Former Blues loanee Richard Stearman headed a first-half own goal but Benik Afobe equalised five minutes after the break as Town and Wolves drew 1-1 in the clash of the play-off chasers at Molineux.

Jay Tabb replaced Stephen Hunt at left midfield in a Town side otherwise unchanged from the team which beat Cardiff 3-1 on Tuesday.

Wolves, where Mick McCarthy spent six years as manager, Terry Connor was his assistant and briefly boss, and Hunt and Christophe Berra were players, included former Town loanee Stearman from the start at centre of the defence.

Town started the stronger, winning an early corner, then in the third minute Freddie Sears found strike partner Daryl Murphy inside the area to the right but the Blues’ 24-goal Championship top scorer shot across the face of goal and wide.

The home side began to get on top of a game played in sunny but breezy conditions and in the seventh minute Nouha Dicko did well to cut the ball back from the byline on the left having beaten Blues skipper Luke Chambers, but Berra diverted it back to keeper Bartosz Bialkowski, who cleared.

Dicko was proving to be Wolves’ main threat in the opening minutes and on 10 the pacy frontman broke past Tommy Smith on the right but Berra was again there to challenge as he broke into the area.

Berra halted the Malian international’s progress again on the quarter hour after he had skipped away from Smith on halfway and was breaking towards goal.

Moments later, as the home side kept up the pressure, Wolves winger Rajiv van La Parra crossed from the right but was unable to find a team-mate.

Despite Wolves having looked by far the more dangerous side, the Blues went in front in the 21st minute. Bishop whipped over a corner from the right, Smith rose with Stearman, who inadvertently sent a the ball looping over keeper Carl Ikeme and into the corner of the net.

Smith claimed his fifth goal of the season but it seems likely to go down as an own goal by the former Town loanee, who failed to find the net for the Blues during his 15-game loan spell in the 2012/13 campaign.

The home side looked to hit back immediately, van La Parra shooting over and then Dicko failed to find the target with a header. However, the Town goal seemed to knock them out of their stride and the Molineux crowd quickly began to become frustrated.

On 33 Dicko cut into the area from the left but again found Berra in his way, the Scotland international this time blocking the one-time Wigan man’s shot.

Three minutes later, Jonny Parr was shown the game’s first yellow card for bringing down Benik Afobe as Wolves broke.

Wolves came within inches of getting back on terms in the 39th minute when Smith’s header from deep in the Town area fell to Dave Edwards, whose volley beat Bialkowski but struck the outside of his right post. Referee Stuart Attwell awarded a corner much to the surprise of the Blues players.

Two minutes later, Tabb was booked for a foul on Dicko, who required treatment on the pitch before continuing. The home crowd felt the challenge might have been worth more than just a yellow and the Blues midfielder was booed each time he touched the ball prior to referee Attwell’s whistle ending the half, signalling more boos.

While the Blues had found the pace of Dicko in particular hard to handle and Wolves had presented the greater threat for the most part, the home side had been prevented from creating many significant chances - with Berra usually the man in the way - prior to Town going in front.

The somewhat fortunate goal rather quietened Wolves down until Edwards’s late volley off the post.

A minute after the restart Dicko should have put his side back on terms, but headed Bakary Sako’s freekick from deep on the left into the side-netting at the far post. On 49 Dicko failed to get Dominic Iorfa’s low cross from under his feet and Bishop cleared.

The home side had begun the second half very much on top and a minute later they levelled. Van La Parra cut into the area on the left having been found by Kevin McDonald and hit a shot which deflected off Smith and across the area to the far post from where Afobe got ahead of Tyrone Mings to stab home.

It was the former Arsenal striker's 31st goal of the season and his 12th since joining Wolves in January.

In the 53rd minute Sears unleashed a 30-yard effort but Ikeme was able to comfortably block and then claim.

Wolves continued to have most of the ball and take the game to Town but without being able to create any more major chances. At the other end, the Blues had been unable to make much of an impact, all too often long balls forward for the front two were cut out.

Wolves switched James Henry for van La Parra on 64, then two minutes later Parr made way for Paul Anderson for the Blues.

