Town’s play-off push looks all but over following a 0-0 home draw with relegation-threatened Charlton Athletic. Ben Pringle came closest for the Blues in the first half with a strike well saved by Addicks keeper Nick Pope, while Jonathan Douglas headed and then shot over in the second.

Boss Mick McCarthy named an unchanged side the same 4-3-3 system they utilised during Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Wolves with Pringle in a central midfield role ahead of Cole Skuse and Douglas with Liam Feeney on the right and Freddie Sears on the left and Brett Pitman in the middle.

Teddy Bishop returned to the bench for the first time this season, alongside David McGoldrick, who made his first appearance since mid-December as a sub late on at Molineux.

The Addicks included one-time Town schoolboys Pope in goal and Morgan Fox at left-back and ex-Blues loanee Stephen Henderson on the bench.

The visitors struck the game’s first shot in the fourth minute but Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s effort was straight at Bartosz Bialkowski.

Two minutes later, Sears seized on a loose ball on the right of the area and from a tight angle sent a low strike not too far wide of Nick Pope’s right post.

There was a big scare for the Blues on 12 when a mix-up between Bialkowski and Christophe Berra saw the keeper rush off his line as the defender looked to head it back to him from the edge of the box.

In the end, both left it and the Scotland international was able to get back to clear ahead of Yaya Sanogo before the on-loan Arsenal man could make anything of the error.

Three minutes later, Jonas Knudsen was booked for clattering into Gudmundsson late as they challenged for an aerial ball. After treatment, the Icelander was eventually replaced by Marco Motta.

Charlton threatened again in the 21st minute when Sanogo teed-up Callum Harriott on the left of the area, the former Colchester loanee hitting a low strike which Bialkowski did well to stop. Douglas was first to the loose ball but took too long to clear and was dispossessed but Sanogo’s effort was snuffed out.

Moments later, Pringle found himself some space just outside the area and hit a curling left-foot shot which looked bound for the top corner until Pope somehow got across to superbly tip the ball wide.

In the 26th minute Sears cut in from the left and hit a low shot which Pope was able to claim.

But Charlton, quick and incisive going forward, were having the better on it and almost carved their way through the Blues in the 35th minute, skipper Luke Chambers cutting out Jordan Cousins’s final pass through to Sanogo when he might have shot, before Ademola Lookman screwed wide from the edge of the box.

Three minutes before the break, with Town by now having moved to 4-4-2 with Pringle on the right and Feeney the left, a move down the Blues left saw Knudsen cross and the ball eventually fall to Sears, who looped a bouncing ball over.

On 44, after Charlton had surrendered possession in their own half, Pitman shot wide having brought the ball forward towards the edge of the box.

As the half moved into four minutes of injury time, Lookman whipped over a corner from the right and Jorge Teixeira flicked a header at the near post, which Bialkowski tipped over his bar.

Town won a late corner after Pope had punched a Knudsen long throw out, but neither side threatened again before the break.

The visitors will have gone in at half-time disappointed not to have been in front having looked the more dangerous side, particularly on the counter-attack.

Town created fewer opportunities, although Pringle would have scored but for Pope’s excellent save.

Ex-Addick Luke Varney replaced Pringle ahead of the second half with the Blues continuing in a 4-4-2 system.

Town started the half brightly and Teixeira picked up an early yellow card for pulling back Sears as he took the ball towards the area. From the resultant freekick, Chambers hit the wall.

Charlton again threatened on the break in the 50th minute and Berra made an important block from Harriott after he had been found in space on the edge of the area by Lookman.

Two minutes later, the Blues went close when Skuse stood up a cross from the right of the box but Douglas couldn’t get over it and his header looped into the stand.

On 55, Sears, now out wide on the left, cut in and skipped past a defender but saw his shot blocked. From the resultant corner, the ball fell to Douglas on the edge of the box, but the Irishman shot over.

Town were beginning to create chances more regularly and three minutes later Sears crossed from the left and Douglas laid it back to Pitman, whose low shot was saved by Pope down to his left.

As the game moved towards the hour mark, Harriott shot high and wide from a tight angle on the right.

With 26 minutes remaining McGoldrick made his entrance in place of Feeney with the crowd singing the striker’s name. Pitman moved to wide right.

