Mick McCarthy has insisted that Ipswich Town "were the better side" for the majority of Sunday afternoon's East Anglian derby clash against Norwich City.

The Tractor Boys' wait for a victory over their rivals stretched to a ninth game, spanning over close to a decade, as they fell 1-0 to a James Maddison goal on the hour.

A tetchy McCarthy suggested post-match that his side did not deserve to lose, however, bemoaning the inability of his attacking players to put the ball in the back of the net when their opportunities arrived - Martyn Waghorn and David McGoldrick both wayward with their chances.

"I think that they are a good side and when they can sit in and leave Cameron Jerome up front then they are very hard to break down," he told reporters. "That's what we've seen throughout all their performances

"I didn't look at my team and think there was a lack of cohesion, but I'll take your opinion. We still had a chance at the end with Waggy putting one over the bar...

"McGoldrick's was a great chance. Maybe if it's Joe [Garner] that is heading it then it ends up in the net. It's the hardest part of the game scoring though and that's why strikers are paid fortunes.

"They are a good side with good players. For the majority of that game, certainly in the first half, we were the better side. We've just not took our chances and they have."

Ipswich, with six defeats and three draws in their last nine meetings with Norwich, sit 11th in the Championship standings after 13 games.