Mick McCarthy labelled Ipswich Town’s dramatic late 1-0 victory against Watford as “fabuolous” and praised the Tractor Boys' tactical performance after they moved back into the Play-Off positions at Vicarage Road.

After Odion Ighalo had missed the Hornets’ best chance of scoring, the game seemed increasingly certain to end goalless until the fifth minute of stoppage time when Freddie Sears dispossessed Ben Watson on the counter-attack, setting up Richard Chaplow to score the winner.

The Ipswich manager said: “With seven games to go, it’s a huge result for us, it’s fabulous and we’re back in the top six.

“I thought it was a really top tactical performance as much as anything against a team that try and play through you. We had to change a couple of times to accommodate them and I thought we did it particularly well. It’s a great victory in the last minute and it’s a great finish by Chappers (Richard Chaplow). I thought all the subs contributed really well today.”

The victory moves Ipswich back to within five points of the automatic promotion places.

Asked if his side were back in the title race, McCarthy responded: “I ruled myself out two weeks ago. I keep saying to everybody it’s how many points we end up with and who knows what we’ll end up with.

"You’ve seen it today, Brentford scored in the last minute and Wolves would have been cock-a-hoop then we’ve won.

"We’ve got Bournemouth next. I said with the next two games we could be really out of it or really back in it. At the moment we’re back in it.”