Town were having most of the ball but without being able to create a chance, however, on 69 Cousins struck a powerful effort from the edge of the Blues box which Bialkowski batted away. Three minutes later, Harriott hit a low shot into the side-netting from wide on the right.

McGoldrick made his first impact on the game in the 72nd minute when his shot from the right was deflected over.

Following the corner, Douglas won the ball and fed Sears, who cut in and crossed deep but just too high for Pitman.

As the game moved towards its final 10 minutes the Blues were looking less threatening and only a brilliant double save from Bialkowski prevented the visitors from claiming the lead, first blocking from Lookman and then after Town had failed to clear from Sanogo.

In the 82nd minute Bishop made his long-awaited return to action, replacing Pitman and taking up a role behind what was now a front three of Varney, Sears and McGoldrick.

With five minutes remaining Cousins was booked for stopping Bishop from taking a quick freekick.

On 88 Varney did well to divert a corner whipped in from the left just wide of his own post from a couple of yards out.

In the final seconds of scheduled time McGoldrick brought the ball in from the left and hit a shot straight at Pope.

Neither side was able to find a goal in three minutes of injury time, in which Charlton did most of the pressing, and boos again greeted the final whistle.

A point apiece was probably a fair reflection of the game, neither team having been particularly convincing with Town’s best second-half chances both falling to Douglas, but with Bialkowski the busier of the two keepers and Charlton always the more dangerous-looking side going forwards.

The Blues have now gone 273 minutes since they last scored a goal, the second in the 2-0 victory over Blackburn last month.

Town last drew back-to-back games in December 2009 when Roy Keane's side recorded a stalemate at Bristol City and then at home to Peterborough.

A 0-0 draw was little good to either side and the play-offs now look well beyond the Blues, who are still eighth but seven points from the play-offs, while Charlton are still 23rd, seven points from safety.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Pringle (Varney 46), Feeney, Sears, Pitman. Subs: Gerken, Foley, Hyam, Bru, Bishop, McGoldrick.

Charlton: Pope, Solly (c), Fanni, Teixeira, Fox, Diarra, Cousins, Gudmundsson (Motta 19 (Makienok 86), Lookman, Harriott (Vetokele 74), Sanogo. Subs: Henderson, Suk-Young, Lennon, Jackson. Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands). Att: 17,787 (Charlton: 552).

Photo: Action Images

superblue70 added 23:11 - Apr 5 Peteswindon can you actually read? these ain't the players people want nobody wants Douglas nobody wants chambers at RB not many want Knudson or varney nobody except mm and probably you want sears on the wing although mm already killed all his confidence as an attacker Berra past it skuse never had it and most of the others can't find it boring,boring,boring wake me up when mm does the decent thing, cheers.

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bleedblueandwhite added 23:20 - Apr 5 Mick and TC - please do us all a favour and go to Villa. For the good of the club I will be booing the dross you continually insist on serving up to the paying public on matchdays.
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MrDiddle added 23:21 - Apr 5 Douglas wasn't the only one who had a shocker tonight. Chambers and Sears were also having terrible games... didn't hear you all jeering at them whenever they made a mistake. If you don't like how the team are playing, don't go watch them.
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Ipswich58 added 23:26 - Apr 5 Love the club detest MM. Maybe a stay away protest is only thing that will make ME act. I can't stand this death by a thousand cuts.
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Ipswich58 added 23:28 - Apr 5 See you later MrDiddle
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This_girl_is_blue added 23:31 - Apr 5 Playing people out of position... Waiting until the 65th minute before changing the formation... Hoofing the ball up the field... Stubborn old tactics. Unfortunately this is how I'll remember the MM reign at Portman Rd. To renew his and TC's contracts before we have the outcome of this season is overegging Town fans' patience and underestimating our ambition. I can't imagine watching this style of football next season and this is the reason Marcus Evans is going to have to take action.

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goat_man added 23:35 - Apr 5 Regardless of whether MM is here next season or not, I honestly do feel that ME is going to invest money in the squad and we will see an overhaul of the playing staff. Failing to beat teams in the relegation zone is not a problem from just this season, its something we have had problems with for a number of years. You can bet though that the time we finally get it right and beat all the bottom teams, we will fail to beat anyone in the top half and set ourselves up for yet another year in this division.

