Town manager Joe Royle slammed his side's 'amateur' defending after they lost 5-1 at home to Wimbledon. He added that the Blues defensive frailities are something he has long felt needed addressing.

The Blues' boss said his side missed a hatful of opportunities in the first half: "We made enough chances in the opening 20 minutes to be three or four up. We were one down at the interval when they hadn't had a shot. Then they scored four goals with four shots.

"It was a daft day. We defended like amateurs and missed chances at the other end. The best sides have 11 men defending, not just four or five.

"I identified one or two weaknesses when I first came to the club and nothing has changed, but being in administration has been a problem and prevented me from operating in the transfer market.

"We cannot go on needing three goals to win a game, but we have young players coming through and with a couple of additions to the squad I think we can be stronger next season."

Wimbledon manager Stuart Murdoch said he was worried when he side hardly had a kick in the opening stages: "For 20 minutes I thought we were in trouble and when we were 2-1 up I was starting to worry.

"Neil Shipperley and David Connolly have been tremendous all season. I've got to be careful what I say because the more I talk about them, the more people will realise how good they are.

"I would have settled for a draw before we started but after the horrors of this season I feel sure we have things to look forward to.

"We'll be under pressure from the chairman to be in the top echelons next season and I feel we've got good enough players.

"We defended as well as we've done for a couple of months and after the doom and gloom from pundits before we started the season I think it has been a success. Young players have come through and established themselves.

"Sometimes it's just your day and it was definitely ours today. The players worked hard and everything went for them."

Photo: Action Images

Ipswich Town Polls