Berra superbly slid in and took the ball away from Afobe as he broke into the area on 71, then within a minute stopped Dicko in his tracks as he reached the byline on the right.

Sears scuffed a rare Town effort wide in the 73rd minute, then a minute later ex-Wolves man Hunt replaced Bishop in the Blues midfield, Tabb moving to the centre.

The Irishman, who was applauded by his old fans as he made his way onto the field, immediately shot high and wide from distance.

Berra yet again thwarted Dicko in the 76th minute, the Blues centre-half sliding in to block after Afobe had fed his team-mate inside the area.

As the game moved towards its final 10 minutes Town started to have more of the ball in the Wolves half. On 80 Mings took a quick throw on the left but Hunt’s low cross was cut out ahead of Tabb.

But the home side were still a threat, Smith doing well to hold off Afobe to allow a wind-assisted punt down the middle to reach Bialkowski. Chris Wood replaced Sears for the final scheduled seven minutes.

Sako smashed a freekick into the Town wall on 85, from which the Blues broke and Wood curled a low shot not too far wide from the edge of the box. On 88 Dicko was booked for a foul on Chambers.

Wolves had one more chance to win it two minutes into injury time but Dicko was unable to get anything on Edwards’s scuffed shot from the right of the area.

Town boss Mick McCarthy will be happy enough with another battling away point with the home side having largely been on the front foot.

Typically staunch defending from man of the match Berra in particular meant that despite having most of the ball Wolves created only a limited number of chances. At the other end, the Blues only rarely threatened home keeper Ikeme.

Town are certain to end the day in sixth regardless of results elsewhere and have moved up to 75 points, equal with fifth-placed Derby, who are away at Huddersfield.

Wolves are now seventh, three points behind the Blues and a point in front of Brentford in eighth.

Wolves: Ikeme, Iorfa, Batth (c), Stearman, Golbourne, van La Parra (Henry 64), McDonald, Edwards, Sako, Afobe, Dicko. Unused: McCarey, Doherty, Doyle, Price, Ebanks-Landell, Jacobs.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Skuse, Bishop (S Hunt 74), Parr (Anderson 66), Tabb, Murphy, Sears (Wood 83). Unused: Gerken, Fryers, Chaplow, Williams. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire). Attendance: 23,409.

Photo: Action Images

Gcon added 21:37 - Apr 18 So depressing coming on here. Win next Saturday and we're in the playoffs yet you come on here and the overwhelming moaning and misery suggests we've just been relegated. Get a grip people, try to enjoy what is the most exciting period for ITFC for many years.
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blueherts added 21:40 - Apr 18 HegansHeroes The playoffs are a lottery. Passion nerves brilliance mistakes will all be on show and it is not always the 'better' team that comes out on top Keep positive! Bit glass is half full those comments
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oldegold added 21:45 - Apr 18 The football we play under MM will never change - it will be woeful and dire hoofball all the way. Somehow MM has invented a new way of playing soccer, which involves supposedly winning games..but without attempting shots on goal. If someone can explain the beauty and efficiency of this, then they're a more knowledgeable man than I am. Whilst i can acknowledge his steady hand, his type of football is an anachronism in today's modern game and we have reached the limits of our world with him. Can you seriously imagine us beating any of the top four in a play off decider with hoofball against a direct and immediate team? blueandtruesince82...yes we did choke under Sir Bobby a few times and my biggest disappointment was losing out in 1981 when it was ours to lose but under him, we won the FA Cup, the EUFA cup, The Texaco Cup and were respected as a model of consistency for a small town club between 1972 and 1982 and he played with dash and vigour. Under MM, we have a route one style that would make Wimbledon circa 1988 blush.