2

Umros added 23:35 - Apr 5 Is it over yet? I can wake up now then. Did Douglas really hoof the ball from just inside our half back towards the goal to concede a corner or was that a dream?
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essex57 added 23:36 - Apr 5 Dont think 17500 customers would pay the wage bill however as i said after the Wolves game tonite we had plenty of chances this squad of players just aint good enough
0

VulpineBlue added 23:37 - Apr 5 The thing that got me was that at the start of the game, despite the last few results and turgid performances, how the fans really got behind the team noisily urging them on. I didn't boo and I don't believe that people went to this match to boo- they all went to cheer on their team and hopefully to see them win. But the performance turned them- turgid, stodgy and ugly. Players who are scared of possessing the ball, treating it as though it burns them. Players unable to pass to a blue shirt. If you can neither make a good pass nor run with the ball what on earth is the point?

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ChestnutSe added 23:41 - Apr 5 Disappointing performance tonight and the play offs look a long shot now. On a positive note we did not lose, nor did we concede. Was also great to see Bish and McGoldrick back, albeit not fit yet. Disappointing to see people singling Douglas out, the new Jay Tabb whipping boy for the boo boys. Good to hear the North Stand cheering McCarthys blue and white army on. In my opinion the vitriolic comments on here do not represent the vast majority of supporters who maintain a much more balanced view of the progress being made under McCarthy. We are all disappointed but we support the club, the players, the shirt and look forward to future success. This squad is the best we have had for ages but we have been unlucky with injuries. The future is bright and blue. Come on you blues

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wayway added 23:42 - Apr 5 Ok, I have read all the posts on here and it seems that 99 o/o have had enough of this dross and want McCarthy out. So who is going yo be first to arrange a protest, eg a boycott or a walk out on Saturday? Perhaps even the absent owners might take note
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MicksZzzTactics added 23:48 - Apr 5 Outrageous performance, in a MUST WIN game ["nevermind" for a moment the fact that it also happened to be against a season-long bottom crawling side with serious serious defensive issues!], Outrageous same same starting XI (and outgoing substitutions!) , Outrageous overall as-good-as-written-in-stone tactical hedgehog approach.... and above all just an outrageous ultra stubborn manager, who is directly accountable for all the above, and who alongside his ultra negative football belongs somewhere way way back in The Dark Ages!!!! So speaking of repetitive fool-hearted stubbornness (i.e. as in the exclusive negative sense!) let me just quote not Einsteins "Definition of Insanity" beauty but instead one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance, who is known for among other things for having popularized the essay as a literary genre, monsieur Michel de Montaigne: "STUBBORN AND ARDENT CLINGING TO ONE'S [FUTILE] OPINION .... IS THE BEST PROOF OF STUPIDITY!!! Alas 'The Dinosaur' must go!!! Whether it's to Birmingham, rural Bangladesh or the aptly named 3rd division Buenos Aries based club Deportivo MORON ..... well I personally don't give a flying f***! Just leave! ..... And ohhhh remember to take your likewise prehistoric football thinking sidekick TC (who can quite often be heard, if close enough to the boxes, giving direct orders himself to especially our starting-EVERY-time back 4 to just: HOOF IT!) with you, please!!! PS: To really concede the fact & reality that THIS "farce" regarding both the running as well as the managing of a professional football club (in the 2nd best division), in the Motherland of the game no less!, has actually now evolved to being directly EMBARRASSING being an Ipswich Town fans in this day -- this from a strictly pure football perspective (and thus for this particular pov having nothing to do with mere results and thus overall point-haul!) -- is in and by itself more than SHOCKING ..... and quite seriously a possible cause of not only totally "indifference" to the club we all luv, but for some even of severe DEPRESSION!!! Period.

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Cakeman added 00:15 - Apr 6 I like to think I can give credit where due but for this match I cannot think of anything positive apart from perhaps we saw another fine display from Bart who is now looking a class act. The rest of them led by a manager in such poor form himself are totally off the pace. The season died long ago and with it many season ticket renewals I would imagine. The most staggering thing tonight though was the annoying and amazing comments from the manager on Radio Suffolk. What hope have we got if he defends Douglas by saying he was different class! It has been a horrible evening with no entertainment at all. I shall probably now go to sleep and wake up having a nightmare with Douglas being crowned as our player of the season!

