Ipswich v Millwall: Blues boss Mick McCarthy believes Sir Bobby Robson would have been proud of the Suffolk side’s 3-0 home win over Millwall today.

Today was ‘Sir Bobby Robson National Football Day’, with the FA using the late, great manager’s name to promote a series of events across the country.

And fittingly, all three of Town’s second half goals came in front of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand at Portman Road as Town overcame defeats at Reading and Stevenage to kick-start their campaign.

“I think Sir Bobby might like a bit more silky football, but he’d have taken a 3-0 win,” said McCarthy, who was Robson’s managerial rival when the duo were at Sunderland and Newcastle respectively.

“As a manager you can’t always win playing wonderfully free-flowing football. I think he’d have been happy enough with that.”

The Blues dominated the first half but were unable to take their chances. They then had to ride an early Millwall storm at the start of the second period, before Shane Lowry’s own goal broke the deadlock (63).

Tommy Smith’s booming header (70) and another own goal, this time from Mark Beevers (83), wrapped up an ultimately comfortable home win.

“It was a tough battle and we deserved it,” said McCarthy. “That just about sums it up.

“That’s the Championship. You have to fight your corner and take your chances when they come along.

“I think there is some suggestion from them that Cressie fouled their man (in the build-up to the opener), but I don’t think he fouled him at all.

“It was an own goal, but if you put the ball in that area the defender has to deal wit it and he didn’t.

“It was a magnificent header for the second and I haven’t got a clue what happened for the third, so someone else will have to analyse that for me!”

He added: “I think we edged it, there isn’t any doubt in that.

“We stuck at it. They had two really good chances before we scored, Chaplow flashed one across the goalmouth and put a header just wide, but we didn’t get milky and crumble.

“We stuck at it and got our goal, which was nice, because sometimes when you have chances in the first half and don’t take them you can suddenly find yourselves one down.

“The opening goal is always so important. We saw that to our detriment at Stevenage in midweek.”

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