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halsteadblue added 21:50 - Apr 18 Love MM or not we are possibly 5 yes only 5 games from gaining promotion to the PL.Which is surely where all of us wish our club to be,can we please forget about our differences and all get behind MM and the boys and give them all the support they deserve for what they have achieved so far this season.....COYB
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Bigalhunter added 21:52 - Apr 18 Shockingly disappointed with you Oldegold for calling a fellow fan an inarticulate goon. I thought you would be above personal insults but assume your superior command of the language gives you the belief you can condescend & patronise a fellow fan? I assume you're an old school rose-spectacled Bobby Robson fan who believes we played total football throughout his reign. However, for the 7 years before Muhren & Thijssen arrived, our main tactic was to lump it towards Whymark and hope Johnson would feed off the knock downs. I was a season ticket holder throughout the 70's. It was a wonderful time but far from, the total football Utopia we're lead to believe existed. This forum is both a blessing & a curse. A wonderful resource in principal, but a divisive and eye-opening insight into the minds of fellow fans, many of whom I wouldn't wish to share the time of day with. The strangest thing is, I never encounter these keyboard warriors at a game. I truly wonder how many of them actually leave the comfort of their computers. I'm sure that if a similar forum was available in the 70's, there would have been many 'supporters' calling for Sir Bobby's head following the 7-0 aberration at Sheff Utd, the 5-0 footballing lesson at Leicester & the countless other occasions when we were utter tripe. We are what we are at present. A functional and dramatically over-achieving unit of freebies and rejects, assembled for a fraction of the money spent by teams who are staring at relegation this season. Yes it isn't pretty, but it might just get us up. Then we can get rid of MM & TC, bring in a footballing scholar who believes in ‘total football,' pleases every purist football fan who watches us on Sky, spaff 20 million up the wall on a bunch of footballing show-ponies who pass in pretty triangles, still get relegated & moan about another decade in the 2nd division. Oh, I can't wait….. in the meantime, where was I? Oh yes, shame on you Oldegold for your pretentiousness!

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blueherts added 21:57 - Apr 18 Bigal nice succinct well said goodnight
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blueherts added 22:00 - Apr 18 Meant glass is half empty! Night!
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gino88 added 22:03 - Apr 18 I have watched Ipswich a few times at home this season, as well as putting myself through a few dire performances on Sky. Results on Sky include: - Ipswich 2-1 Fulham; Ipswich 0-1 Norwich; Wigan 1-2 Ipswich; Charlton 0-1 Ipswich; Ipswich 0-1 Derby; Norwich 2-0 Ipswich; Middlesbrough 4-1 Ipswich; Ipswich 1-1 Bournemouth; Wolves 1-1 Ipswich. So, 3 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws and a mediocre 11 points out of a possible 27 on TV. Every single game had one thing in common- we could not pass a ball to a teammate 2 or 3 times on the trot. The only game I can think of this season where I actually thought we attacked with confidence was against Leeds at home where we won 4-1. We were flowing, assured on the ball and prepared to take risks and it led to us scoring 4 goals!! MM- if we get ourselves into the play-offs, we have to start passing the ball far more accurately and a lot quicker. Whenever I'm sitting on my sofa or in the pub with a beer, I'm literally put into a coma by the sideways passing and predictable long ball into Murphy. We have Cole Skuse in the middle who is a very intelligent footballer, but he is surrounded by players allergic to a decent first touch. Whether it was Jay Tabb, Jonny Parr, Luke Chambers and Tyrone Mings in particular, all of them are so cumbersome with the ball at their feet. I cannot believe Mings has been quoted as an 8 million pound player. Less paying off his mums debts and more time on the training pitch working on the first touch and actually running without looking like he has a broomstick up his backside. There do seem to be more negative rather than positive comments on the news-feed. I did post after the Bournemouth game saying I expected us to beat Blackpool and Cardiff, but bottle it against Wolves. I'm glad to say I was wrong about bottling it, but as so many people say on here, we are being bailed out by 2-3 players. Christophe Berra has been a colossus the past 6 weeks, but he is having to carry the other 3 defenders significantly. He can't be the 9 out of 10 defender every week. Further ahead, Freddie Sears' work-rate and crucial goals has dragged us up to 75 points. I personally think a win over Forest will get us a confirmed play off spot, I can see Sears scoring again and I can see Chris Wood finally coming to the party with a goal too. He looked far sharper when he came on today. I just feel that Ipswich are missing a very important ingredient within a truly successful Championship side- PACE! Sako, Dicko, Afobe, Van La Parra, Iorfa. That is just a list of Wolves players. Bournemouth have Ritchie, Wilson and their rampaging full backs, Norwich possess the likes of Redmond and Grabban, Watford have Anya, Vydra, Ighalo and Deeney, Derby have Ince and Lingard, Brentford have Pritchard and Gray, Middlesbrough have Adomah and Bamford. Ipswich have Sears and Jay Tabb (haha)...... Two games to play, a couple of tough ones against Forest and Blackburn. A 2-1 win against Forest coupled with a draw at Blackburn will see us over the line. I reckon it will be either Norwich or Middlesbrough for us in the play offs. If we do get there, we MUST sort this 100% long ball route. I know from watching us against Leeds that we can pass a football in short, tight situations. It is about time the boys started having a bit more faith in their own ability. Town have done brilliantly to get where they are despite being the worst footballing team by some way in the top 8. However, this style will get found out in the play offs against any of the top 4. MM- Make use of Jonny Williams. As much as I do think golden boy Jay Tabb does a decent job for you in midfield, Jonny is a class above and can drive us to the play off final even if he cannot play in the showpiece! Here is to a nerve-shredding few weeks ahead. We are all in it together regardless of our differing opinions!! COYB!!

