Mustapha Carayol’s full debut goal saw Town to a 1-0 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale, only the home side’s second defeat in 18 league games. The Blues might have led by more after the first half, the January signing netting what proved to be the winner on 21, before comfortably seeing out the second half, their match-winner, who had been ill earlier in the week, having been subbed at the break.

Carayol was handed his first Town start having recovered from illness and Joe Garner was passed fit to face his old club following a knee problem as the Blues made five changes from the team which lost 1-0 at home to Cardiff on Wednesday.

Manager Mick McCarthy stuck with his three-man backline of Cameron Carter-Vickers, skipper Luke Chambers and Adam Webster ahead of keeper Bartosz Bialkowski with Dominic Iorfa taking over from Jordan Spence at right wing-back and Jonas Knudsen continuing on the left.

Cole Skuse and Callum Connolly were in their usual central midfield roles with Carayol, who had previously made one sub appearance after joining Town in January, on the left of a front three with Garner - who was back at Deepdale for the first time since leaving the Lilywhites in the summer of 2016 - in the middle and Martyn Waghorn on the right.

Bersant Celina joined Spence, Luke Hyam, Grant Ward and Freddie Sears in dropping to the bench having started on Wednesday.

For Preston, Calum Woods came into the side for the suspended Darnell Fisher, while Paul Gallagher returned to the 18 after injury and John Welsh was back from a ban.

Full debutant Carayol should have put the Blues in front in the eighth minute having been sent away on goal by Waghorn after a Preston corner had been cleared.

The former Forest man broke quickly into the Lilywhites box, cut inside a defender before hitting a shot which keeper Declan Rudd did well to save. The ball looped up, Carayol won it in the air six yards out and it dropped to his feet. He seemed certain to score but somehow stroked the ball the wrong side of the post.

But Preston had most of the ball in the opening minutes and went close to going in front themselves in the 17th minute when Ben Pearson sent a dangerous low ball across the Town six-yard box but no one was able to get a touch.

Preston players claimed Callum Robinson had been pulled back as it came across, while the Blues argued that referee Scott Duncan, who waved away the penalty protests, ought to have awarded a goalkick rather than a corner.

The home side continued to put Town under pressure, winning two further corners from which Alan Browne headed over.

But in the 21st minute the Blues took the lead. Carayol quickly closed down Woods on the Preston right and took the ball off the ponderous full-back and on into the area before slipping it confidently to Rudd’s left before celebrating his debut goal with the small Town following behind the goal.

On the half hour, Carayol almost created Town’s second of the afternoon. The Gambian international left two Preston players for dead down the left before cutting the ball back to Waghorn, whose goal-bound effort was blocked by Lilywhites skipper Greg Cunningham and fell to Rudd.

Browne headed Callum Robinson’s corner over on 31, then four minutes later man of the half Carayol was again involved as Town once more came close to doubling their lead.

The former Middlesbrough and Bristol Rovers man played a clever reverse pass in for Waghorn, who crossed towards Garner at the far post but the former Preston striker was muscled away from the ball, which reached Iorfa, who took a touch and smashed a shot from a tight angle off the bar.

Skuse hit a subsequent effort through to Rudd from the edge of the box, prior to Preston making a double tactical substitution on 38 with Carayol and Waghorn having caused their backline problems throughout. Woods and Robinson made way for Josh Earl and Josh Harrop.

Moments later, Billy Bodin sent over a dangerous corner from the right which bounced across the six-yard box without anyone getting a touch.

Skuse was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 43rd minute for felling Tom Barkhuizen as he broke towards the box.

Harrop’s freekick was blocked and Town broke, Waghorn catching the hesitant Ben Davies in possession just inside the Preston half. As the former Rangers man tried to break away with a free run on goal, Davies hauled him back.

Referee Duncan showed a yellow card - Waghorn and his team-mates evidently felt it ought to have been a red - Davies presumably saved by Pearson quickly retreating back as cover.

That was the last action of an entertaining first half in which Town might well have been even more than a single goal in front.

Carayol should have scored prior to his opener, while Waghorn also went close to breaking his 14-game run of games without a goal and Iorfa was unlucky to strike the bar.

That Preston manager Alex Neil made his double change before the break was a measure of the threat from the Blues going forward, Carayol in particular.

