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Ipswich Town 1-2 Arsenal U21s - Match Report
Tuesday, 8th Sep 2020 21:49

A strong Town side was beaten 2-1 by Arsenal’s U21s in their opening EFL Trophy fixture at Portman Road. Jon Nolan gave the Blues the lead in the 28th minute before one-time Town trialist George Lewis equalised first-half in injury time, then Folarin Balogun grabbed what proved to be the winner in the 54th minute. The Blues huffed and puffed and hit the woodwork twice as they looked for a leveller which never came.

Town made only three changes to the team which beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 in the Carabao Cup on Saturday.

Myles Kenlock replaced Stephen Ward, who was left out of the 18 but was training on the pitch before the match, at left-back with keeper David Cornell, who joined Town after leaving Northampton last month, taking over from Tomas Holy, who dropped to the bench.

Centre-half Toto Nsiala was initially down to start but dropped out at the last minute allowing Corrie Ndaba to make his full debut at centre-half with James Wilson taking his place on the bench.

Striker James Norwood, who played only 45 minutes of football in pre-season as he continued his rehabilitation after his groin operation in February, was among the subs having missed out on Saturday.

Again Flynn Downes was not included in the 18 having been given a few days off following the interest from Crystal Palace and his resultant transfer request, as was Kayden Jackson, who has been suffering with a groin problem and is the subject of a £1 million - not the £2 million initially reported - rebuffed bid from AFC Bournemouth.

Arsenal’s U21s, with U23s head coach Steve Bould on the touchline, included Norwegian-Rwandan winger George Lewis, 20, who had a trial with the Blues before joining the Gunners in the summer.

Their highest profile name in their side was 19-year-old Balogun, who has refused a new contract and is understood to be interesting Brighton. As expected, it was a very young side with an average age of 18 and a half.

Neither Harry Clarke nor Marcelo Flores, who both moved to the Arsenal youth set-up from the Town academy, were involved.

At an again empty Portman Road, with the shouts of the players echoing around the ground, the Blues quickly began to dominate possession against the Arsenal youngsters.

On seven, Jon Nolan flicked a header on for Freddie Sears to chase, however, Arsenal keeper Tom Smith was off his line and out of his area to clear.

Two minutes later, Sears fed Kenlock breaking on the overlap, not for the first time, but his cross was diverted behind by Arsenal skipper Mark McGuinness ahead of Aaron Drinan. From Andre Dozzell's corner, Luke Woolfenden nodded into Smith’s arms.

Town should have been in front in the 16th minute when Sears’s flick sent Drinan away into the area on the left. The Irish U21 international side-footed across the keeper and struck the outside of the post with Sears screaming for the ball to be cut back to him on the edge of the six-yard box.

The Arsenal kids were seeing most of the ball and passing it around neatly as the game reached the 20-minute mark but without Cornell having been tested.

In the 27th minute the Blues took the lead. Ndaba found Sears with an excellent cross-field pass, Dozzell having played a similar ball out to Alan Judge on the other flank moments earlier.


The ex-West Ham man cut in and sent in a cross which reached Judge at the far post from where the Irish international scuffed a shot which was cleared from the six-yard box. However, the danger wasn’t gone and Judge played the ball back in for Nolan, who scrambled home off keeper Smith from a few yards.

Despite conceding, the visitors again began to pass the ball around slickly but still without threatening goal.

On 39 Drinan chased Teddy Bishop's ball down the right but McGuinness slid in to make an important challenge just outside the area with keeper Smith having made a hasty run off his line and potentially in a lot of trouble. At the other end, Ndaba made a similarly impressive tackle albeit when the flag had been raised.

Just before the scheduled end of the half, Balogun hit Arsenal’s first shot of the game from the edge of the box, the ball deflecting wide of Cornell’s goal off a defender. But from the corner, with the period now in injury time, the young Gunners equalised.

The Blues repeatedly failed to clear their lines on the edge of the area and the ball was played to former Town trialist Lewis, who shot low across Cornell and into the corner of the net.

Town left the field at the break disappointed not to have been in front with the goal Arsenal’s only serious chance throughout the half.

Although neat and tidy on the ball, as you’d expect from a Gunners side, they had presented little threat and the Blues will feel the danger should have been cleared.

While Town hadn’t created a huge number of clear-cut opportunities themselves, they had certainly threatened enough to warrant a half-time lead.

