Aaron Drinan scored his first goal for the Blues and Ben Morris two strikes from distance as Town’s U23s comfortably beat QPR 3-0 at a windy and rainy Playford Road. Drinan followed up a blocked Morris shot on 48, Morris doubled the lead in the 54th minute and then completed the scoring with the goal of the afternoon with 14 minutes remaining.
Town fielded a strong side featuring a number of first-teamers with the U18s in FA Youth Cup action against Dagenham and Redbridge at Portman Road tomorrow evening (KO 7pm).
Luke Hyam and Kevin Bru were in the centre of midfield with Freddie Sears on the left and Morris on the right of Tristan Nydam behind lone striker Drinan.
Adam McDonnell was at left-back, a position he played on occasion when on loan at Aldershot, with skipper Shane McLoughlin at right-back. Chris Smith and George Fowler were the centre-halves, while Michael Crowe was in goal.
On the Blues bench was Mohammed Sagaf, a 20-year-old trialist from Waltham Forest, who plays as attacking midfielder.
Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who looked to be carrying more than a little timber, started for QPR.
Town were first to threaten in the seventh minute when Sears escaped on the left but QPR keeper Marcin Brzozowski was out quickly to block. Drinan’s rebound hit a defender, then the Irishman hit a subsequent effort over.
The former Waterford man ought to have opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he diverted McLoughlin’s right-wing cross towards goal from six yards but too weakly to test Brzozowski. Neither side threatened again in a scruffy, wind-and-rain-affected half.
Three minutes after the restart the Blues took the lead. Morris fired in a low effort from the right of the box which was blocked and the ball fell to the unmarked Drinan, who slammed his first goal in a Town shirt into the corner of the net.
Nydam, playing wide left in the second half with Sears up front, blocked a Emmanuel-Thomas freekick on 51, but three minutes later the Blues doubled their lead.
Bru’s strike from 25 yards out was blocked and the ball fell to Morris, who looped a shot over the QPR keeper and into the top corner after taking a deflection on the way.
Emmanuel-Thomas failed to connect properly with a free header for the visitors, then on the hour the Blues had a goal ruled out for offside.
Following a well-worked freekick, Morris took the ball on before hitting a low shot which Nydam turned on into the corner of the net, but from an offside position. Morris’s strike may well have been on its way in prior to Nydam’s touch.
Two minutes later, the England U19 international was replaced by trialist Sagaf, while QPR withdrew Deshane Dalling for Ody Alfa. Moments later, Olamide Shodipo curled high and wide for the West Londoners.
âš½ï¸ Drinan 48'
âš½ï¸ Morris 54'
âš½ï¸ Morris 76'
Watch as Town's U23s defeated QPR 3-0 at Playford Road earlier this afternoon #itfc pic.twitter.com/v60lZQXU21— Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) January 15, 2018
Ariel Borysiuk saw a shot deflect wide in the 72nd minute, before sub Wallen similarly saw an effort diverted wide by Blues trialist Sagaf, who moments later failed to test the QPR keeper with a shot from distance.
On 76 Morris made it 3-0 with the goal of the afternoon, the former England U18 smashing a brilliant strike into the same top corner as his earlier goal from 25 yards on the right. Ben Folami immediately replaced Bru.
Morris wasn’t far away from his hat-trick a minute later but scraped across the face and wide from Drinan’s cutback from the right.
Sears, who had put in his usual all-action display but with his only chance the early first-half opportunity, was replaced by Conor McKendry, who was being watched by Northern Ireland U21 Ian Baraclough.
The sub almost added a fourth immediately but headed Drinan’s right-sided cross over.
Folami blasted a shot from distance at Brzozowski on 84 with the Blues having dominated the game once they had gone two goals in front.
Two minutes later Wallen hit a weak shot through to Crowe, who had a quiet afternoon.
On 88, Folami turned the ball wide at the near post after excellent work down the right from Drinan, who will have been pleased with his overall display.
Soon after, Australian striker Folami saw a subsequent effort deflect through to the QPR keeper.
After the scrappy first half, the Blues dominated the second period and might well have won even more comfortably in the end.
Boss Mick McCarthy watched the whole game standing alongside Aldershot manager Gary Waddock, who currently has Blues pair Fowler and James Blanchfield on loan.
New French defender Chris Goteni, who is waiting for the paperwork to be completed on his move to the Blues from Saint-Apollinaire, was also among those watching the match.
U23s: M Crowe, McLoughlin, McDonnell, Bru (Folami 76), Fowler, C Smith, Morris, Hyam, Drinan, Nydam (Sagaf 62), Sears (McKendry 78). Unused: Webber, Wright.
QPR: Brzozowski, Kakay, Williams, Borysiuk, Philips (Fox 68), Dalling (Alfa 62), Akinola, Tilt (Wallen 71), Shodipo, Emmanuel-Thomas, Perch. Unused: Bowman.