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

Walk_the_Wark added 02:47 - Apr 19 Play offs will be good experience, but I sincerely hope we don't win them- we will be a laughing stock in the Prem under this manager, however much money he is given to spend.
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GiveusaWave added 04:29 - Apr 19 You'd think we were thrashed given the amount of negativity here. Yes, we play awful football. But there's a great chance that we will be in the play-offs this year. It's the best season we have had in decades.... Yes, most of the teams around us play great football. Yes, we have been really lucky in some matches. But we are there! It's unbelievable given our group of players. MM and TC have performed miracles.

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blueherts added 08:25 - Apr 19 Blueboy - you say on one hand your are fed up with all the people who accept our style of play but in next breath u say our goal is to get out of the Championship. Well for first time in eons MM is on target. If u 'want us out of the championship playing fast flowing free attacking football - who and how long do u give someone to achieve that? Discuss.
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bohslegend added 08:29 - Apr 19 I am amazed with people still criticising the team with two games to go. All this "I want MY team to be better" b0ll0xology. If you really want OUR team to be better let MM and the lads get us to the prem where we'll have the finances to be better.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 08:40 - Apr 19 If we get to the playoffs - and we haven't yet 'cos Notts F. is by no means an easy game - then I think we'll have deserved it. We outplayed Brentford away and Wolves at home, and then held our own in the respective return matches. I really don't fancy meeting a 3rd place Boro or Bigmouth, but if we make the cut, we shall need to play without fear. Mick is just the man for this type of situation. I reckon Naarwich will do Derby if they meet, so May 25 could be the big finale. Very nervy but very exciting times.

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Fat_Boy_Tim added 08:55 - Apr 19 the table doesn't lie, right now, we are 3 points better than Brentford or Wolves. I don't give a monkies what our style of play is as long as we keep getting results and have something to play for at this stage of the season. Even if we lose to forrest we will still be in the top 6 with a win on the last day. Great job done so far and we just need 1 win from 2. My guess is that none of us, Brentford or Wolves will win both games so a couple draws would be enough.

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Ipswichbusiness added 08:55 - Apr 19 Let's cut to the chase. As Gino88 says, a win against Forest and a draw against Blackburn will mean that we are in the play offs. I am not really too bothered about the style of play at this point in the season, provided that we achieve that. I hope that the defeat at Huddersfield does not prove costly ...
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Keaneish added 09:03 - Apr 19 Staggering that some of you are happy or content with what you saw yesterday 'as long as we're not losing'! Here's a thought, when top tier premier league clubs come sniffing for Bishop and Mings in the summer regardless of whether we go up, how can anyone at our club currently tell their agents and their families that they're better off staying with Town to develop their football ability when we play like and resort to tactics from the dark ages like that. MM didn't just strangle the life out of Wolves and the match yesterday in order to secure a point, he strangled the life out of football and it's embarrassing to see an Ipswich side resort to an Aidy Boothroyd mentality. But what's more annoying is that MM has the audacity to pull the wool over people's eyes and say ' we attacked them' in the post match interview!!! Its as perverse as it is deranged and deluded! Tabb and Parr were in the side to counter act the pace of their wingers to provide cover for Chambers and Mings. ZERO intent.

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martleshamitfc added 09:41 - Apr 19 If we get to the Play offs, then whoever we play, the team that finished 3rd, then all the pressure is in them as they will have just missed out on the top 2 automatic spot, history shows this team often fails to recover from thus massive disappointment. We could then find ourselves in the final, a one off game when anything can happen!
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warktheline added 10:08 - Apr 19 It's very apparent once again the forum is at odds, over how McCarthy has achieved to date, a play off place. Just curious, asking the following question, would any on forum sack McCarthy this season, Or removed him prior to date?
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oldegold added 11:27 - Apr 19 Our club is clearly divided on the MM football philosophy.I have no doubt that the general consensus is that he has steadied our club after the previous incumbents' stewardship but at the same time his style of playing soccer has divided opinion. I personally believe his football strategy is dire and one dimensional in general and if we look at the aesthetics, probably the worse since our club's inception. My ire is that it never changes, irrespective of the opposition and is dictated by fear and a clear lack of other playing options. I do recognize that sometimes the digging in style is needed but we lost a play off place last season because MM did not have the tactical nous to take the game to the opposition and sometimes this season we have played teams like Wigan , where our limitations were painfully exposed by a lack of plan B and addiction to just hoofing the ball up. I have never called for his head and don't intend to but I found it galling hearing his profession to go for a win against Wolves and then as per type, we played our usual hoofball with absolutely no intention to attempt shots on goal. On MM, we are a divided club but we are all entitled to our opinions without insulting those who differ. Let's hope in a victory against Forest but I doubt it will be achieved with real soccer and no doubt if we score first then it will be all hands to the pump with the occasional foray into the opposition half.Prepare for a one dimensional, route one hoofball tactic.

