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Barnsley 1-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report
Saturday, 11th Mar 2017 17:15

Tom Lawrence netted a dramatic injury-time equaliser as Town grabbed a 1-1 draw at Barnsley. Marley Watkins’s 58th minute goal looked to have won it for the Tykes until Lawrence met substitute Brett Pitman’s cross deep in time added on to claim a point for the Blues, who have now drawn six on the trot.

Emyr Huws returned in midfield after his hamstring problem while manager Mick McCarthy, back at his hometown club where he started his career, recalled wing-backs Jordan Spence and Myles Kenlock.

Grant Ward dropped to the bench, as did Tommy Smith - with Jonas Knudsen moving back to the left of the three-man central defence - while Josh Emmanuel missed out on a place in the 18.

Watkins, who the Blues made an offer for last summer and McCarthy hasn’t ruled out moving for again, started on the right of midfield for the Tykes.

Spence won a corner in the opening minute which Tom Lawrence whipped in and Christophe Berra nodded wide at the near post.

Barnsley struck their first shot of the game in the sixth minute, Tom Bradshaw's pass breaking to Adam Armstrong, who hit a shot which was too close to Bartosz Bialkowski and the keeper claimed.

In the ninth minute Tykes skipper Marc Roberts turned Huws’s left-wing cross over the bar with the on-loan Cardiff man having made a bright start following his absence.

A minute later at the other end, Watkins crossed deep from the right but was unable to find a red shirt and Bialkowski and skipper Luke Chambers allowed the ball to run out.

Barnsley should have taken the lead in the 12th minute when Armstrong spurned a golden chance.

Adam Hammill was sent away in space on the Barnsley left and sent over a deep cross which Matty James volleyed into the ground at the far post, the ball bouncing up to the unmarked on-loan Newcastle striker, who nodded over from the edge of the six-yard box.

Three minutes later, a freekick was played short to Andy Yiadom not far outside the area but the full-back shot over.

It was Town’s turn to go close in the 17th minute. First, Chambers flicked Lawrence’s corner from the right well wide. Then David McGoldrick picked up the loose ball on the left and brought it round and back to the edge of the box before hitting a powerful strike which Tykes keeper Adam Davies did well to get down to block but couldn’t hold on to.

Cole Skuse was first to the loose ball but somehow Davies kept out his rebound, the midfielder having gone close to netting his second goal for the Blues for the second Saturday in succession.

As the game reached the 20-minute mark, Armstrong hit a low 25-yard effort which was easy for Bialkowski, then three minutes later Josh Scowen nodded a Hammill freekick over.


On 32 Armstrong hit a powerful strike from 30 yards which flew wide of the untroubled Bialkowski’s left post, then two minutes later Lawrence was spoken to by referee Stephen Martin after a late challenge on Yiadom but avoided a yellow card.

Soon after, Huws was also fortunate to avoid a caution for pulling back the former Barnet man as he counter-attacked having dispossessed Lawrence as he broke.

Scowen shot over for the Tykes in the 37th minute having been teed up by Hammill, then on 41 James hooked over from inside the area following a corner.

Town weren’t too far away from going in front a minute later when McGoldrick tricked his way to the byline on the left of the area and cut the ball back towards Lawrence but Angus MacDonald turned it behind, going close to netting an own goal as he did so.

Just prior to the half going into one minute of injury time Skuse picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Hammill, although the Blues midfielder had appeared to be pulled back by the former Wolves man as he dispossessed him.

Barnsley had edged the first half having had more of the ball and most of the chances - although largely half-chances - even if Bialkowski was still to be seriously challenged.

Both sides had had one really good opportunity, Armstrong’s header over for the Tykes and McGoldrick’s shot and Skuse’s follow-up for the Blues, while MacDonald hadn’t been too far away from breaking the deadlock at the wrong end from McGoldrick’s cut-back.

Town had kept hold of the ball better than they had against Brentford or Wolves in spells with Huws's return making a difference but without ever really dominating.

Barnsley started the second half very much on the front foot, winning an early freekick not far outside the area, then a corner on the right after Knudsen had nodded a ball into the box wide. On 49 Watkins was fouled 25 yards out but hit his freekick straight at the wall.

Seven minutes after the restart Town switched Diagouraga for Ward, who scored a debut hat-trick against the Tykes having come on as a sub in the Blues’ 4-2 win on the opening day of the season.