At the other end, the Lilywhites’ biggest threat had come from corners - they had forced nine - sent deep towards the far post, but so far without anyone having been able to find the target.

Carayol failed to reappear for the second half, presumably due to his recent illness, with Hyam taking his place in the Town side. The midfielder took up a role ahead of Skuse and Connolly but behind front two Waghorn and Garner.

Four minutes after the restart, the Town number 14 was booked for a late tackle on Harrop, much to the delight of his old fans.

Cunningham hit a shot straight at Bartosz Bialkowski on 54, before Iorfa sent over a dangerous ball from the Town right which was nodded behind ahead of Garner.

North End swapped Bodin for Daryl Horgan on 67, then on 70 Garner, who had taken a knock, was replaced by Sears. The ex-Preston striker was warmly applauded off by his old fans.

Preston had rarely threatened since the break but on 71 Earl hit a shot from distance which Bialkowski saved down to his left.

At the other end, Waghorn headed a difficult chance over at the far post from Knudsen’s cross from the left.

As the game moved into its final quarter of an hour, Connolly headed wide at the near post from Waghorn’s freekick on the left after the striker had been fouled by Browne.

Waghorn was booked for throwing the ball away having been flagged offside for umpteenth time during the half.

In injury time, with Preston showing little sign of getting on terms, Spence replaced the Town number nine.

Having been the better side in the first half and deserving more than just the one goal, the Blues saw out a second half of few chances very competently, Preston never seriously looked like levelling, to claim a well won three points and take their unbeaten away run to four games.

The win, Town's sixth away victory of the season, moves the Blues back up to 13th, six points off Bristol City - who play at Cardiff tomorrow - in the final play-off place.

Preston: Rudd, Cunningham (c), Pearson, Browne, Woods (Earl 38), Davies, Moult, Huntington, Barkhuizen, Robinson (Harrop 38), Bodin (Horgan 67). Unused: Maxwell, Spurr, Welsh, Gallagher.

Town: Bialkowski, Carter-Vickers, Chambers (c), Webster, Iorfa, Skuse, Connolly, Knudsen, Waghorn (Spence 90), Garner (Sears 70), Carayol (Hyam 46). Unused: M Crowe, Celina, Ward, Gleeson. Referee: Scott Duncan (Northumberland). Att: 11,511 (Town: 474).