The Blues swapped Sears for Gwion Edwards ahead of the second half, presumably to keep Saturday’s two-goal scorer fresh for Sunday’s League One opener at home to Wigan Athletic, while Arsenal brought on Miguel Azeez for Jordan McEneff.

Edwards sent over an early cross from the left which skipper Luke Chambers nodded behind from a tight angle beyond the far post.

Neither side had created another chance before Bishop was switched for Emyr Huws on 53, a minute before the visitors took the lead.

Ben Cottrell played Balogun through on goal to the right and the striker confidently beat the advancing Cornell.

As Town prepared to restart, Drinan was replaced by Norwood making his first appearance of the season.

The sub headed wide for Town on 58, then Salah Oulad M’Hand nutmegged his way past Kenlock on the Arsenal right before shooting over with the Gunners having grown in confidence since their second goal and well on top. On 64 Azeez shot over from distance.

Town started to see more of the ball but on 67 lost possession midway inside the Arsenal half and the visitors broke quickly and it took a couple of last-ditch challenges and a Cornell save from Balogun before the danger was gone.

The Blues went very close to levelling in the 68th minute when Norwood crossed from the left, Chambers sent it back from the right, Huws returned it again and Judge, who had switch flanks with Edwards, stooped to head towards goal only for Smith to brilliantly tip it on to the post and behind.

Within a minute the woodwork was stuck again, Huws hitting a brilliant curling effort from distance which beat the keeper but hit the bar.

Tim Akinola was booked for a foul on Kenlock then, as the game moved towards its final 10 minutes, James Olayinka played in Azeez on the edge of the box but his low shot was too weak to trouble Cornell.

A Town equaliser wasn’t looking particularly likely, despite the Blues seeing a lot of the ball in the Arsenal half.

The Blues should have been on terms in the 85th minute when Nolan was played in on goal by a Norwood flick but keeper Smith advanced quickly and forced his not overly convincing effort at goal.

From the corner, the ball fell to Chambers who hit a powerful strike which was blocked by one of a number of players in the six-yard box. The ball was sent back in by Judge and Ndaba and keeper Smith collided. Before referee Neil Hair stopped play for the head injuries, Norwood had a chance but the opportunity was snuffed out.

After undergoing treatment on the field, Ndaba was helped around the pitch by physio Matt Byard and the club doctor, while Smith was able to continue for the Gunners. With all Town’s subs used, the Blues finished the game with 10 men.

As the match moved into injury time, the Blues went very close to an equaliser. After Arsenal had failed to clear a free-kick from the right, the ball fell to Huws, his effort was blocked, before Norwood’s stab goalwards was cleared off the line.

Deep in injury time, keeper Cornell came up for a free-kick and corner but was unable to help his team-mates to an equaliser.

The final whistle was greeted by cheers from the Arsenal players and staff after staging an impressive turnaround against their more senior opponents.

Town had been the better side in the first half but having grabbed their equaliser and after going ahead in the second period, Arsenal dominated for a long spell with the Blues struggling to get a foothold in the game.

Eventually, as the Arsenal youngsters tired, the Blues created more than enough opportunities to have taken the game to a penalty shoot-out but the Gunners youngsters remained resolute as well as riding their luck on occasion - Town hit the woodwork three times overall - while Town’s finishing was less than clinical on occasion.

A disappointing night, particularly given the strength of the side, putting a dampener on the positive mood following Saturday’s 3-0 home victory over Bristol Rovers in the Carabao Cup.

Town will be looking to a repeat of that performance when Wigan Athletic visit Portman Road for the League One opener on Sunday.

Town: Cornell, Chambers (c), Ndaba, Woolfenden, Kenlock, Nolan, Dozzell, Bishop (Huws 53), Judge, Drinan (Norwood 55), Sears (Edwards 46). Unused: Holy, Lankester, Wilson, Hawkins.

Arsenal U21: Smith, Alebiosu, Balogun (Cirjan 73), Bola, Cottrell, Lewis, McEneff (Azeez 46), McGuinness (c), Olayinka, M’Hand (Akinola 65), Oyegoke. Unused: Hillson, Kirk, Ogungbo. Referee: Neil Hair (Cambridgeshire).


