TABB RISES HIGH TO PUT MICK’S BOYS IN TOP TWO
Ipswich impress in Boro victory
MICK McCarthy has told his young guns to sit tight in their personal pursuit of Premier League football – after another 90 minutes which underlined their promotion credentials.
On a day when two Championship form teams went head-to-head, it was Ipswich Town who looked the most likely to be contesting topflight football next season.
Middlesbrough offered little – head coach Aitor Karanka labelling it their worst performance of the season – while the home side were clinical in front of goal and rock-solid at the back.
Daryl Murphy’s fine season saw him net a 14th of the campaign before 5ft 5in Jay Tabb rose highest to head home a free-flowing move and cross from Teddy Bishop.
In Bishop, McCarthy is nurturing a teen gem in the middle of the park, the 18year-old creating one goal and, at times, looking like a cut above the more experienced Grant Leadbitter and Adam Clayton.
Recent plaudits might have been directed at left-back Tyrone Mings, missing yesterday with an infected toe, but constantly linked with a big-money move to the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.
But Bishop’s performance won’t go unnoticed for long with McCarthy admitting that he expected the academy starlet to be the next one to be attract real interest.
“He [Teddy] should stay here and play football rather than go to the Premier League and not play,” said McCarthy.
“He is here thriving and earning rave reviews at 18 years of age. If he wants to go and play in the Premier League, lets see if we can get there.We have a chance.”
Ipswich indeed have a chance of ending their long wait for Premier League football on another day when they bossed proceedings, largely from start to finish.
As soon as Ipswich took the lead in the 25th minute, Murphy firing home after David McGoldrick’s shot was saved by the legs of Dimitrios Konstantopoulos, only one winner looked likely.
The second crucial goal came with virtually the last breath of the first half when McGoldrick, Luke Chambers and Bishop showed some free-flowing football down the right, the latter crossing for Tabb to head home.
“Put it in the box for the big man,” quipped McCarthy when asked about a rare headed goal from his midfielder.
“Tabby is excellent in the
air. He could have left in the summer but he said he wanted to stay and his attitude has been fantastic. I am delighted with him.
“It was a hard game against a very good team with good players, but we had the two bits of real quality with the goals.”
A largely uneventful second half followed with Boro huffing without threatening.
The close calls were at the other end, none more so than when Leadbitter cleared Murphy’s header off the line and Tommy Smith was only denied from the rebound by the foot of the post.
After a display which saw so many of his players underperform, Boro head coach Karanka refused to make any excuses.
He said: “This is the first time I have been angry with my players’ attitude.
“After last week’s win against Derby County, we thought we were a Champions League team.
“But here it is impossible to take anything from the game. Ipswich wanted it more than us.
“Murphy was first to the rebound for their first goal, Teddy Bishop at 18 years old was the best player on the pitch and Jay Tabb, at 5ft 5ins, scored with his head.
“It was our worst performance of the season – it is difficult to understand.
“I am embarrassed because the performance was very, very poor and I am not pleased because when you lose a game you can’t be pleased or happy – but I think we needed a result like this. That's because one week ago we were at the Riverside and I think the players were thinking we are a Premier League team or a Champions League team.
“But now I think this is a good alarm for us to wake up and know where we are and who we are.
“The attitude was not good and that is something that we have to change for the next game on Friday against Nottingham Forest.”