Photo: Action Images

shaunmahony added 13:06 - Feb 25 I was at Preston. First match since at Wigan Dec 2016. Although not brilliant, Town were much better than I had expected after a year reading posts on here. My observations, some plus, some minus: Webster very good - won nearly all in the air and looked good with the ball at his feet, Chambers and Vickers solid next to him Skuse - did an enormous amount of work which seems to go unsung - somebody has to do it. Garner - valuable - knows how to ruffle defenders - great effort for a "short" no 9 Waghorn - very good, but how come caught offside so often for such an intelligent player? As a result any second half attacks (there were more than some on here imply) stopped before they got going. Great to see close in front of me behind his goal the fantastic contribution from Mustapha. Went past 3 players as if they weren't there - Preston were panicking every time he got the ball - enter emergency subs. Half time came - very happy - looking forward to more of the same in the second half. But Mustapha does not reappear - not surprised as he was ill midweek and probably exhausted from first half efforts. To me that was bad news - although he was an attacker and looked to have another goal in him, he was in a way also our best "defender" on the pitch because he tied up 2 Preston players as they were so scared of him. Had he continued, Preston would not have been able to risk attacking with more men as they were able to do when he was not there second half. Preston huffed and puffed but on the whole Town was defence was solid and throughout I expected them to hold out. Now a win is great to have and always lifts the spirits, but now I know it was a tactical substitution I am most disappointed at McCarthy doing that. It was not a "must win" match and to let Mustapha loose for another 20 minutes or so would have been more useful for the future development of the team to see what he could do - by all means bring Hyam on nearer the end by which time Mustapha would definitely have been knackered - and perhaps also good to give Hyam a bit more match time to see whether he will cut it for the future - but the only people pleased by Mustapha not coming out at the start of the second half were the Preston team and fans! Personally I had been looking forward to some more excitement and to judge more if Mustapha really is a player for our future. I am no psychologist, but I saw close up the dejection on Mustapha's face when he missed the almost open goal earlier and then his joy and smile when he scored on his full match debut - he must have gone off at the end of the first half over the moon after so many years of being in and out of clubs and being knocked back by most. And then at half time it seems like he was told thank you very much ( at least I hope that was said) but you are not needed second half. Let's hope he is a strong character as it cannot have done his morale much good. This takes me to the elephant in this (electronic) room - should MM carry on or not. I am neither a Mick lover or Mick hater. On plus side he steadied us from the free-fall caused by his 2 predecessors, and amazingly got into the playoffs on the back of Murphy's goals. Murphy then left - not replacing him was a double whammy as we then also "lost" Sears who IMO was very good when feeding off Murphy On the whole (of course no-one can have a 100% hit rate) the players he has got free or relatively cheap (Ward/Webster/Huws/Waghorn are just a few) and the high quality loan players which those top premier league managers would not entrust to just anyone) are positive evidence that he can get us good players despite not having any serious cash. No doubt their wages have to be in the higher levels to get them to come to PR with increasingly poor atmosphere. So good marks to MM for that. The negative point has to be that he has not used these players as positively as he could have and generally been too risk averse - possibly that is his brief from ME, but more likely that is his nature. Mustapha being subbed yesterday is only the latest in many examples. Obviously any team will suffer if its 3 most attack minded and best midfielders are all out for the season and that has to be put in the balance when judging him. Having thought about the pros and cons of MM staying and trying to stay rational (not easy!), sad to say (as in many ways he has done a huge amount for ITFC) I think he should go. 5-6 years in the same job must lead to staleness/being set in ones ways - it has done to me in the past even if I told myself the opposite - it is time for change, best for MM and best for the club - I cannot see how he will mend his relationship with the fans who don't want him, which are clearly more than a small minority (in saying that he left out of his equation the thousands who no longer go to PR). There were several young (under 14) fans at Preston - they must have loved seeing an Ipswich player entertain like Mustapha and to have real impact on a match - they too must have been very disappointed when he did not reappear. These youngsters need something to make them want to go to PR and enjoy it - even if Town don't win. They are the future of ITFC - carrying on like this will not give a very exciting one for them or our club. I am from the past - in my first game in 1967 at age 11 I was lucky enough to see Ray Crawford play and then came many magical years. I started falling out of love with ITFC the day Magilton was fired (done very badly and he was ITFC through and through)) and Keane appointed - the Times back page summed it up well "The end of civilisation as we know it" - their point being that Ipswich which had been universally regarded as the best, most successful and most honourable "family" club in England, had finally fallen to the interests of faceless business and a win at all costs mentality. Whoever wrote that was spot on. The final straw for me was paying a lot for 5 of us to go to Old Trafford to see Town reserves play MU first team in the League Cup - MM managed to upset me and 8,000 other wonderful supporters at a stroke - crazy - when stuck in the Championship, the Cups are even more important - we may not go far but at least we should try - Wigan and Rochdale last weekend are witness to that. But when all is said and done, it still gave me a great feeling watching live again yesterday afternoon -I guess its in my blood. To win was jut a bonus. Town weren't brilliant but neither were they awful and there were my plus points to be pleased about. Sorry if my first post is a bit longwinded but as a Suffolk boy living far away I needed to say something about the current deteriorating situation after over 40 years of supporting my "local" team.

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coolcat added 13:11 - Feb 25 Great win for us yesterday. Great day out. Carter-Vickers impressive again. Great to see the goal from Carayol close up. Was very composed in finishing. Trip back to London on the train seem to fly past.
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blueboy1981 added 13:40 - Feb 25 shaunmahoney - words of many, spoken for many. Great post.
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Bert added 17:14 - Feb 25 Blueboy1981, a very persistent poster, makes some decent balanced posts but then betrays his balance by labelling anyone who doesn't agree with him a 'happy clapper' - as does the non attending Johnny Cash who never walks a balanced line. Most supporters want the team to win regardless of who the Manager is. That's why supporters part with their cash because support for their home team is in their blood. It does not make us stupid nor does having a view that MM is past his sell by date make them stupid. I am over the moon we won yesterday, that we are above Norwich again and hopeful that we have some decent players who can play good attacking football next season. MM has done his bit but Evans must now recognise that his tenure must come to an end if people are to renew or come back to their beloved Portman Road.