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leahcar88 added 00:24 - Apr 6 McCarthy the greatest archeologist known to mankind would you please take your rugby style, hoof it and chase it tactics and your archaic monument war veteran donkeys (chambers, Berra, smith, Douglas, skuse, murphy, toure, coke, digby, gerkan, Knudsen, could go on what seems like forever) with you to villa park cos we've had enough here in Suffolk. Outdated waste man! What a shower of......

8

Stato added 00:25 - Apr 6 Turgid
2

Safetyfirstmrwarke added 00:29 - Apr 6 Ambitionless, toothless, flairless, Douglas, enough said. Sad days.
7

madmouse1959 added 00:44 - Apr 6 Another 0-0 draw .This is what you get when you do not invest in your product. It is time for Evans to finally say enough is enough. Either get involved with the club and show leadership or pass this club on to someone prepared to make an effort.
7

Gandj64 added 00:47 - Apr 6 I went with my father in law and wife to watch the sky blues against Colchester last week (both life long fans) as a tractor boy of 42 years I was staggered by the apathy and negativity in the crowd and the subsequent performance was dire and cov lost 1 nil and so ended any hopes of reaching the playoffs.....sound familiar...? Just like Cov a new regime needs to come in and invest in quality and not loan players and has beens, crikey they've got Stephen hunt on the bench ( mind you I'd have hunt in there before Douglas ) . It is very sad to witness two once great sides swimming against the tide....never thought I would say this,but Mick....maybe at the end of the season you can do the honourable thing and move on. there will be a number of teams in the championship looking for and old experienced head? I wish you and tc both the very best of luck and if you come back and beat us with a team playing free flowing football....good for you.....in the meantime.....lets bring in Holloway or someone younger and with enough drive and ambition and creativity to take the club forward. Thanks.

6

planetblue_2011 added 04:47 - Apr 6 It seems like a poor season but we're still 8th, unbelievable!! Tonight was under par again and Douglas are worst player tonight but had our 2 best chances in the second half what else can be done too late now. Evans needs to give MM at least a 10 mill transfer kitty next season and Fraser has to be top of his shopping list. Rb & creative midfielder has to come in plus a striker if McGoldrick or anyone else gets a long lay off injured. If there is no money for us next season we are gonna struggle big time with the likes of villa & maybe Newcastle coming down!!

2

tractorboybig added 06:46 - Apr 6 How much longer before the blind can see. This club is going nowhere with this management. You could give mm a 100 million and it would be much the same. Time to remove the managemnent and quite a few of the team.
13

pup12 added 07:04 - Apr 6 Terrible night of"football"??.Two defensive midfielders on the pitch at home to aside second bottom.To be honest I thought Chalton set about the game much better than us.They passed and moved ,kept the ball on the ground and ran at us from deep.If the lad up front had a little more experience we would have probably lost.Their keeper second half never made a save! Bart kept us in it at times.Thought Douglas was awful,and when he left the ball for Bart in the area to collect instead of putting his foot through it oh my God( pub team stuff) .Douglas can't even defend so what is thpoint?.Pringle not coming out second half and Douglas still on the pitch what the F..k??.Feeney didn't have the best game but swooping him to the left just mention he couldn't get behind their back four and cross.leaving him to constantly cut back on to right foot thus giving Chalton time to set themselves for the cross .And at the end doesn't matter how many strikers on pitch if nobody to supply them.Bishop looked good when on and so did Mcgoldrick but Douglas and Skluse still unable o pass it on flour to them.Need a massive sort out in summer.In MM we trust?? Not so sure

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woohoo added 07:06 - Apr 6 I was at the game. Much as I love the club, I'm so frustrated with where we find ourselves. Yes, playoffs are still possible (just) - but I suspect that if we manage to sneak in, we won't get beyond the first game. I've watched a few games this season where I thought 'Yes - we are on track - we can do it.', but then a performance like last night.... As for the game itself - we offered little real threat and looked panicky at the back (again). Sears and Pringle aside, we were pretty clueless.

3

ivegottheblues added 07:17 - Apr 6 We play awful football week after week , MM gets rewarded with a new deal & 18000 are happy to turn up & watch.It's a strange situation.
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RegencyBlue added 07:23 - Apr 6 To be fair Douglas was different class - third class in my view!
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