Ipswich Town Women put on a spirited performance against WSL opposition but were ultimately second best at the Jobserve Colchester Community Stadium today, losing 2-0 to London City Lionesses in their final Group D game in the Subway Women’s League Cup and exiting the competition with zero points.
Manager Joe Sheehan opted for a 4-3-3 formation for this fixture and made several changes to the line-up that lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace in the league last week.
Laura Hartley started with goal, Natalia Negri dropping to the bench, with a defensive unit of Grace Neville, Megan Wearing, Paige Peake and Summer Hughes starting in front of her.
Kyra Robertson, Charlotte Fleming and Ruby Seaby made up the midfield three, with Shauna Guyatt, Maddy Earl and Natasha Thomas the three-pronged attack, with the Jamaica international starting through the middle.
In addition to Negri, skipper Maria Boswell, Leah Mitchell, Lucy O’Brien, Sophie Peskett, Beth Roe, Kaci-Jai Bonwick, Jenna Dear and Rianna Dean also made the bench. With Boswell not starting, vice-captain Kyra Robertson took the armband.
London City Lionesses named a strong line-up with stars such as Alanna Kennedy, Katie Zelem and Teyah Goldie making the opposition starting XI.
Former Blues loanee Freya Godfrey, who joined the Lionesses from Arsenal in the summer following an excellent loan spell during their Championship campaign, was named on the bench.
The game started tentatively, Ipswich content to cede possession and attempt to break on the counter, whilst the Lionesses pushed forward and probed the Blues defence.
It became apparent early on that Town were playing with a back five off the ball, Seaby dropping into the right-back position to allow Neville to move across and provide additional cover in the centre of defence.
On 11, the visitors won their first corner of the game with Zelem’s deep delivery cleared and leading to an Ipswich counter attack, with Earl’s ball not quite finding Guyatt, who was bearing down on goal.
Shortly after, Gesa Marashi shot from distance but her effort was blocked and easily collected by Hartley.
As the game reached the quarter hour, Seaby’s loose pass was intercepted by Lindström, who drove forward and hit a dipping shot which went just over the bar, although Hartley appeared to have it covered.
Soon after, Seaby was able to stride forward from midfield but could not find a pass and City won back possession.
The Lionesses had another corner on 18 but again Zelem’s deep delivery was cleared by the Town defence, the Blues seeming to be doing better from set pieces than in previous games.
From the restart, Guyatt picked out Earl on the left but the attacker got held up in the corner before losing the ball, trying to wriggle through to make the cross rather than playing the safe ball back to Hughes behind her.
On 26 Rofiat Imuran, a constant threat down the left, got to the byline and cut the ball back across goal, but an onrushing Zelem could only head wide despite being unmarked.
Two minutes later, the visitors had a free-kick on the edge of the box which Kennedy and Zelem both stood over, the latter getting the ball over the wall but going wide.
City upped the pressure as the half progressed and on 36 looked certain to score but a late block from Peake on the six-yard line saved Town’s blushes.
A minute later, however, they did have the ball in the back of the net after striker Sanni Franssi was able to cut in down the left and lash past Hartley to make it 1-0.
Town didn’t let their heads drop and defended well for the remainder of the half and in the third minute of injury time fashioned their first real chance of the game, Thomas shooting well wide from distance.
The Lionesses were good for their lead at the break but had not had all of the chances with Town defending better than in recent games and fashioning attacks, although the quality of the ball in the final third was still lacking.
City were quick off the mark in the second half, winning another corner in the first minute which Zelem delivered low to Julia Roddar, who shot well over.
On 48, the visitors then won a free-kick on the edge of the box in the centre of goal after a clumsy foul from Guyatt, but Kennedy’s effort went straight into the Town wall.
Town pushed to find an equaliser and in the 52nd minute broke through the middle of the park via Earl, who threaded the ball into a dangerous position, but Lionesses goalkeeper Sophia Poor, who had not been called into any serious action at this point, was quicker to the ball than the onrushing Thomas and Guyatt.
Four minutes later, Thomas picked out Seaby on the right with a long ball which the midfielder was able to bring down and take towards the byline for a low cross, Guyatt pick it up but was unable to get a shot away before the ball was taken off her.
Just after the hour mark, City made their first changes of the game, Marashi and Cerys Brown making way for Sofia Jakobsson and Nikita Parris.
Shortly after, Imuran and Lindström combined well down the left to fashion an attempt on goal but Peake was quick to put in a block which went out for a corner.
Town were able to deal with the first effort but the ball quickly came back in the box, but the referee blew up for Parris being offside as she headed towards goal.
On 66 Sheehan made a triple change with Seaby, Robertson and Fleming leaving the pitch to be replaced by Roe, Bonwick and Dear. Roe took the armband from the departing Robertson.
Five minutes later, Neville’s long-range effort looped towards goal and Poor was forced to push it over the bar for Town’s first corner of the game, which went out for a goal-kick.
The Lionesses won yet another corner on 73, which resulted in Lindström shooting straight at Hartley, but a minute later scored from the second phase of the play with Town failing to deal with substitute Jakobssen’s cross into the box, which Lindström was able to poke home from short range at the back post.
On 78 Sheehan made further changes, Earl and Guyatt departing for Dean and O’Brien. A few minutes later, Lindström came off for Godfrey, who received a warm reception from the Town fans.
Despite being 2-0 behind the Blues continued to play for a consolation goal and on 84 O’Brien broke through the lines and into the box, but her squared effort to the arriving Roe was blocked.
Two minutes later, Ipswich sprung a counter-attack after a City corner with Roe appearing to find Dean in the box, but the striker was adjudged offside. In the last minute of normal time, Imuran made way for Sienna Loom.
In the first minute of time added on, Town almost made it 2-1, Thomas latching on to a long ball and getting forward into the box, spinning to sit down her defender and then strike, her effort beating Poor but bouncing off the upright and back out.
Two minutes later, City flung the ball into the Blues’ box but Wearing was fouled off the ball.
Town finished strongly in the final minute, O’Brien getting the ball forward and finding Thomas, who in turn squared the ball to Dean, but Poor was able to get down to her low effort to hold it.
Despite the 2-0 scoreline, there were several positives to take from Ipswich’s performance. The 4-3-3 formation, with a back five out of possession, appeared to somewhat solidify Town’s leaky defence.
Similarly, the Blues looked more comfortable off the ball and better set up to spring counter-attacks, although the superior technical ability and physicality of WSL opposition won out in most cases.
Despite these green shoots, some areas of concern remain, particularly around the quality of Town’s finishing in attacking areas and their awareness of danger in the second phase of set plays, with both goals coming after the Blues had successfully cleared danger from such situations.
With no game next weekend, however, Sheehan has additional time to build on the positives from today’s game before his team are back in action.
Ipswich Town Women are on the road for the remainder of 2025, with their next game a visit to fellow WSL2 strugglers Durham on 7 December, followed by another trip to the North-East on 21 December to take on Sunderland.
Town: Hartley, Neville, Wearing, Peake, Hughes, Fleming (Dear 66), Guyatt (O’Brien 78), Robertson (c) (Bonwick 66), Seaby (Roe 66), Thomas, Earl (Dean 78). Unused: Negri, Boswell, Mitchell, Peskett.
London City Lionesses: Poor, Imuran (Loom 90), Perez, Goldie, Brown (Parris 61), Kennedy, Lindström (Godfrey 81), Zelem, Marashi (Jakobsson 61), Roddar (c), Franssi. Unused: Hillyerd, Sangare, Walsh, Kabo. Att: 901.
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