A minute later, James smashed a volley from 25 yards which Bialkowski saved down to his right.

The Blues, with the wing-backs starting to get further forward than they had in the first half, started to look more threatening and on 57 Ward hit a low shot from the edge of the box which deflected wide.

From the corner McGoldrick flicked a header across goal and well wide with Chambers behind him feeling it would have reached him. And from the subsequent counter-attack the Tykes took the lead.

Watkins was played in on goal through the middle by James and took the ball into the area and beat Bialkowski as Spence’s despairing challenge came too late. The goal was very much a sucker punch with the Blues having been in their best spell of the half.

Town made their second substitution of the half on 63 with Freddie Sears coming on for Kenlock as the Blues switched to 4-4-2 with Lawrence and Ward in the wide midfield roles.

Four minutes later, Ward crossed from the right after good work from Sears, the ball looping to McGoldrick, who took a touch before smashing a shot against Scowen, who might not have been able to close down a first-time effort.

Barnsley began to put the Blues under pressure as the match moved into its final 20 minutes, James hitting a low shot through a crowd of players and wide.

McGoldrick scraped a shot well over on 76, then a minute later a deflected Lawrence strike looped into the arms of Tykes keeper Davies. The home side switched Armstrong for Ryan Williams for the final 12 minutes.

Barnsley should have made it 2-0 in the 80th minute when sub Williams fed Hammill in space to his left inside the area but Bialkowski stood his ground and saved. Skuse cleared the loose ball.

At the other end Town continued to look for an equaliser, albeit hardly convincingly, but a minute later Ward looped a header into Davies’s hands from a Sears cross from the right.

After another James volley hit powerfully but well over, Pitman replaced Huws, who had tired after the break.

As the match moved into three minutes of injury time, Ward sent Sears away down the right but the ex-Colchester man’s cross deflected into the keeper’s arms with Pitman frustrated at the far post.

Soon after McGoldrick hit a shot which was blocked with the Blues suddenly looking dangerous.

And seconds before the whistle, they grabbed an equaliser. Pitman stood up a cross from the left and Lawrence arrived late at the far post to tap home his 11th goal of the season before celebrating wildly with the Blues support behind the goal, picking up his 11th booking as a result.

There was no time for either side to look for a winner and the game ended 1-1, Town’s sixth successive draw, the second longest run in the club's history behind a seven-game drawing streak in November and December 1990.

The Blues' unbeaten run, which has now stretched to eight games, looked set to end with Barnsley having been the better side having gone in front and looking more likely to add to their lead than Town were to level. Hammill in particular will feel he should have done better with his chance.

But for all its failings, this Blues side never gives up and in the final minutes, with subs Ward, Sears and then crucially Pitman all making an impact, they began to create openings and eventually found the equaliser, scored by Lawrence, who had had another of his quieter afternoons.

The result sees Town, who have won one in 12 in all competitions, remain 16th but not only seven points from the relegation zone ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Cardiff.

Barnsley: Davies, Yiadom, Jones, Roberts (c), MacDonald, Scowen, James, Hammill, Watkins, Bradshaw, Armstrong (Williams 78). Unused: Townsend, Jackson, Mowatt, Hedges, Moncur, Kent.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Berra, Knudsen, Spence, Skuse, Huws (Pitman 84), Diagouraga (Ward 52), Kenlock (Sears 63), McGoldrick, Lawrence. Unused: Gerken, T Smith, Pitman, Bru, Moore. Referee: Stephen Martin (Staffordshire). Att: 11,836 (Town: 742).


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bbg added 20:10 - Mar 11
Every true supporter will be celebrating every point we get until we reach 50+ points. It is very clear that many of the contributors on this site this evening were not celebrating our last minute equaliser as the away supporters were, they were disappointed. I sincerely hope the views of the club hierarchy will never by swayed by such people.

How can it possibly be in the clubs interest to drop out of the division? The players and manager are fighting for their lives, and any player who has ever been in that position knows that aesthetics go out the window, it is life or death. While the pressure it brings does not promote entertaining football or taking of risks, I would be much more concerned if we didn't realise we were in a dogfight, because that is a team that would certainly be relegated.

No team in this division will consistently get into the top 10 without resources. Barnsley might do so for one season, but I doubt that they will do so consistently unless the funds raised by player sales are used and used wisely.

