x

Harwich and Parke 1-5 Res - Ipswich Town News

A young Town reserve side comfortably beat Harwich and Parkeston in occasionally atrocious conditions in a friendly at the Shrimpers' Royal Oak ground.

Town took the lead in the seventh minute when Ian Westlake was quickest to react after Dean Bowditch's shot had been saved by the Harwich keeper.

On 23 the Blues scored again when Sam Morrow ran on to a long ball, took the ball past the keeper before slipping the ball past a host of defenders on the line from an acute angle.

Four minutes later Bowditch added the third, turning well inside the box and shooting across the keeper after a ball into feet from Stuart Boardley.

On the half hour Matt Bloomfield headed home the fourth after his initial effort from Bowditch's left wing cross had been saved.

The goals dried up for a while as the wind, snow and rain took their toll on a pitch which was little more than park standard by the end of the first half.

After the break Dean Bowditch should have added Town's fifth but saw his spotkick saved. The England youngster had been fouled as he broke into the Shrimpers' box.

Five minutes later the home side had a penalty of their own, Gareth Heath beating the otherwise impressive James Pullen from the spot.

Finally, after a plethora of substitutions, Matt Robinson scored the final goal of the night, chesting the ball down before firing in from ten yards with seven minutes left on the clock.

The Town youngsters had played some neat football in the first half despite the horrendous conditions but by the second period the pitch and the innumerable substitutions saw the game lose its cohesion.

Prior to the match Town boss Joe Royle had been involved in the opening of new dressing room facilities at Royal Oak.

Town: Pullen (Price 80), Okay, Boardley, Bloomfield (Atay 80), Mitchell, Bonwick, Abidallah (Murray 30), Westlake (Flack 80), Morrow (Robinson 50), Bowditch (Smith 70), Richards (Barron 60).

What to read next:

Ipswich Town v Wrexham - Predictions
Have you predicted the Wrexham score yet? Ninety per cent of TWTD members are predicting a Town win today, nine per cent a draw and one per cent for an away win. The most commonly predicted result is a 3-1 win to Town with Philogene the first scorer but what do you think?
[Podcast] Blue Monday - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
U21s Win at Leicester
Town’s U21s beat Leicester City 2-0 at their Seagrave Training Ground this evening to claim their first Premier League Cup victory of the season.
Over to Replace Finbow as PLC Chairman
Roger Finbow is set to stand down as the chairman of the Ipswich Town PLC following its AGM at Portman Road on Tuesday 16th December - where chairman and CEO Mark Ashton and chief financial officer Tom Ball will answer shareholders’ questions - with Peter Over set to take over.
Taylor: We've Got Incredible Players, You Don't Know How High the Ceiling Is
Jack Taylor has had an eventful international break, but the midfielder returns to Town determined to go on a run through a busy spell of fixtures between now and the turn of the year.
McKenna: The Challenge is to Recapture the Energy From Swansea Against Wrexham
Town boss Kieran McKenna says it’s important his team start their run of seven games in 22 days positively when Wrexham visit Portman Road for the first time in their history on Saturday.
McKenna: O'Shea Has Fantastic Qualities as a Defender and is an Outstanding Leader
Blues boss Kieran McKenna has praised Dara O’Shea both for his captaincy and his role at the heart of the defence.
McKenna: It's Going to Be All Hands on Deck
Saturday’s home game against Wrexham is the first of seven matches in 22 days for the Blues, a run which manager Kieran McKenna says will require all hands on deck for the next few weeks.
McKenna: It Will Be Good to See Them Both
Blues boss Kieran McKenna says he’s looking forward to being reunited former Town pair Nathan Broadhead and Kieffer Moore when their Wrexham side visit at the weekend but hopes he doesn’t see the best of them on the pitch.
McKenna Happy International Players Had Brilliant Experiences
Town boss Kieran McKenna says the players who have been away on international duty have unsurprisingly come back in a positive mood given the results some of their sides have achieved.