Ipswich Town manager Paul Cook gives brutal assessment of his side shortly before he is sacked in the wake of failing to score against Barrow in the FA Cup

There were some strong words from Ipswich Town boss Paul Cook just before he got sacked in the wake of his side's failure to score at home to lower-league Barrow in the Emirates FA Cup second round this afternoon in a goalless draw.

A strong starting line-up were booed off the pitch at half-time at Portman Road after producing a lacklustre display against the Sky Bet League Two side who lie 20th with no wins in their last nine matches (five defeats).

There was an improvement thereafter as Joe Pigott replaced Idris El Mizouni to partner Macauley Bonne up front, striking the post while fellow substitute Cameron Humphreys sent a header against the crossbar late on.

The goalless draw means Town will be in the hat for Monday's third round draw, when Premier League and Championship clubs enter, but will require a win in replay at a struggling League Two outfit for the second successive round.

Put to him at the start of his post-match interview with BBC Radio Suffolk's Brenner Woolley that he must be disappointed, Cook replied: "A lot of emotions really. The stadium in the first half wasn't a very nice environment with supporters bascially wanting to turn, which I get. The first half performance was very indicative of that.

"I felt the second half performance was a lot more with supporters that wanted to support them.

"As you can see the pitch now it's very bobbly, it's very dry. All of a sudden it's not very conducive to passing football, certainly passing sideways and backwards which our supporters were quite right to have a go (at).

"We showed no intensity, we showed no energy. Albeit second half we showed a lot more honesty and probably lacked a bit of quality.

"But as you can see where in a little bit of a period of time now where it's tough. And for our players they feel it.

"You must show your character and for me as a manager I have been in these situations.

"At all my clubs I've managed: Chesterfield, Portsmouth, Wigan I've felt pain. I feel a little bit of pain now because the brutal truth is we are probably not as good as we might want to hope and think we are.

"The reality is we are a team that is genuinely trying to work hard to get better. Within that we have deficiencies; they're there for all to see.

Asked if the first-half display left him to have harsh words with his players at the interval to spark the improvement, he said: "No, no, no, no because football is educational and it's trust. And for our players the big thing for them (is) we had to build off a page.

"We had Joe Pigott on and Macauley Bonne and we needed to play up to our strikers and we needed to get some chances and crosses into the box and you can see the supporters then enjoying the game.

"Our supporters second half were like the team, we all played well. First half we all never played well, second half we all did.

"Our supporters need our help. It is not just about the supporters turning up and getting behind the team. It's about the team lifting our supporters and that is something we need to do better."

Asked what he made of Pigott and Bonne as a partnership in the second half, he replied: "Guys, when things aren't going well every other option is better than the option we're doing.

"I've been in all these situations as a manager. I've played 4-2-3-1 in October, November and December. And I've always played 4-2-3-1.

"We'll go through periods where we need two up front and today's game suited two lads up front and not a lot of intricate play.

"It was about getting balls in the box, crosses in the box and putting Barrow under pressure and getting that elusive goal. And if we could have won 1-0, like I said to the players, no-one remembers these games.

"No-one remembers Crewe next week, no-one remembers last week, it's just about results and unfortunately for us at the minute we're not getting those results that our supporters crave and want.

"But the brutal truth is we're probably a little bit behind where we'd all like to be. Some people might not like to here that but that's the truth of it."

Asked if he was any closer to getting on a run he interjected saying: "No, I don't think we are like that. But it changes.

"When we went to Wycombe did we think we were going to win 4-1?

"When we beat Wycombe 4-1 we played Oldham at home (and) did we think we were going to draw 1-1? I never, I thought we were going to blow Oldham away.

"That's football and that's the challenge for managers. And that's why when we're in jobs and we manage clubs we've got a privilege and an honour and it's our jobs to sort those problems out."

Asked if it was a concern that he did not feel a run of positive results was around the corner, he replied: "Again, I'm 20 league games in, we're in the third round of the FA Cup and what's a concern? That's the modern day football now guys for you.

"You guys you sharpen your knives very, very quickly in the media.

"For us football managers that's the nature of the game we're in so I'll let other people answer that."

Put to him that a replay up at Barrow was the last thing they needed with games at Wigan and Sunderland coming up, he said: "When Oldham were lining up to take a penalty we would have loved to have gone up to Oldham.

"At the end of the day football is about winning games. We haven't won enough of them to be in the position we want to be. Our league position is not where we want to be and we're travelling to Barrow in the FA Cup – that's the reality of where we're at.

"But then the squad the players everything we do, that's exactly what we're recruited and that's where we're at, same as the management. We'll grow together and when we have bad days we'll suffer together.

"Today that's just part and parcel of our journey."

Town will be ball number 63 in Monday’s third round draw, live on ITV4 as part of the coverage of the game between Boreham Wood and St Albans City, which will see clubs from both the Premier League and Championship join the competition.

The Blues turn their attention back to their League One campaign on Tuesday with a trip to Charlton Athletic (7.45pm).