For all the talk about the Ipswich way, when the club had success and was playing with style in the 70's, we were able to pay 50% of the then British transfer record on Paul Mariner and others (the equivalent of £40m today on one player). In other words we could financially compete with the biggest clubs in the country. Unless the club finds a new sugar daddy, nothing will change with a change of manager, the current one is doing far better than most with the resources available.
-11

couldbebetter added 20:12 - Mar 11
Since when did footballers playing a match become 'putting in a good shift'?.What about,skill,flair,shots on target ? Town play a defensive setup with a single strategy of hoofing the ball up the pitch and hoping that a defensive mistake will lead to a goal.This is not football for me.
18

Cloddyseedbed added 21:37 - Mar 11
Maybe ME and MM have a plan. We can't afford to be in this league and compete with others on transfer fees and wages so just maybe they have decided to take us down a league or 2 where having little money is the norm and MM type football is more accepted. Having said that many lower division clubs would play us off the park too. Complete shambles of a club with confidence shot to bits with players, manager and supporters. Have some balls ME. Leicester did and so did Narwich! Otherwise lower leagues beckon.
4

MickMillsTash added 21:42 - Mar 11
Same as Tuesday - 5 at the back is not right for us. Possibly ok when we are expected to defend but we have no quality at full back and this is badly exposed when we good foward.
First half I thought we were Ok, It was better than Tuesday.
The goal conceded was ridiculous - Spence should have stopped him but that is what you get when yo pay no money for players
McCarthy did the right thing by going 4-4-2 at a goal down but it brought little improvement. Players playing out of position crossing to no-one in particular.
We all know it, McCrathy knows it - we need a centre forward who can hold the ball up. We need a right back, and we will need someone to replace Huws - really disappointed with him today. That will cost money

Barnsley are decent enough- we have no right to beat them - the centre back looked good and their movement was Ok. on balance of the whole it was probably just about right but once we conceded we were clueless and lacked belief. Lucky to get the goal.
4

adeblueboy added 21:46 - Mar 11
That was a dire performance once again, we are so negative. I would love to see chambers who was dreadful today Berra and Knudsen pass the ball out of from the back but when they do they give it away so they hoof it and give it away!! Every time Knudsen has a long throw in we give it away. Kenlock and diag wots his name play it on the floor is that why you take them off mick? Barnsley then score and we cannot make any attempt at trying to get an equaliser. Then with 2 minutes to go we start pushing men forward yes forward and hey ho pitman at last on the pitch instead of Moore crosses and goal machine Lawrence scores such an undeserved equaliser. Get in and we all go mental. Amazing!!
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grumpyoldman added 22:14 - Mar 11
bbg you quoted the Mariner transfer saying we could compete at a high level in the transfer market, what you seem to forget is how much we paid for the rest, £35000 for Paul Cooper £50000 Allan Hunter and the rest came through the youth system, we were in Europe every year, had an average gate of approx 25-30000. There was no premier league money so clubs like us could compete with the big boys. Those days will never return, but we could at least try to win instead of playing with 7-8 defensive minded players. In the era you mentioned did we strive to win or try not to lose.
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Vanisleblue2 added 23:50 - Mar 11
"They were much better than us. They are a good team with some great players and deserved to win. I do not blame the players. The fans don't bother me I know what I am doing better than them" Blah blah blah blah zzzzzzzzzz
When is he going to say
"We have a squad of players who should be performing better and these are winnable games. One win in 12 is not good enough and we have been lucky to secure draws thanks to Bialkowski and Lawrence. I want to go out and attack teams with some very skilfull players"
6

northblue added 01:45 - Mar 12
The trouble with mick that he is to defense minded. He
does seem to play players he likes .maybe we need new management but we also need a new owner who is willing to put money into the club.
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BillBlue added 01:55 - Mar 12
Grumpyoldman - BBG has got it wrong. I think we paid £200k to Plymouth for Paul Mariner and the English record was well over £1M initially paid for a guy from Birmingham by the guy who, by then, had left Notts Forrest and gone to Derby (or the other way round) and who was the England number one? HaHa!
2

itfchorry added 03:06 - Mar 12
Try and understand some Club history before
posting
-1

LACR added 04:40 - Mar 12
The state of some of these comments.
How on earth can you say that the squad, assembled by Mick, is capable, yet ME doesn't give him a bigger budget because he 'knows it would be wasted'. Ffs.