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Tomairyn added 11:51 - Apr 19 I keep reading how outstanding Berra is. If he is that much better than Smith, would it not make sense to swap them round. Playing Smith on the right side is making him look a poor player.
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PJH added 11:57 - Apr 19 If anyone read these posts but did not know the result, they would have to assume that we lost something like 5-0 and our playoff chances were hanging by a thread. In fact we got a good point away to one of our rivals and now have an excellent chance of making the playoffs. We did not play well and were hanging on but the fact remains that we got a valuable point. Would people on here be happier if we were playing exciting football but were something like 18 points short of the playoffs with two games left? The 76 points we have so far would normally guarantee a playoff place so thank you MM,TC and players-please keep up the good work until the end of May. COYB

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toxtethblue added 12:01 - Apr 19 Anyone who doesnt want us to go up is being stupid. Football is a business now, like it or not and even if we go up and get hammered all of next season we will still have taken the 85mill or whatever and will continue to receive the parachute payments and will hence be in a much better position to go up again. There is no downside to promotion - its been too long already.

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PJH added 12:08 - Apr 19 75 points not 76-but even that is usually enough.
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boysinblue added 12:10 - Apr 19 Why is everyone so obsessed with looking nice? There's not a 'correct' way to play football, at the end of the day it's all about the goals, who cares how we get them. But if you're so keen to understand why we play a lot of long balls don't blame the midfield, we've got some quality possession players in midfield; Skuse, Bishop, Bru etc. It's the defense that are the culprits, they are brilliant at defending but absolutely woeful in possession. The defense hoof it, if we played through the midfield we'd be playing better football, but instead we often miss them out all together. Don't get the hype around Mings as he is the worst culprit, he should be CB really. As I say, I'm not moaning as our style has got us to where we are, and quite like winding other teams up who think they are so superior. But that's the reason we play like we do.

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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 12:24 - Apr 19 martleshamitfc: I was thinking along the same lines. Here's my psychological analysis: Naarwich are going to be a bit down after being so cocksure they'd make top two. A.N.Other will also be in a similar postion because three into two doesn't go. Derby are not unbeatable and have looked distinctlyl dodgy at times. Whoever makes 6th spot, on the other hand, will be on a mental high as they will have a sense of achievement in having fought their way there and will want to continue the trend. All still to play for. COYB!

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blue_moon09 added 13:11 - Apr 19 As usual ridiculous comments from arm chair know it all fans who love a good moan, I was at the game and it was a hard fought point I'm happy with that... what game was you watching on the TV???? Portman Road should be a sell out next Saturday, its a massive game so get out of your arm chairs and support the team instead of moaning would make a change....
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runaround added 13:16 - Apr 19 Oldegold - please stop saying Soccer, it's FOOTBALL!!
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Gazelle added 13:38 - Apr 19 This is not meant to be a negative comment so don't shout me down but is there anyone who watches the Premier League on the box who is not worried to death about how we're going to get on if we do go up.
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Lord_Mac added 14:16 - Apr 19 I presume, then, that all those who are unhappy with the highest points haul in 10 years preferred watching the 4-5-1 garbage that we played under Keane and Jewell, and the 6-0 defeats, and the dismantling of our youth system, while they spunked millions of pounds on thirty-somethings who didn't give a toss about playing for Ipswich Town? The brief is to get out of the Championship without busting the Financial Fair Play Rules, and I can't think of another way to achieve that than doing what we are doing. Whether we are observing the FFP because we don't want to spend money, or because we want to avoid a transfer embargo is debatable, but that's the brief. If we do get to the Premiership, of course the brief will change, and maybe McCarthy will have to adopt different tactics, but most of you who would like us to be doing something different would be watching League One football by now.

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TimmyH added 15:08 - Apr 19 I'd be happy for McCarthy to be at Portman Road next season IF he became less stubborn on certain players playing in their rightful positions, cleared out the midfield (Bar Skuse/Bru/Bishop) and adopted more width in our play and of a passing orientation game. Will that happen?...I very much doubt it.
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carsey added 15:43 - Apr 19 I think town supporters are in two definite camps - those who are happy to be where we are after the Keane and Jewel days and those who while pleased with the playoffs yearn for attractive football from the Robson and Burley manual. I have to admit I fall into the second group and while I will continue to go to Portman Road whatever the style and whatever the division I don't believe the club will attract younger supporters with the current style. With the size of the clubs natural catchment area we should be getting 20,000 plus for home games yet we struggle to get 16,000. We couldn't even fill the ground vs Norwich. I hope we get lucky and get promoted for the money but make no mistake we will get battered and not survive.

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oldegold added 16:04 - Apr 19 Well said Carsey...we have always been a club associated with a style of soccer that is pleasing to the eye and whilst we have also been treading water for 10 years, I think the conoscenti would prefer for Town to attain promotion with an attacking style that respects our heritage. If Bournemouth, Norwich and Watford can chase promotion with a valid soccer style then why not we ? Dp we really have to be anchored with a style of play that went out with Charles Dickens? Of course not. There is no reason why promotion can't be obtained with an attacking ethos...we did it in 1968 and 1992 and certainly with Burley's fine 2000 side so why not now. If MM wants to attract young supporters to Portman Road then he's not going to do it with a style of soccer that makes watching paint dry infinitely more riveting.

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warkthelint added 16:13 - Apr 19 Excellent post oldegold - best I've read in ages. It's what we want..soccer with flair
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