Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy was left ‘dumbstruck’ after some calamity defending led to a thumping 5-1 defeat at Reading last night.

A dreadful moment of miscommunication between keeper Dean Gerken and midfielder Cole Skuse, which led to goal number three, rather summed up a sobering evening.

Orlando Sa bagged a hat-trick, star man Nick Blackman got one and Oliver Norwood rubbed salt in the wounds with a 30-yard strike at the death.

Town’s new-look attacking approach may have yielded 17 goals in eight games so far this season, but they have also leaked 14 at the other end.

“I’m dumbstruck by that,” said the Blues boss. “It hurts me a lot. I’m sure it hurts all the fans and all the players too.

“That’s the worst it’s been since the dark ages of Crystal Palace away (5-0 loss) and Leicester away (6-0 loss) almost three years ago. I thought we’d banished all that.

“I’ll take some responsibility because I’ve put a real attacking team out and we were wide open, too open. Yes, we had loads of chances but so did they. I have to look at my own part to play in that.”

The Blues boss, whose side face Leeds away on Tuesday night, continued: “At the start of the second half Brett (Pitman) gets a chance, and of all the people you want it to drop to it’s him, and they score within minutes.

“That third goal is really the one that’s irked me. That was car crash football. It’s a fabulous finish in the end, but it should never have got there.

“The first one is a poor clearance and they end up getting it in the box. The second goal, it’s another good goal, but we don’t concede that normally. I’m chewing at our defending.

“The third is Keystone Cops. There’s a bit of discussion going on between Gerks (Gerken) and Skusey. I’ll have a look at it, but it doesn’t matter, actually, who is to blame.

“That’s not the point. Behind closed doors I’ll have a look though.”

He added: “It is a sobering defeat that one.

“We always knew it would be two tough away games and it’s made the next one even tougher now.”