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blueboy1981 added 22:14 - Apr 18 ...... STRANGE !!!! ...... we have Supporters who are 'quite' satisfied with an away performance that see's us having one, yes one (unless I missed one) shot on goal in 90 minutes. We sure are unique in having such Supporters - maybe that's part of the reason we are still in the Championship - after, is it 12 / 13 Seasons ?? Maybe not enough care about this fact. Let's just hope we don't have to add another digit to the total to date ....... !!! COYB.

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Bigalhunter added 22:15 - Apr 18 Just when you think it's safe to get back in the water, along comes hegansheroes, another miserable Sky-watching know it all, tapping bitterly away on his keyboard from the safety of his spare room. Please continue to comment from there, rather than actually dragging your miserable self to any of our most matches for the last 13 years.
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warktheline added 22:16 - Apr 18 @bigalhunter, one of the best posts ever written on forum! @oldegold, as you know, I've said things on forum, which in time, I've regretted posting, heat of the moment and all.....stay onside pal, I think most on here, can appreciate your viewpoint in regards to team tactics, but are more willing to cut McCarthy slack, due to overall circumstances.
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oldegold added 22:24 - Apr 18 bigalhunter - methinks double standards are being applied here by you. My message to our erstwhile supporter who defines Town fans who have the temerity to have a different football philosophy, depressed, ill and repressed is that it is not acceptable and only an inarticulate person would resort to name tags. Not acceptable to me but, hey, if you're happy with that then it is your problem. I don't have rose-tinted glasses and don't hanker for the past and ipswich never played total football like the Dutch and we played some stinkers, but if you were really there, then you would acknowledge that a lot of our soccer was sublime - 6-0 Man Utd March 1980, 7-0 WBA Nov 1976, 5-1 Birmingham City Jan 1981 and probably the greatest away cup performance by a British team of all time 4-1 St Etienne Mar 1981. Again your memory serves you badly as we never played lumping soccer but used the aerial and physical ability of our two main strikers to good effect, Johnson/Whymark - Mariner/Whymark and then Mariner/Brazil...no hoofing in those days. I think you're the one who can be accused of pretentiousness as your comments are off the mark. My diatribe is directed against those who have to offend whilst trying to express a point and it can be a depressing experience when people like you give succour to them. I'm all for a lively exchange but defining supporters by the above terms then you lose me...and then your likes say it's not personal......get real guys...