Is our current form frustrating? Yes.
Can Mick be frustrating? Absolutely, yes.
Are all problems Mick's fault? No, they aren't - after all, we were (as he has tiresomely reminded us) bottom when he took over.
What is the main cause of our travails if not Mick? ME's tight-fistedness, plus the obvious market inflation (money, i.e.)
0

JimmyP45 added 07:01 - Mar 12
More complete negativity from a man who has no clue about how to run this club.

On another point it's typical that we fail to even try to sign Hugill or Watkins and they score against us AND Norwich may get Rowett when potentially Mick could have been sacked months ago and we bring Rowett in.

The way this club is being run is pathetic.
2

Dissboyitfc added 07:35 - Mar 12
Wouldnt want Rowett as our next manager as he is very much in the same mould as MM in terms of playing style.

Poyet and Torrico for me.
7

MicksZzzTactics added 07:48 - Mar 12
@BillBlue (and @BBG)
For strictly precision purposes (and thus not to strictly best anyone here!) I would just like to add and/or address the following:

Firstly, that the October 1976 transer-fee for Mariner was in fact reported nationally as £ 220,000 ... but was btw a 3-player-deal with John "Fractured Skull" Peddelty & awesome Terry Austin going the other way i.e. to Plymouth.

Secondly, Ipswich & Sir Bobby actually could thus very well have paid over the "50% of the then British transfer record on Mariner" as @BBG claimed, since at the time (Autumn of 1976) the then transfer record still involved Bob Latchford's 1974 £ 350,000 move from Birmingham to Everton. Now 220,000 / 350,000 = 62.8% ... however this percentage figure is not necessarily precise imo since one likely need to add both Austin's and Peddelty's player value to the 220,000 first (albeit provided the 220,000 was indeed the net price reported and not the gross price so to speak of this here 3-player, but I've personally not been able to verify this 100% at the time of this post). I've no idea or recollection of what Austin was valued at at the time but I recall having seen a figure of £ 50,000 attached to Peddelty.

Thirdly @Bill dear fella, I have also been trying really freakin' hard this morning to figure out or "decode" rather :-)lol who this unnamed fella, with the alleged £ 1+ million tag inferred to have taken place BEFORE the Mariner deal?!, might be ..... as your mentioned Birmingham - Nottingham connection (but not the Derby one though!) did in fact rang a serious bell in my personal 'Memory Bank'... but eventually the only answer my E.T. brain keep coming up with at this early Sunday hour is that of the great Trevor Francis!
However @Bill if that's indeed the unnamed one you are alluring to then well buddy it's then with great great sorry :-) lol that I've to inform you that you misremember (or alternatively maybe you simply had one too many late-night Sarsaparilla Root Beers following the jawdropping defending-with-8-men ultra entertaining "SPECTACLE" that was the Barnsley game??? Lmao!) the actual year for that £ 1+ million transfer, with a fairly good bit actually .... or maybe it's just still sleepy ME simply reading your post wrongly, in which case I deeply apologize, particularly for the part about them awful tasting Root Beers! :-) lol

In any event the very 1st £ 1+ million transfer deal in English Football was undebatably for the immaculate Mr. Francis moving from Birmingham to Nottingham (for a staggering £ 1,180,000 in February 1979) as thus it happen about 28 months AFTER the Mariner deal btw.
This tranfer-fee for Mr. Francis was mind-boggling at the time in and by itself since it was virtually over twice the amount of the previous record!!! which had just been made less than 1 month earlier! That one involved David Mills going to WBA from Middlesbrough for £ 516.000, thus barely eclipsing the actual very 1st £ ½ million tranfer involving any English player i.e. the June 1977 perfectly round £ ½ millilon deal that sent iconic Kevin Keegan from Liverpool to Hamburg.

As for both the "Derby" connection and the "England No. 1" (a goalkeeper I naturally presume) you mention I still remain rather in the dark @Bill.... but hmmmm in the case of the former could you possibly be referring to perhaps David Nish (not exactly a goalie though!) going from Leicester to Derby in August 1972 for a THEN English record fee of £ 225.000???



