MANAGER’S REACTION: Mick McCarthy apologises for performance, but delighted with goalless draw at Huddersfield

With his side producing just one shot on target against their fellow Championship strugglers – a team who had conceded 10 goals in their previous two matches – McCarthy said: “It was two bang ordinary teams playing on a lousy pitch. It’s a difficult surface, they have rugby on it, and it doesn’t help anyone play.

“We’re both nervous, looking at the wrong end of the table, and that doesn’t promote or produce wonderfully free-flowing football with all those circumstances.

“I’ll take the point all day long. I’ve never had a bad point away from home.”

He continued: “We didn’t play particularly well, but went to Bristol City and had loads of shots on target and got beat 2-1.

“We try to play well, but some days it doesn’t happen. Today we got a point and I’ll take it all day long.

“It’s their home game and this result keeps them down there.

“Bristol City and Barnsley did it to us (got draws at Portman Road) and we all talked about how it was two points dropped. Perhaps we should be saying how it’s two points dropped for Huddersfield today?

“We should all be saying how delighted we are with a point today. Let’s put perspective on it here.

“If you’d have offered me a point before the game I wouldn’t have even got on the bus. I’d have stayed down in Ipswich and not bothered travelling four-and-a-half hours and nearly having a bleeding heart attack in the last minute.

“I apologise for the **** standard of game that you’ve just all watched, but I’m not going to apologise for getting a point away from home – no way!

“It was pretty poor, but it’s a point. And if we stay up with one point we’ll be looking back on this as a great result.”

Meanwhile, McCarthy confirmed that 21-year-old Manchester United defender Reece Brown has joined the club on loan until the end of the season.

– See Monday’s EADT and Ipswich Star for match comment, analysis and more reaction.