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Jewell: Better Side But Lacked Cutting Edge - Ipswich Town News

Blues boss Paul Jewell felt his team were the better side at the Riverside despite falling to a 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough. Town created plenty of chances and the Liverpudlian was disappointed his team failed to take any of them.

Jewell said: "I thought we were the better team, I thought we played good football, we just lacked the cutting edge today inside the box. We’ve had lots of shots, played lots of quality football, had good possession, the only thing that was missing was goals.

"We created plenty of openings and we don’t make the most of them, real gilt-edged chances, through really good football.

"We had 17 shots on goal throughout the game, but we haven’t made their goalkeeper work hard enough, hence the reason we didn’t win the game.”

The Town manager was disappointed with Boro’s first goal which came after Andy Drury’s misplaced pass midway inside his own half: "It was a sloppy ball in midfield.

"The lad [Luke Williams] finished it really well, you can’t take the finish away from him. We had good possession in the middle of the park, we lost it and the next thing we’re a goal down.”

Jewell’s side pushed for the equaliser in the latter stages before being caught on the counter-attack for the Teessiders’ second goal but he thought his team deserved more for their performance: "The story of the second half is that we piled forward, they were trying to hit us on the break.

"We kept going, we tried to keep playing, but the ball didn’t drop for us in the box today. I’m not one to blame bad luck but the bounce of the ball just didn’t fall our way.

"We tried fresh legs late on and I thought the team, everyone who came on the pitch, played their part.

"OK, we’ve lost 2-0 and people will look at the result but you’ve got to look deeper than the result at this stage of the season.

"I thought some of our play was excellent and if we’d have come away with a point we would have been disappointed. To get nothing, we’re doubly disappointed.”

Jewell said he’d comment on whether he would be pursuing his interest in German trialist Kevin Pezzoni in the week.

Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray admitted his side had been given a difficult afternoon: "You have to say Ipswich played very well.

"Ipswich have got a history of being good with the ball, I was there for nine years and the coaching and the philosophy and the expectation at that club is that they take care of the ball, and I think they showed that today.

"They probably lacked a bit of a cutting edge. I thought Jonathan Woodgate and Andre Bikey and Jason Steele were very good today and yet, while Ipswich might be disappointed because they played well, we’ve won the game 2-0 and you can’t be dominant every game.

"There have been some occasions when we’ve lost and been dominant with the ball and I’m happy enough to take the points.”

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