Roy Keane was frustrated rather than angry as Paul Mariner hailed the reception he received at Ipswich.
Keane points to mistakes for home defeat
Roy Keane was frustrated rather than angry as Plymouth Argyle boss Paul Mariner hailed the reception he received upon his return to Ipswich Town.
Former Ipswich striker Mariner was greeted to rapturous applause from the home fans ahead of the game before guiding Plymouth to a 2-0 win at Portman Road.
Mariner was touched by the reception he received from Town supporters and was also delighted by his team's performance as goals from Bradley Wright-Phillips and Joe Mason secured the points.
"It was a special night," said Mariner. "I got a tremendous reception from the fans and can't thank them enough.
"We had a great rapport together when I played here but, equally, it was pretty special coming back in my present role with Plymouth.
"I thought my players were unbelievable and extremely professional.
"There's a resilience and willingness and these lads really want to get out of this. They're peeved by the situation we're in.
"They're buying into what we're trying to do and I'm loving working with them.
"Everybody played their part and even the lads on the bench made an impact.
"Every game has been a six-pointer for many months but what we've got to build now is confidence. When you're at the bottom of the table that's difficult.
"I thought it was going to be our night and it turned out to be that way. We were blocking stuff and heading it away."
Sluggish
Ipswich boss Keane, who was highly critical of his players after last week's defeat at Watford, pointed to the mistakes which cost his team against Plymouth.
Keane said: "We were a bit sluggish. The first goal was always going to be vital and we didn't get it.
"The players got a bit frustrated and to give two bad goals away didn't help. We gave them a helping hand and got punished for our mistakes.
"We huffed and puffed but became a bit predictable. The word tonight is frustration, rather than anger.
"Had Plymouth opened us up and scored good goals it would be one thing, but we gave two bad ones away.
"There will be the usual over-reaction but we have to remember it was our first home defeat since September.
"We had good opportunities but didn't hit the target. That was frustrating and has been a problem all season.
"We don't score enough goals and are liable to give bad ones away."