Photo: Matchday Images



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KiwiTractor added 21:52 - Sep 8
I hate losing, but I also hate this competition...
5

VanDusen added 21:54 - Sep 8
Good. Sooner we're out of this reserve league being forced to risk decent players the better. Roll on the proper first team games from Saturday.
7

SickParrot added 21:56 - Sep 8
Back to normal after Saturday's brief improvement?
-3

Mark added 21:57 - Sep 8
Please play the youngsters from now on in the EFal Trophy and don't risk any first team players. This competition is crazy given the fixture pile up due to Covid, it should have been cancelled.
16

IpswichToon added 21:57 - Sep 8
The scoreline is far from reflective of the game. Another great performance from Drinan, Ndaba also done well. We weren't the same side in the second half, but still, we didn't deserve to lose that by any stretch.
9

Sergio added 22:01 - Sep 8
Dead Lamb Walking!
0

Marinersnose added 22:02 - Sep 8
Unable to comment on towns performance as I didn't see tonight's game. I feel that a defeat in this game is not the end of the world and may prove to be a good thing.Nobody likes losing but Arsenal players would've been quick and technically brilliant and it sounds as if we missed too many chances. Move on to Wigan.COYB
5

itfchorry added 22:03 - Sep 8
Finally hit Rock Bottom -

Now have to face 3 Arsenal fans in the Office tomorrow.

-4

blue86 added 22:04 - Sep 8
Not to upset with this, personally viewed this as a game to get more players up to speed and used to our system/formation etc. Want a win against wigan though!
3

cat added 22:05 - Sep 8
A loss is a loss and it ain't good. Lambert needs to get some wins under his belt cause it pretty embarrassing right now. Hopefully we'll taste it on Sunday.
6

multiplescoregasms added 22:05 - Sep 8
First half we looked decent, but second half we looked the same side as we have been for several years now. Lots of possession but no one shooting. We seem to think the only way to score is by walking it in. I know it is only 2 games in, but I just can't see us getting anywhere this season.
0

Norwichbeater added 22:09 - Sep 8
Sunday should be a better indicator
9

dav86 added 22:15 - Sep 8
The quicker we get out of this cup the better
1

Lathers added 22:15 - Sep 8
Paid £10 to torture myself. 1st half Arsenal didn't turn up and we looked comfortable without looking great and then 2nd half their 17 and 18 year old academy players ripped our first team apart for 20 minutes and we had no answers. Tbf about 4 or 5 of their players would probably walk in to our first team match day squad, but it's another massive downer tonight and we are just having too many of them under Lambert.
2

ringwoodblue added 22:17 - Sep 8
itfchorry - just work from home for a few days and they will have forgotten about it by next week.

We put out a surprisingly strong team considering its only the EFL cup so we should have beaten them and we would've done if we'd converted some of those chances. Not too fussed and looking forward to seeing us on telly on Sun.
6

TractorBeezer added 22:20 - Sep 8
A good first half except for the goal from Lewis. Closest defender was Chambers who didn't challenge or pressure leaving Lewis with a free shot. We were unfortunate to hit the post and bar after the break.
Disappointing result but a useful work out for the lads.
0

Cloddyseedbed added 22:25 - Sep 8
" more injuries to add to the long list. Nsiala and Ndaba.
0

Cloddyseedbed added 22:26 - Sep 8
Should of read 2 more injuries to add to the long list.
2

Lightningboy added 22:53 - Sep 8
Sunday is where it counts.

Let's hope some of the deserting rats start earning their wages.
2

Gforce added 23:02 - Sep 8
Any of those Arsenal youngsters worth getting on loan?
1

BangaloreBlues added 23:04 - Sep 8
No offence but I'm more embarrassed by the high quantity of native adult English speakers who write "should of" instead of "should have". There is no such thing as "should of". Even five-year-old kids here in India have a better grasp of our language.
7

NITFC added 23:09 - Sep 8
Ha ha Bangalore. My pet hate too!!!
2

runningout added 23:23 - Sep 8
It makes me laugh when I hear the term “Strong team” it's only a strong team ‘ish' if they manage at least a dozen wins on the bounce
0

BangaloreBlues added 23:31 - Sep 8
'Should have' becomes 'should've'.
So does 'should of' become 'should'f'?
1

Vancouver_Blue added 23:50 - Sep 8
Why didn't this competition get cancelled?
1


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