Town and Wigan played out a disappointing 0-0 draw at a snowy Portman Road. Jay Tabb had the best chance for the Blues in the first half, while David McGoldrick and sub Freddie Sears had opportunities after the break, but overall a goalless draw was a fair reflection of a drab game.

McGoldrick’s return from his knee injury in place of Daryl Murphy, who has a calf strain, was Town’s only change from the team which lost 3-2 at Brighton 10 days ago.

The Town number 10 who had missed the previous two games, was partnered by Noel Hunt with recent signing on the bench.

The visitors carved out the game’s first chance in the fifth minute when Don Cowie sent James Perch away on the right and the ex-Newcastle man whipped over a cross which Marc-Antoine Fortune headed high and wide at the near post when he ought to have done better.

Town created their first opening a minute later, McGoldrick, skipper Luke Chambers and Paul Anderson exchanging passes on the right before the winger sent in a cross which Tabb was unable to head towards goal.

After Tommy Smith had eventually dealt with a difficult bouncing ball ahead of James McClean, Kevin Bru just overhit what would have been a superb pass into the path of McGoldrick.

On 14 Tyrone Mings fed in Tabb on the left of the area but the midfielder hit powerfully over when he should have played the ball across the six-yard box to the waiting Hunt, McGoldrick and Anderson.

The game developed into a scruffy affair on a pitch which was cutting up with neither side able to create much but with Wigan having the upper hand. Town were very much missing Murphy’s aerial presence up front with high balls regularly punted forward but defended comfortably by the Latics’ backline.

As the match moved towards the half hour mark snow began to fall steadily and the Blues managed a couple of shots. First McGoldrick hit a deflected effort through to Ali Al Habsi in goal for the Latics, then Hunt’s strike flew high and wide from distance.

Moments later, Smith was yellow-carded for a foul on Martyn Waghorn, then Wigan’s William Kvist joined him in the book for a challenge on Bru. Five minutes before the break McClean picked up a caution for tripping the breaking Bru.

Tabb headed Hunt’s right-wing cross to Al Habsi in the 43rd minute but neither side looked like breaking the deadlock as a dull half came to a close with the snow by now falling more heavily.

Under par Town, who were clearly missing Murphy, had been unable to create anything of note, Tabb’s opportunity just before the quarter hour when he should have passed rather than shot perhaps the best of them.

Wigan had similarly failed to significantly test Bartosz Bialkowski - Fortune’s early header was their best chance - in a forgettable first period in which there had been little between the teams, despite the Blues’ presence in the top four and Wigan’s current position second-bottom.

The Blues switched Anderson for Teddy Bishop at the start of the second half with the snow having momentarily subsided.

Nine minutes after the restart, Bishop, who had made an immediate impact going forward on the right, found Cole Skuse to his left, the central midfielder playing a ball in behind Perch to Mings, but the left-back’s cross was blocked.

Tabb felt he had been impeded as he broke into the area but referee Charles Breakspear, who had frustrated the home fans and players with a few decisions before the break, waved away his protests.

The game continued in the same less than inspiring manner of the first half with the snow having resumed. Just after the hour, Fortune cut in from the right but scraped his shot well wide.

The Latics went closer on 62 when Perch flicked Cowie’s left-sided corner from the left beyond the far post when he should have scored.

Three minutes later, with Wigan looking the side most likely to break the deadlock, home debutant Sears took over from Hunt.

Town carved out a rare opportunity on 72 when Mings crossed from the left but McGoldrick headed weakly to Al Habsi.

As the match moved towards its final 15 minutes Tabb flicked a header into McGoldrick’s path on the left and the striker did well to cut it back to Sears, who could only divert straight at Al Habsi at the near post.

The Blues were starting to look a bit more of a threat, but on 79 Berra cut out McClean’s dangerous cross from the left ahead of Fortune.

A minute later, Emyr Huws was booked for blocking off McGoldrick as Town broke. From the freekick deep on the left, McGoldrick headed Tabb’s ball wide. Jonny Parr replaced Tabb at left midfield for the final six minutes.

Two minutes before the end Sears had the ball in the net but having been flagged offside, although with the Town players complaining that the ball had been played into his path by a Wigan player.

After three minutes of uneventful injury time referee Breakspear confirmed Town’s first home 0-0 draw since the Blackpool game last February with frustrated boos greeting the whistle.

In truth the game didn’t really deserve a goal with both sides as poor as one another. Neither keeper was forced to make a serious save in either half.

