to be proud of right now. The players might not have the best ability in the division, but they always give their all every time they pull on the jersey.

“Mick’s doing a fantastic job and he deserves to have everyone fully behind him.”

Those were sentiments echoed by former Town boss George Burley. He said: “I don’t really understand any criticism because you’d have to say everything has gone to plan so far.

“It was a slow start, then there was a fantastic run, now a few points have been dropped. You get fluctuations throughout the course of a season, but the objective was to push for the top six and the team is currently just five points off first position.

“The squad looks a lot stronger than at the start of the season and the performances have been fairly consistent. It’s encouraging.”

He added: “The critics always shout loudest. There might only be one in 100, but they tend to get heard. That’s always been the case.”