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readtheleaguetable added 22:26 - Apr 18 Blueboy: Wolves had a home performance that's seen them have one, yes one (unless I missed one ) shot on goal in 90 minutes. And they had to win and we didn't. Yet they are brilliant and we are cr*p.
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kangablue added 22:38 - Apr 18 The end of the world hasn't begun yet. Let's keep our chins up and sing. Looking forward to the Forest game. C'mon you Blues!
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MrDiddle added 22:47 - Apr 18 Theres a hell of a lot of moaning on here. Blimey. Most normal fans want to see their team play in the premier league. And after the last few absolutely horrifying years we finally have someone in who has a bloody clue on how to get there. Bunch of miserable gits you all are.
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essexbluey added 22:47 - Apr 18 Oldegold. You are a prize plum. If you had any brains you would see i was just putting my veiw on my post. It was never aimed at an individual like your nasty personal post was. Your full of anger and resentment. Iam full of pride again for itfc and how mm @ tc have saved our club from a lower division. COYB.
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oldegold added 23:05 - Apr 18 essexbluey...spare the tears. Depressed, ill and repressed clearly are tags that a paragon of goodness and altruism uses. You're right when you say your engaging titles were not aimed at an individual..they were aimed at supporters who disagree with you. I wouldn't say however that you're full of pride but more full of something else..I let you guess what I mean. You are fully entitled to ut your view on post and nobody will take that away from you but where you lost it was in insulting fellow Town supporters with nasty terms which do not befit an educated person.i let you share your defining moment with bigalhunter as you deserve each other.

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essexbluey added 23:09 - Apr 18 3 pepole have now reported your vile posts. Bye
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Bluetone added 23:11 - Apr 18 I can't help wondering what Sir Bob or even George Burley would have achieved this season with the same squad of players. A little more adventure, a lot less aerial bombardment and more decent football come to mind. I have my tin hat on ready for the down arrows of the MM can do no wrong brigade.
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Bigalhunter added 23:12 - Apr 18 Oldegold, you state your diatribe was against 'those who have to offend while trying to make a point'...so why call a fellow fan an 'inarticulate goon'?.. Not offensive? The double standards are yours my friend. Whilst I wouldn't stoop to calling you a 'prize plum' myself, you'll find that, since you actually go to the trouble of tracking my likes, I guiltily appreciated essexbluey's succinct description of your good self. Sorry, but it was funny.

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essexbluey added 23:16 - Apr 18 By the way oldegold think you have made a spelling mistake.
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warkthelint added 23:47 - Apr 18 Children, children...are we taking leave of our senses? Let's get behind the team and show what real support is next Saturday! I reckon that essexbluey has however gone over the top with some of his descriptions and fancy writing and needs to moderate his tone a wee bit. Oldegold does have a point when he pointed out that you were a little too colourful in your use of language and he is right to feel somewhat aggrieved. Let's get behind our boys and vent our frustrations in the Portman Road cauldron.

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SheptonMalletBlue added 00:50 - Apr 19 unknown100 you've nailed it with your comments!!!! we were crap today, but the result was good. why take off Parr & bring on Anderson? Mings? hoof ball!!! we can play it neat, on the grass, but MM doesn't want it that way!!
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Pessimistic added 01:51 - Apr 19 Oh dear. Town were exceedingly poor and did not deserve even a draw from this low quality encounter and quite frankly McCarthy should be ashamed of himself for playing football like an Italian side that lacked the guile and indeed the intelligence to see out a win.Big boot hoof ball negativity won the day.
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KiwiBlue2 added 02:33 - Apr 19 Well to what extent does the end justify the means? If someone said at the beginning of the season that we would be in 6th position 3 points clear of the 7th team with two games to go but would have played a significant amount of 'hoofball' who would not have taken it? As an earlier poster said we have not been in this position for a dozen years. MM has shown what he can do with a hard-working (but limited ability in most positions) squad. If we are to get promoted I think that we would be much more attractive to other players and in terms of the present team I cannot see more than 4 or 5 players getting starting positions if we get to the premier league. That said, if we have to endure another season in the C'ship, I think that some strengthening is inevitable in the summer as Evans must surely realise that money put in will be well used. While Mings and McGoldrick drew attention in January I was amazed that Berra was not targeted. Next season, wherever we are, I think that MM has to bite the bullet and play a quality right back and move Chambers into the centre and have Tommy on the bench unless of course Berra leaves. Of the teams above I would prefer us to be playing Watford in the home and away leg and hope that Derby upset the other participant. Anyway had better not get too far ahead of ourselves as two games to go.

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