Ipswich Town boss Jim Magilton last night blamed sloppy defending and wasted chances as the Blues slumped out of the Carling Cup after being beaten 4-1 by Wigan at Portman Road.

Derek Davis

Ipswich Town boss Jim Magilton last night blamed sloppy defending and wasted chances as Ipswich slumped out of the Carling Cup after being beaten 4-1 by Wigan at Portman Road.

Magilton was delighted with the way his side played for the first hour, but told of how he rued those scorned opportunities.

The Blues boss said “We started really well and created some good chances against a Premier League outfit.

“We didn't take them and we were wary that they would come back to haunt us which they did. We paid the price.

“We did very well first half, but our defending at set plays was really inept and you can't afford to do that against players of Premier League quality like Wigan have.

“Wigan didn't have to work very hard for there goals which disappointed us. We didn't challenge for the first or second ball.

“Wigan have serious aspirations of going a long way in this competition whereas right now we are looking at something else”.

After dominating the early play Ipswich went behind to a Lee Cattermole goal before Jon Walters equalised.

Magilton said “It was a fantastic goal to get us back in the game, but then we shot ourselves in the foot with our defending.

“We now have to pick ourselves up for Crystal Palace and make sure we defend better.

“We let ourselves down especially at set plays and players have to take the chances like Wigan did.

“There in lies the difference between us and the Premier League side.”

Town get back to the business of trying to win promotion n Saturday when they entertain Crystal Palace in a 5.20pm kick-off.

Magilton added: “There are a lot of positives we can take from the game we will take then into the game with Crystal Palace.

“Some of our play was very good and I was reassuring them at half-time telling them to have more faith in themselves.

“Steve was always going to have a few choice words which he did.

Ben Thatcher is likely to miss out at Crystal Palace after going off at half-time with a suspected torn thigh muscle, but Town do hope to have Pablo Counago back after his ankle injury was found to be not as serious as first feared.