After the break, Wigan probably should have scored through Perch’s header, while Town, who never put the struggling visitors under any real pressure, came closest via McGoldrick’s header straight at Al Habsi and Sears’s effort which the former Colchester man couldn’t divert away from the keeper.

Overall, a disappointing result for the Blues against struggling opposition, who battled gamely but showed little quality. Town remain fourth but are now three points behind leaders Bournemouth and Derby and two behind third-placed Middlesbrough with all three having a better goal difference.

After one win in six games in all competitions, the Blues need to get their stalling promotion challenge back on track with a win away against Rotherham, another of the teams at the wrong end of the table, next Saturday.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bru, Anderson (Bishop 46), Tabb (Parr 84), McGoldrick, N Hunt (Sears 65). Unused: Kenny, S Hunt, Clarke, Ambrose.

Wigan: Al Habsi, Taylor, Perch, Barnett, Ridgewell,Huws, Kvist, McClean, Cowie, Fortune, Waghorn (McKay 78). Unused: Carson, Boyce, Pearce, Kiernan, Cosgrove, Flores. Referee: Charles Breakspear (Surrey). Att: 19,155 (Wigan: 225).

Photo: Action Images

stumpysausage added 01:12 - Feb 1 How is it we can all see we need parr at rb please
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BrettenhamBlue added 01:30 - Feb 1 poor performance, and sad to see how lack lustre our team was today. chambers was poor at rb; God how we need Parr to start in that position. And worst performance I have ever seen from MCgoldrick: at times he looked like that ex-Southampton player Ali Dia. Why oh why did we continue to use our hoofball tactics given we had no Murphy up front? We are far too predictable and we will be lucky to finish in a top 6 spot at the end of the season. We are crying out for reinforcements.....meanwhile the teams around us are reinforcing at all levels for the big promotion push. Wigan outclassed us at times: and seemed to have a lot more ideas. Very frustrating afternoon. We are crying out for an Archie Thompson kind of player or a Sean Dundee up front (I.e, a veteran striker who works hard and calms things down to give time to our defence). Having seen both these strikers recently first-hand I can tell you that they both did better than our strike force today and would cost way less money. Once again, as always, I see ITFC losing their way and losing their opportunities. Don't misunderstand me, Dundee isn't our answer (he's 43), but seeing him play better than either of our 2 up front is so frustrating. Why on earth didn't S.Hunt start?

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1975bridge added 01:51 - Feb 1 Just home from the game that was the worst performance of an itfc team I have ever witnessed. that's why I'm home so late and this reply probably makes no sense at all .
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NoelTheDub added 03:25 - Feb 1 kirbmeister I respect your opinion but Iv been saying thats something is wrong even when we win lose or draw I comment after every game.Clearly we are treading water with Micks tactics and hes reluctance to change our boring team. We are the worst footballing team in this league and have got away with this but we have been found out big time.Yes we have no money ,Yes we have a small squad but our style of play is awful to watch and no excuses..

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runningout added 08:06 - Feb 1 a few players in our ranks not showing composure when it matters..... We'll be in the championship for a few more years yet if we have no ruthless streak
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Akaroablue added 08:58 - Feb 1 I could not believe that result, waking up in NZ. The starting line up was just so wrong! Parr should have played, Smith on the bench, Sears had to start, McGoldrick to selfish and out of form, Who did they expect to score the goals, our mid field couldn't score if Wigan didn't have a goalkeeper! Why didn't they sign Woods or Sharp, same as last year when Burnley spent money in January to secure EPL status, all be it short lived. Will not be popular with my thoughts but we need to invest in two or three positions.

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King_Thijssen added 09:40 - Feb 1 Yep, it was a stinker of a game - even the crossbar challenge was dog pooh! but there are 18 games and 54 points left to play for and we're 3 points from the top!!! Come on Mick, get'em going again - Murph (when he returns) with Hunt or Sears up front with Dids behind them? Dids has to come so deep to get any of the ball these days, and he's got so much ability on the ball, he may as well be our key playmaker. What ya reckon people? COYB.

