IPSWICH Town manager Paul Jewell has taken heart from Saturday’s 2-0 home Championship defeat by Portsmouth.

“If we play like we did at the weekend for 46 games we would be somewhere close to promotion,” he said.

“We have taken one point from our last three games despite playing better than in some of the games that we won in January and early February.

“Against Doncaster Rovers when we won 6-0 we made 220 passes, yet on Saturday we made 406.

“It you analyse the Portsmouth game we made two errors for their goals and missed chances at the other end – five gilt-edged ones in the first half.

“But anyone with a modicum of football knowledge will tell you that if we carry on as we are currently playing we will win a lot more games than we lose.”

Because his side tore Pompey apart for most of the opening 55 minutes Jewell is not set to make changes for this weekend’s televised Saturday tea time game at Cardiff City.

He will be looking for more mental toughness however.

“It took time but I had that at Bradford City and Wigan when they were promoted,” he added. “We went into our shell a bit after Portsmouth scored, when we should have gone more on the front foot.

“I’m looking for the players and staff and everyone at the club to become tougher. There will be days when you don’t score and when that happens you have got to show the toughness to ensure that you come out of the game with something – teams that have that siege mentality win things.”

Jewell revealed that he had two offers turned down by Premier League clubs for players he wanted to bring in on loan last week.

He said: “They were players that we had targeted, but they did not want to come and wanted to stay and fight for their places in the Premier League.”

Jewell is keen to see of his younger players go out on loan, and added: “Tommy Smith had a chance to go and play some football and I put it to him.

“But he wanted to stay and fight for his place, which I am happy about.”

Town played a behind-closed doors friendly against Norwich yesterday and only Jaime Peters from the substitutes’ bench from Saturday’s game against Portsmouth took part.

“We don’t have much depth after you take our current bench away,” said Jewell.

“This is why only Jamie Peters played against Norwich as I could not risk Tommy Smith, Luke Hyam and Tamas Priskin as we would then be down to first or second year professionals.

“We have not got a massive squad and need 25 or 26 players.”

Jewell confirmed that he help youngsters like Troy Brown and Tom Eastman, who were regulars in the first teams quad under previous manager Roy Keane, but have not featured since Jewell arrived.

“They have made half a dozen starts or so and are decent players with decent attitudes and I still see them as important.

“I’ve been impressed with our youngsters, but would like to see them tested more.”

Jewell confirmed that keeper Ian McLoughlin is set to join Stockport County on a month’s loan after the League Two club was turned down by the Football League after trying to get the keeper initially on a seven-day emergency loan last week.