PS: Oh and just in case anyone very skeptical is wondering, especially those here who in general doesn't agree or get along with yours truly :-) lol, I honestly didn't need to "cheat" (i.e. look it up) with regard to the above-mentioned player names, teams and actual year + month of these particular English recording breaking transfers, however I fully admit that I did find it necessary to consult for instance this here quite nifty & and recommendable page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progression_of_British_football_transfer_fee_recor

in order to cross-check and get the very exact £ amounts right .... most of which unless they happen to be nice round-like figures I have never bothered allocating much attention nor "RAM" to! (except any that involves any Ipswich player of course! :-)
7

sidtheswan added 08:28 - Mar 12
Only comment is that MM is the only manager in the history of Ipswich Town that will save me over £500 next season on a season ticket! That's something that Jewel and Keano never did . Even George Burley never did that he used to cost me money with those play off games . Anyway stop moaning and don't renew your ticket . ME is a business man and will sack MM and then we can all renew our tickets and get behind the new manager ! Simples !
9

hulltractor added 09:48 - Mar 12
It's Sunday and only just found out the score ... That's how much your football bores me MM âš½
1

Cloddyseedbed added 10:00 - Mar 12
A double act of Muhren and Thissen for me to manage the footballing side next year. Hopefully they could teach players to pass and move, control the ball, defend and score goals. The present manager seems incapable of doing any of these.
4

planetblue_2011 added 10:51 - Mar 12
Tom Lawrence has saved us again!!!
Pitman come on in the 84th minute, your so kind Mick.
why doesn't he give Dozzell a game in the 3 man midfield it's his best position playing in a 3 he says. Play him then, give the boy a chance.
We have got some good players he just doesn't play them. Our bench looks decent!!
One last thing Spence is in the team for Emanuel, he's another player who never gets a long run in the team, Kenlock being subbed.
Why is it always the youngsters he brings off or doesn't play.
He is so frustrating this bloke, he's got to go end of season.
Bring Gary Rowett in.
7

Lightningboy added 12:13 - Mar 12
I'm not convinced that Rowett's the answer tbh..I think he'd be far better than McCarthy but ultimately not what we want if we want to get back to playing attractive football.

The next manager needs to have "the beautiful game" in his blood.
7

KMANSers added 12:26 - Mar 12
MM out is a must.
But more importantly ME has to go
4

Cakeman added 12:45 - Mar 12
How about the two lads from Grimsby as our next managers? What a great effort from them this season and they certainly know how to get the very best out of ordinary players and with some entertainment too.
PS I had to look up the word entertainment as I thought it was correct to use it in this context but have not seen any entertainment for a very long time so needed to be sure before I made reference to it.
3

Seasider added 13:05 - Mar 12
I am not surprised Brett is unhappy with being left out all the time,and having a sub from the National League in front of him until today.

I have said before that Pitman is more outspoken than most of the yes men at Portman Road,and we know from Press Conferences etc that McCarthy doesn't like awkward questions,and seemingly punishes by in the case of Brett leaving him out;but keeping Cole Skuse in all the time because somebody dared to suggest that Cole now had competition for his place.

Having said all that think that' Sideways' has definitely upped his game,and is getting forward more,whilst 'Dave' is looking a bit sluggish at times.

Once again though,it was not until late in the game that he made the positive subs which brought about the draw.

Perhaps it is too much too hope that he sets up his team against Cardiff to try and take the game to the opposition for a change,rather than two defensive midfielders,and wingbacks that get over the halfway line more frequently.
9

Cakeman added 13:11 - Mar 12
Red face time...I meant Lincoln not Grimsby
5

Seasider added 14:22 - Mar 12
Re the above from Bill Blue and Micks zzz Tactics.

My records show that Paul Mariner cost £225000 with Terry Austin valued at £30k,and John Peddelty £70k;although I think PM's figure was gross not net, so the club only had to find in the region of £125K.

BTW agree with Cakeman about the brothers from Lincoln,who are both Essex boys with ITFC supporting relatives I believe.
5

MicksZzzTactics added 14:25 - Mar 12
Not to worry @Cakeman (about any possible reddish hue to your facial skin! lol), cause I'm close to a 100% sure that one could get a couple of **Positive-Thinking** RANDOM "Lads from Grimsby" to bring us 'Winning Mentality'-starved & entertainment-starved ITFC fans multiple, repeat multiple, times MORE genuine**Value-For-Money** (likely at the sorry expense of some super strict & overboard 7-8 men strong defensive organisation though! lol) .... just in the space of say just a half years's Saturday afternoons & occasional midweek evenings, than the Dreaded Dino aka Mick "I set up to win EVERY time! On my grandmother's grave!" McCarthy has soooo scantily accomplished, in his entire beyond cumbersome 4 and half years here at ITFC!!! :-) smile :-)
1


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