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oldegold added 09:46 - Feb 1 Judging by the comments,the popular consensus is that once again MM chose hoofball tactics to "contain" the penultimate team in the league..we had two realistic shots on target and Wigan showed infinitely more will to win. Our team selection from the off showed that MM has very little idea how to take advantage and bring the game to the opposition and playing with one recognize striker beggars belief...where was Sears if Murphy was out injured? We were overloaded with midfield players with little or no imagination and we saw Tabb miss one or two chances that a good forward would have tucked away. Probably the most insipid and demoralizing team performance from Town in years and Bournemouth,Derby and maybe Middlesbrough will now pull away. The limits of MM's tactical bravado are now being exposed like a gaping wound and he needs to change the selection and go for broke otherwise we will not even make the top half now. Very very disappointed and more so with his playing strategy.Not the Ipswich way.

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blueboy1981 added 09:53 - Feb 1 warktheline ......... check back thro' my many posts (yes, win or lose, every week) - and your statement is proved completely and utterly WRONG. But that doesn't surprise me. I want ITFC and MM to fail ?? ........ that's why I put money into ITFC EVERY WEEK - and have done for many, many years. Quite possibly much more than you EVER will. Enough said.
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loudnproud added 10:45 - Feb 1 Oh my,Oh my ,Oh my......a few poor results and suddenly Town are fodder and on the back foot with MM on the firing line.....Tut Tut Tut.People. I support all of the supporters opinions for each and every one of us pump money into the club one way or another and only want our club to do well and succeed. But i equally remain grateful that a manager like MM has come to our club and and saved us from League 1 obscurity,using whatever tactics he possesses . Just sit back a bit and look at this assembled squad and the table position we are currently sitting at and ask..."are we over achieving or what?" How much has MM spent putting this outfit together? We all have valid opinions and mine is that Town are not quite ready for the premier league just yet. Sure we all want to win every game and storm off onto the promised land.But we all know that to compete and stay their,We do need a better style of football being played. I say we should enjoy this season of mild expectation without the fear of facing relegation.Embrace the fact that Town are punching beyond their weight and enjoy the season.

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warktheline added 11:13 - Feb 1 Harp on all day about its not 'the Ipswich way' and so on and so on, reality check, step out of the 'small picture', meaning the last handful of games , and LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE. No reasonable minded Town supporter could convince me Mick isn't the man for the job. Whilst I concede we aren't the prettiest team to watch, and he has made wrong selection from time to time, you can't argue with the man's track record of getting teams out of the Championship. Sir Alex made plenty of mistakes along the way, but overall when you look at the big picture ,he knew how to run a football club, so does Mick. Ask some of Towns legends, Johnny Wark, for example....Mick has turned our club around, from the brink of disaster. When you listen to 'professional football people', they have nothing but praise for McCarthy, and the long term job he's doing for Ipswich. Don't throw Mick Mills at me, remember he is analysing 'a match', not being asked about long term achievements. Sadly, and it is true, none more so than Ipswich fans, many are fickle. Cast your minds back to Sir Bobby's early days,Town fans calling for his head! We are on the right track, considering all circumstances, and long may it continue....that's if Mick doesn't get a better offer, and decides he's had enough of morons booing his team off, a team sitting 3 pts of top!

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irishtim added 11:27 - Feb 1 @warktheline. Well said. Very sensible post. Saw interview with John Wark and he had only very good things to sat about Mick and how he has turned the club around and made it a happy place again. Critics be careful what you wish for.
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Geoff added 11:28 - Feb 1 Not good enough wrong negative tactics should be 4 4 3 we are losing our way just look tired some think they are better then they are believing the hipe.Owner not showing ambition in investing agree we have missed our chance,will now be lucky if we make the play offs.not the same team that finished 2014 need more quality. Bournemouth Derby Boro investing we are not.
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dagenhamtown added 11:29 - Feb 1 This was worse than the Southampton game for lack of desire only saving grace it was not on TV so the nationdid not have to c our lack of desire and penetration.I feel we are punching above our weight not the best side by a long stretch but have good characters and ability in certain areas just hope Mr Evans gives mick some cash and is not afraid as he has been bit before with that obnoxious idiot Keane who blew it on average players.come on Evans hands in pockets please.

