MICK McCarthy last night revealed that he has spoken to Birmingham boss Steve Bruce in an attempt to secure the services of midfielder Darren Carter until the end of the season.

Carter, who joined the Black Cats on a three-month loan in mid-September, was in inspirational form yesterday as McCarthy's side beat Ipswich 2-0 to cruise to within three points of leaders Wigan at the top of the Championship.

Stephen Elliott and Chris Brown did the damage in front of goal, but it was Carter that caught the eye in a rare outing in his preferred position of central midfield.

The 20-year-old was the driving force behind an impressive Black Cats display and, with his current loan deal set to expire in the middle of next month, McCarthy has already sought to keep him on Wearside.

Birmingham's poor start to the Premiership season has left them crying out for an attacking influence but, while Carter could offer some much-needed creativity at St Andrew's, McCarthy remains hopeful of a positive outcome to his current discussions.

"I spoke to Steve on Friday and, yes, I want to take Darren until the end of season," confirmed the Black Cats' boss, who also hopes to sign Stockport midfielder Andy Welsh later this week.

"Darren is keen to stay because he is doing what he came here for - to play football.

"Central midfield is his best position, but I have asked him to fill in for me in other positions in the past and he has done what I would expect a good professional to do.

"There is no need to do it now, but I have flagged it up for Steve and told him what I want to do. I will let him make the decision, it will be up to him. But Darren has been good and he did very well against Ipswich."

Carter's all-action display ensured Sunderland enjoyed a midfield superiority over their promotion rivals, but it needed a clinical contribution from Elliott to break the deadlock on the hour mark.

The youngster back-heeled Chris Brown's header into the net from close range to round off a memorable week in which he made his full international debut in the Republic of Ireland's 1-0 win over Croatia.

"It was lovely for him to get his international recognition this week," said McCarthy. "Funnily enough, I didn't think that was his best performance for us, but he scored and that's what counts.

"He's a centre forward and he put the ball in the net - that's a good ability to have and it's what he's here to do.

"The only worry with him is that we do rely heavily on a 20-year-old. We need contributions from all over the field but, to be fair to the lads, that's what we've been getting in recent weeks."

The win propelled Sunderland back into the top three, hauling them to within two points of second-placed Ipswich.

Visiting manager Joe Royle felt the Black Cats were the "best team" Ipswich had faced this season and, after watching his side eclipse one of their closest rivals, McCarthy admitted they had earned a notable scalp.

"It was a big result for us," he said. "We knew important this game was before-hand. We played very well and I thought the players were excellent.

"They're all working very hard for each other at the moment - they're good mates and they want to do the job for each other, which is good to see."

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