x

Joe: We Switched Off - Ipswich Town News

Town manager Joe Royle felt his side switched off after going into a 2-0 lead at Watford and allowed the Hornets to claim what was an undeserved point. Watford boss Ray Lewington conceded that his team had been fortunate to gain a draw.

Royle said: "We had dominated the game and had the better chances but we got undone by two set-pieces.

"All we had to do was to mark the player at the corner but he gets up and scores an unchallenged header.

"Neal Ardley can deliver good crosses but this was not one of his better ones and we really should have defended that. If we had kept them out I think it would have been game over but the goal lifted them."

The Town boss felt that it would be wrong to blame Lewis Price for failing to hold on to Ardley's freekick, given the extremely wet conditions but he wasn't pleased at the failure of his players to react ahead of the home side: "They just got to the ball first in the ensuing scramble."

"But we came back strongly and we were still looking for the winner at the end. It was us who were doing the pressing in the last few minutes."

Royle also thought the Blues ought to have had a penalty when Watford defender Sean Dyche appeared to foul Darren Bent in the first half: "I think the referee was the only person in the ground who thought the trip on Darren Bent was not a penalty,"

Hornets' boss Lewington had praise for his young players: "We were without our outstanding player this season, Bryn Gunnarsson, and then lost our senior defender Neil Cox after 22 minutes.

"There were a lot of young players out there but they gave everything. Their heads did not go down even when Ipswich took a two-goal lead.

"I think Ipswich along with West Ham are the best footballing sides in this division. When they were two goals up, had we not rolled our sleeves up, they could have passed the ball around us and picked us off.

"Instead we fought back and gained another point and I think we can look at each other on Monday morning and at the fans knowing we have given everything."

The Watford boss singled out keeper Richard Lee for particular praise: "Richard has been absolutely faultless since he came in at the beginning of the season and he kept us in it."

What to read next:

Davis Players' Player of the Year
Leif Davis was named the Town Men’s Players’ Player of the Year at last night’s End-of-Season Dinner at Venue 16.
Blues Forward Aluko Retires
Town forward Sone Aluko has hung up his boots at the age of 35, the club has announced.
Championship Promotion Parade - Gallery
Photos from today's promotion celebration parade from Portman Road to Christchurch Park.
Huge Crowds Line Streets to Celebrate Promotion
Huge crowds lined the streets of Ipswich and packed Christchurch Park as the Blues held a Bank Holiday ope-top bus parade to celebrate promotion to the Premier League.
Keeper Hayes and Solihull Lose Play-Off on Penalties
Blues keeper Nick Hayes’s loan side Solihull Moors lost on penalties to Bromley in the National League play-off final, the first of two visits to Wembley Stadium.
[Podcast] Blue Monday - New Podcast Now Online
A new podcast from the Blue Monday team is now available.
Thomas Claims Golden Boot as Tractor Girls Win Final Fixture
Ipswich Town Women ended their 2023/24 league campaign with a fourth straight win, Natasha Thomas’s first-half goal sealing a 1-0 home victory over 10-woman Billericay Town in front of a bumper crowd at the AGL Arena.
Hutchinson in Team of the Week
Town loan star Omari Hutchinson has been named in the final Championship Team of the Week of the season following his display in yesterday’s 2-0 victory over Huddersfield, which confirmed promotion back to the Premier League.
Congratulations Town!
Town have received congratulations from ex-players, from elsewhere in football and more widely on social media following yesterday’s promotion back to the Premier League, here’s a selection of those messages.
Tractor Girls Host Billericay in Final Match
Ipswich Town Women conclude their season when they host Billericay Town at the AGL Arena in Felixstowe this afternoon (KO 2pm).