NEW Ipswich Town boss, Paul Jewell, has no problem with his players exchanging heated words, during the heat of battle.

NEW Ipswich Town boss, Paul Jewell, has no problem with his players exchanging heated words, during the heat of battle.

Jewell’s first match in charge, as a successor to Roy Keane, ended in a 2-1 defeat at Millwall in a thunderous Championship clash in south London on Saturday.

Town let a one-goal lead slip through their fingertips, with Tamas Priskin’s 26th minute opener being cancelled out by Danny Schofield’s leveller, on the stroke of half-time, and man-of-the-match Steve Morison’s 76th minute winner.

It has been a frustrating last three months for Town, who have nosedived from the play-off zone to a lowly 20th spot, just three points clear of the drop zone.

And that frustration was clearly evident when two of their more senior players, Hungarian keeper Marton Fulop, and 34-year-old Mark Kennedy, squared up to each other during the first half.

The two stood toe-to-toe, nose-to-nose, after Fulop had struggled to deal with a cross by James Henry. Fulop appeared to lean his head towards Kennedy’s face, perhaps in response to a comment made by his team-mate.

But the duo were quick to shake hands, with referee Iain Williamson taking no action.

Former Town boss Keane often bemoaned his team for their “nice” image, but Jewell has no problems with the feistier approach, especially as his side are currently in a relegation dog-fight.

“I think they showed passion.They are both passionate guys. One has made a mistake and the best thing is that they shook hands a second after,” explained Jewell.

“It’s gone, that’s the way football is, and that’s the way it used to be. You can fall out on the pitch, but in the right way.

“It just shows that they care, and they moved on very quickly. There’s no problem.”

Jewell had only worked with his new team for one training session, on Friday, in the lead up to Saturday’s battle beside the River Thames. He had watched Wednesday night’s famous 1-0 win over Arsenal, in the Carling Cup, from the stands.

At least he can look forward to a full week of training this week, but recognises that he needs to try and add to the squad.

“I’ll be looking to strengthen the squad. Whether we can do that, I don’t know,” confirmed Jewell.

But I think its important not to take too much out of Wednesday’s game, or today’s game. We are where we are.”