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warktheline added 18:47 - Feb 25 @bert aka Sesame Street ! There's nowt balanced about your last post! You assume your ‘way' is the correct way, how narrow minded! I'm certainly no ‘Johnny Cash' and wouldn't pretend to be, but your take on Sesame Street would certainly take some beating!
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Gcon added 20:52 - Feb 25 Bluebore, you might just be the biggest hypocrite I have ever come across. For a man of so many weaknesses it must be good to know you have at least one strength. x
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Gcon added 21:02 - Feb 25 The folk that really get my goat are the people on here that claim staying away from games is being a true supporter and suggest that those that attend matches are traitors. Folk like Bluebore with now claim that its the happy clappers that actually want the team to lose. They tend to be the same people that want mccarthy's scalp and refuse to see that the owner is largely to blame for the demise of this club. That's all a bit handy for them, isn't it. For the price of 1600 season tickets you can buy another Waghorn/Garner combo. If you stay away the truth is you have to take responsibility for your part in the club's demise.

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BlueMachines added 21:27 - Feb 25 Couldn't be more wrong GCON. The only thing ME cares about and knows about is making money. Whilst the club is taking enough money for him to think the (overall) investment in the club is still worthwhile he won't change anything and we will continue to stagnate. If he sees revenue drop enough it will force his hand. We don't know where ME's tipping point is and the numbers going every week may need to be 8,000 before a change comes, who knows, but whilst people still go he won't change. Staying away is hard but the saying goes Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

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grumpyoldman added 22:11 - Feb 25 Gcon I have never called anybody who continues to attend matches a traitor, as for not being a supporter because I refuse to attend matches while MM is still in charge, after attending PR since 1962 I think I can take a break if I want. If you believe Evans is to blame I will repeat for you my reasons for not blaming him. Does Evans pick the team, does he dictate the tactics, does he choose when and who to substitute players, the answer is no to all of them, so MM is the reason the players play and the tactics used. Mark me down if you want but realise not all of us want to waste our time and money on the poor performances and style of play that are on offer at PR under MM.

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poldark added 22:22 - Feb 25 Well said grumpy
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BlueMachines added 05:25 - Feb 26 What is it about my post you don't agree with GCON?
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HackneyBlue added 05:39 - Feb 26 One can only assume Muzzy was taken off because he failed to do his defensive duties,unlikely we will see him marauding forward like that again,
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Gcon added 10:39 - Feb 26 BlueMachines It completely contradicts my opinion, which you are responding to. That must be very obvious, no? The point of the plus/minus thing is not personal - it's about whether you agree or disagree.
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BlueMachines added 11:53 - Feb 26 But you cite Evans as the issue. How do you propose to make Evans listen? By continuing to go?
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Gcon added 16:34 - Feb 26 Nothing convinces me that Evans will listen to anything from the supporters. Not attending, by default, just points all the blame at the manager. Managers come and go and changing just buys the owner an extended period of time. I don't have the answer to how we make him listen. I think that the press, the polls, most discussion on here etc all focus on a management change. It would be a start to focus questions and sentiments at the owner. Attendance has been in decline since 2005. Supporters no longer feel that emotional attachment to the club. The complete lack of engagement by the owner with supporters has lead to the club no longer being a pillar of people's sense of community. That has to change and it's more important than who the manager is. You are anti MM, I'm pro but really I don't think that is the relevant point when you consider the long term future of the club.If supporters united behind the long term future we might be able to make a difference.

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BlueMachines added 17:40 - Feb 26 Firstly I thank you for enagaging I'm an open debate. I see your point about MM bearing the brunt of the frustration on here. I personally think we can do better but that's by the by. For me as I said the only things Evans looks at is the finances. Until it becomes so bad from an attendance point of view I can't see him changing. Hence I didn't renew my season ticket this year. You don't believe things will change as it is. McCarthy seems incapable of getting us any further forward so whilst I agree, he isn't totally to blame, the fans need to see a change of some description to regain any form of motivation. As harsh as it is on MM, changing the manager is the easiest option and the best we can hope for.

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blueboy1981 added 19:43 - Feb 26 Gcon - take note. I marked you up intentionally because you (at last) compiled a good post - I didn't hit the minus button just because of who you are. An example could be taken - but suspect not.
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