Ipswich Town manager Mick McCarthy won’t disrupt the balance of his tight-knit squad by making additions during the January window.

The Blues boss has used just 22 players in the league this season, the fewest in the Championship. Indeed, he has just 20 first team players currently at his disposal following the expiration of Jordan Graham’s loan and the temporary departures of Freddie Veseli (Bury), Elliott Hewitt and Jack Marriott (both Gillingham).

But with Wednesday’s 1-1 home draw with Charlton extending an unbeaten run to eight matches and keeping his side sixth in the table, McCarthy is no rush to bring in new faces.

“No, I’m not looking at using the transfer window,” he said. “I’ve not got a huge squad, but the players I’ve got are all really good Championship players who will do everything they can to get in the play-offs.

“We’re in the top six and we can stay there with this squad.”

Ipswich may not have a large number of players, but there is a good mix of youth and experience, some real versatility and cover for every position. And the close-knit nature of the group has fostered a strong team spirit.

“Wherever I’ve been I’ve never struggled with that one” said McCarthy. “I’ve had some really good assistants in developing that, with Taff (Ian Evans) at Sunderland and Wolves, now TC (Terry Connor).

“They make a huge difference.

“You try and get good characters in the place. I think I’ve got some really responsible players that don’t start pointing fingers and blaming other people when things go wrong.”