Ipswich Town Women conceded two second-half goals to lose 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace having been 1-0 up at half-time, and find themselves further adrift at the foot of the WSL2 table as they fast approach the midway point of the season.
Blues manager Joe Sheehan continued with the new formation introduced at last weekend’s heavy defeat away to Bristol City. Natalia Negri remained in goal with a back five of Grace Neville, Leah Mitchell, Maria Boswell, Megan Wearing and Summer Hughes in front of her.
Jenna Dear, Sophie Peskett and Beth Roe formed the midfield three with Rianna Dean and Natasha Thomas the attack.
Skipper Boswell replaced Paige Peake in defence, the latter dropping to the bench, whilst Kaci-Jai Bonwick returned to the matchday squad as a substitute for Ruby Doe with Hughes replacing her in the starting line-up.
Laura Hartley, Charlotte Fleming, Kyra Robertson, Shauna Guyatt, Lucy O’Brien, Maddy Earl and Ruby Seaby rounded out Town’s replacement options.
Crystal Palace won a corner on six, causing some concern in the stands given Town’s propensity to concede from set pieces this season, but Ipswich were able to deal with both the initial effort and the second ball, which was claimed by Negri.
On 11, the visitors won the ball high up the pitch and were able to deliver a low cross into Town’s penalty area which initially evaded Boswell, but Mitchell was alert to clear the ball.
Four minutes later, Town got forward through Mitchell launching a long ball to Dean from the centre of the park, the Blues’ number nine then squaring the ball out of the area to Neville on the edge of the box to deliver a cross which Eagles goalkeeper Shae Yañez couldn’t hold onto. Efforts from Thomas and Peskett were blocked before the Palace defence could clear the ball.
There was then a break in play for Allyson Swaby to receive treatment, the Palace defender attempting to carry on but eventually replaced on 20 by Justine Vanhaevermaet.
In the 22nd minute, the home side took the lead. Peskett won the ball from Vanhaevermaet high up the pitch on the right before driving forward into the box, closing down Yañez and then firing the ball in at the far post for her first goal of the season.
Palace responded from the restart and soon won another corner, but Thomas was adjudged to have been fouled in the box as the long delivery came in.
A minute later, Dean was booked for a foul on Annabel Blanchard in the middle of the pitch. Palace then delivered another deep ball into Town’s area but Vanhaevermaet shot over the bar.
The Blues pushed forward on the left through Peskett, who despite her central position was covering large swathes of the Palace half, before she was brought down by Jamie-Lee Napier, who joined Dean in the book for her efforts.
On 31 Ipswich looked to double their lead from a set piece but Boswell could only shoot wide after receiving Mitchell’s free-kick.
Palace then had a dangerous break forward and the Town defence was needed to block Ashleigh Weerden’s goalbound shot. On 37 Weerden was in again but could only shoot wide of goal.
With five minutes of the half remaining, Dean played in Thomas for a run towards goal, with the number seven marshalled away from the Palace box but eventually winning an attacking throw, which resulted in a cross that Hughes could not quite get her head to.
In the fourth and final minute of time added on to the end of the first half, Peskett looked to nip into the box but was shepherded out by the Eagles’ defence.
Palace made one change at the break, Shanade Hopcroft making way for Abbie Larkin.
The visitors started the second half with more conviction, Blanchard shooting wide from the edge of the box three minutes after the restart.
On 55, Palace won another corner, but Thomas was able to head the delivery well clear.
Shortly after, the Eagles crashed the ball off the underside of the bar from another cross, which Negri should have been quicker to come out and claim. Town then conceded a corner but soon had the ball back after a foul on Thomas.
As the game reached the hour mark, Palace drew level. Blanchard was able to drive forward from her own half, evading Dear’s sliding tackle, before playing the ball to Howat, who neatly set up Weerden to lash home from the left, past Negri and off the underside of the bar to make it 1-1.
Town responded well to the leveller and quickly fashioned chances through Peskett and Thomas, the latter seemingly wasting a gilt-edged opportunity after holding up Dear’s long ball in the box with her back to goal before turning and blasting the ball at Yañez.
On 66, Town were in on goal again from a long ball but Peskett could not get a shot away before being blocked out.
Palace continued to look dangerous, however, and Larkin saw a rasping shot tipped over the bar by Negri. Thomas was again quick to head away the resulting corner and the second ball was then nodded over by the visitors.
Ipswich began to tire as the game entered its final 20 minutes and on 72 Palace put the ball over after a sustained spell of pressure. On 75 Howat whipped in a low cross but it was too close to Negri, who comfortably held the ball.
On 80, with both sides chasing a winning goal, Sheehan and Eagles manager Jo Potter both made changes with Dean making way for Guyatt and Jamie-Lee Napier departing in place of Indiah-Paige Riley.
And three minutes later, Palace took the lead, much to the dismay of the home crowd.
In an eerily similar move to the equaliser, Larkin was able to stride forward relatively unchallenged, Mitchell showing her far too much space, before arrowing a shot from distance past Negri to make it 2-1.
Again, Town responded positively to the setback and shortly after the restart Thomas was able to maraud forward and strike just over the bar from the edge of the box.
In the 88th minute, Sheehan made two further changes, Thomas and Boswell leaving the pitch to be replaced by O’Brien and Peake.
With time running out, Town resorted to launching long balls up the pitch via Negri to try and get in behind a resolute Palace side. On 89 Guyatt delivered a looping cross to Hughes in the box, but her tame effort was easily held by Yañez.
In the final minute of normal time, Larkin’s effort from long-range beat Negri and crashed off the bar with Howat appearing to appeal that the ball had crossed the line before coming back out.
With six minutes added on, Town continued to try and get long balls forward and nullify the Eagles’ attempts to take the ball into the corner, but struggled to break down the visitors.
In the seventh additional minute, presumably to eat up some time, Potter made a final change and brought Isabella Sibley on to replace Weerden.
Despite a confidence-shattering 7-0 mauling by Bristol City in the south-west last week, Town played in a positive manner and put in a much-improved performance and were good for the lead at half-time.
Ipswich noticeably tired in the second half and struggled with Palace’s press in the latter stages of the game, however, and despite having several outfield options of the bench made no changes until the 80th minute of the game.
Despite being more defensively solid overall, it was a similar tale to previous games for both the Palace goals with the visitors finding it all too easy to get forward without any meaningful resistance.
On balance, Town can take some positives from their performance but ultimately it was another loss with Palace good for the win over the course of 90 minutes.
The result launched Crystal Palace up the table to eighth place with Town rooted to the foot of the table with the gap to safety increasing to five points.
There was scant consolation from other results with Portsmouth and Sunderland both losing, and Durham only managing a draw, to mean that Ipswich don’t find themselves even further adrift in the race to maintain WSL2 status for next season.
The Blues are back in action at the Jobserve Colchester Community Stadium next Sunday, hosting London City Lionesses in their third Group D game in the Subway Women’s League Cup, before returning to WSL2 action on 7th December with a journey to Durham.
Town: Negri, Neville, Mitchell, Boswell (c) (Peake 88), Wearing, Hughes, Dear, Roe, Peskett, Dean (Guyatt 80), Thomas (O’Brien 88) Unused: Hartley, Fleming, Robertson, Bonwick, Earl, Seaby
Crystal Palace: Yañez, Swaby (Vanhaevermaet 20), Everett (c), Hopcroft (Larkin 46), Nolan, Cato, Weerden (Sibley 90+7), Blanchard, Napier (Riley 80), Howat, Hughes Unused: Annets, Sharpe, Littlejohn. Att: 1,121.
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