McCARTHY ROUNDS ON CRITICS AFTER BIG WIN

MICK McCARTHY sent out a message to his Ipswich critics after Saturday’s 4-2 win over Nottingham Forest kept his side in the promotion hunt.

Ipswich are seventh after an entertaining win and McCarthy made reference to chants aimed in his direction during a recent game with Burton as he reflected on the victory.

At the end of his press conference, the former Ireland manager stood up and repeated some of the words chanted at him.

“Always remember, ‘Mick McCarthy, your football is sh**e’,” he said.

“‘Mick McCarthy, get out of the club’, ‘Mick McCarthy, you’re a boring bastard’. Always remember, because I do.”

McCarthy is the longest serving manager in the Championship after marking his fifth anniversary in the job last month, but his future at the club was in doubt at the end of last season.

He persevered and his side have bounced back to form this term despite a modest budget compared to other sides in the division.

They are three ahead of pre-season promotion favourites Middlesbrough, who slumped to a Saturday evening loss at Bristol City, with Darren Randolph and Cyrus Christie both involved.

Preston are level on points with Boro after a late Jordan Hugill winner broke down 10- man QPR at Deepdale. Ex-Cork City duo Alan Browne and Kevin O’Connor were the only Irishmen involved in the win.