Flynn Downes was shown a late red card for headbutting Paul Lewis as Ipswich Town ended their pre-season campaign with a moment of madness — and a goalless draw at Cambridge United. The home side were also reduced to 10 men in the same incident.
Downes had arguably been the pick of the Ipswich Town players in an entertaining match at the Abbey Stadium which saw Alan Judge enjoy his first pre-season minutes — and underline his importance to Ipswich Town with an impressive second half showing.
James Norwood, Emyr Huws and Downes were all denied by Cambridge sub keeper Callum Burton but Ipswich stopper Tomas Holy also had to be alert at the other end.
Paul Lambert had said, pre-match, not to read too much into his final pre-season friendly line-up.
But it was interesting to see Holy given the nod over Bartosz Bialkowski in goal and Norwood and Kayden Jackson start together at the other end in a diamond formation.
It was an even, fairly tepid, opening 10 minutes with Ipswich keen to utilise Jackson’s pace at every opportunity.
A jinking run from the diminutive Danny Rowe saw his goalbound shot blocked while at the other end Javo Ibehre released Jonathan Ibika but his deflected effort was comfortably held by Holy.
In the 27th minute, a nice passage of play down the Ipswich left ended with Bailey Clements’ cross just flying over the head of the onrushing Janoi Donacien.
Slowly, Ipswich were starting to play with a little more momentum and Jackson went close with a rasping low shot that narrowly missed the far post after being neatly played in by the advancing Andre Dozzell.
Ipswich’s best moment of the opening 45 minutes came right at the end when a tenacious tackle from Downes led to Norwood teeing up Jackson. The number nine opted to cross rather than shoot and Cambridge just about diverted the goalmouth danger.
The second half started with Judge coming on for his first minutes of the pre-season, having warmed up to chants of ‘we want you to stay’ from the impressively vocal away support.
And it was the playmaker, hotly linked with a move to QPR, that almost provided the first goal six minutes after the restart.
His teasing cross was headed goalwards by Norwood eight yards out but the striker was denied his by a brilliant low save by sub keeper Burton. But Ipswich were not having it all their own way.
Soon after, and following a trio of Ipswich subs, Ibehre powered a header straight at Holy after a deep cross from Harrison Dunk and Luke Hannant was then denied by the body of the Ipswich keeper.
Judge and Huws were adding a touch of reassured class to Ipswich and another probing cross by Judge was diverted into the net by Norwood, but the goal was ruled out for handball.
Luke Garbutt, another second half substitute, saw a low drive well held by Burton before Downes almost got the goal that his performance deserved, bursting into the area but being denied by Burton, who was enjoying a fine second half.
The Cambridge keeper was equal to an angled long range shot from Huws, diving to his left to push the 78th minute goalbound shot away.
The game then descended into chaos in the 86th minute when Downes was caught by a late tackle by Lewis.
The midfielder responded by headbutting the Cambridge sub which caused a brawl that saw Ibehre also shown a red card.
It was a dramatic, completely daft end to the match with Downes arguably man of the match before losing his cool in Town’s final pre-season game before their league campaign kicks off next week.
inject it into my veins 💉 #itfc pic.twitter.com/Pb7JdC3C8f– charlie (@charliedriverr) July 27, 2019
The midfielder, 20, appears unlikely to receive any further sanction for the dismissal unless the FA investigate the incident.
Team: Holy, Donacien (Dobra 57), Clements, Woolfenden (Chambers 57), Guthrie (Wilson 46), Downes, Skuse, Jackson (Judge 46), Norwood, Rowe (Garbutt 46), Dozzell (Huws 57). Unused — Bialkowski, Emmanuel, El Mizouni. Referee: Alan Young (Cambridgeshire).