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jalapenosteve added 11:39 - Feb 1 Mings was atrocious yesterday - his distribution was awful and he looked like he didnt care. One or two good touches from McGoldrick but wow he was slow! Even Berra couldnt pass to a blue shirt. Chambers no better. Just awful all round. Just dont understand how its possible for our players' skill levels to fall away in the space of a couple of games???
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Razor added 12:25 - Feb 1 Right, for all the apologists or people who will not have or allow a word to be said against MM,stop reading now. Just one or two comments: The game reflected the weather,depressing ,turgid and miserable. Too many very ordinary players who give precious little in from start,Tabb,Hunt and Anderson for starters. Why has Henshall been shipped out---this young man had a sparkling second half away at Derby and was a game changer, only to mysteriously fall off the radar--why? Where is Cameron Stewart---really had high hopes of him giving us something different this season, but apart from 10 at Southampton not seen-why? Why no game time for Ambrose---if we have invested in him surely play him, must be better than some of the dross out there yesterday. Why no Plan B and why cant we change things if game not going well? Parr is far too good a player to have on the bench, would have brought him on yesterday and pushed Mings in to midfield,at least his charging runs may have given their defence someting to think about as they were sat their laughing at our hoofball tactics all the game. If Dids continues to sulk and play like he does not care sell him today and use money to get 2 new strikers in to freshen things up, we have gone stale----for me Nakki Wells and Doyle from Chesterfield would be good additions. Lot more I could say but better stop there---this not a panic mail but really really worries me that if we continue as we are we will not even make play offs.Friends I drink with after the game can see the problems, the sad thing is that those people who should and can change things cant.

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blueboy1981 added 12:30 - Feb 1 ........ much blame being apportioned to Evans for lack of investment in Players - but do we know that MM is / has asked for money to be spent ?? - he actually seems quite content with what he has at his disposal. We lack creativity, and recently more so, scoring ability - but we have these options on the bench to some degree that are NOT being used. Yesterday against Wigan being a classic point in case. MM's philosophy is that 'a point' is a success story in itself - Home or Away. As per yesterday, and his comments.

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blueboy1981 added 12:34 - Feb 1 Razor - Good post that from the very first / opening line.
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bluefeast added 12:50 - Feb 1 How many of our players would get into the top 10 sides in the championship ,answer maybe 1 or 2. There is the problem ,we are over achieving ,thats down to good management.
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renoble added 13:16 - Feb 1 Unless, I think, we have a midfield who want/demand the ball from our three center backs then will struggle to find a way through teams at times. I thought that this was a role allocated to Skuse but his passing does not look at all confident. Will be interesting to see how MM responds in the long term. Still looking forward to a good season despite a turgid game of football.

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warktheline added 13:17 - Feb 1 @bluefeast, spot on....the trouble with overachieving is it soon gets lost on many fans, thus follows expectancy. Our team sheet doesn't fill anyone with excitement, but the boys make up for it with endeavour....if that is what takes us up, or into the play-offs, so be it. Mick is always looking to add to squad, but on limited funds, it ain't easy.
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warktheline added 13:22 - Feb 1 ....as for Mick's apologists, there sure ain't nowt to apologise for. Overall, couldn't think of anyone better for the job, league table tends to agree!
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DerryfromBury added 14:49 - Feb 1 Surely after 10mins the players recognised that hoof ball was never going to produce anything this afternoon, and should have been a bit more creative and tried, at least, to play the ball through the field. We just seem to be devoid of any ideas when the game doesn't go the way we thought it would. The ref was as dire as I've seen at PR for a very long time. having said that, its up to the players to be able to handle a poor decision making referee. You would never believe 1 player missing (Murph) would have such an impact. Wigan where very savvy having won the toss and making Town play against the Nth stand in the first half rather than our preferred second half. I don't want this to appear like a D McGoldrick witch-hunt, I appreciate this was his first game back from an injury, but, things are definitely not right and have not been for a few weeks now. Can you imagine the score line had Wigan been up against Bournemouth or Boro the way they played against us today.

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StochesStotasBlewe added 15:10 - Feb 1 warktheline, there is no doubting the endeavour, hard work ethic our boys show every week, agreed that is down to good man management. However, we lack that creative cutting edge to our play. In all my years of following Town (45 years) we,ve generally had one player capable of the defense splitting pass, finding a bit of time on the ball, composure etc. Colin Viljoen in the early 70,s right up to jim Magilton in more recent times. They also scored their fair share of goals. This kind of player in my opinion is what we need now to push on to the next level. Untill we can unearth this player, we will continue to struggle breaking down teams like Wigan who basically come & play for a draw.

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Jimmy86 added 15:19 - Feb 1 I wonder whether it's a case of Evans not backing his manager with some funds, or whether Evans has made some funds available, but it's Mick who is reluctant to spend it. The question is, have funds been made available and Mick won't spend?? Or is Evans not backing his manager?? We don't know what's going on, but we need a couple of additions
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