Liam Feeney struck the post, Brett Pitman saw an effort cleared off the line and forced Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme into a superb second-half save but Town’s game at Molineux ended 0-0.

Town boss Mick McCarthy made two changes to the team which lost 1-0 at home to Rotherham a month ago with Feeney handed his first start and Ben Pringle returning to the team.

Luke Hyam dropped to the bench, while Daryl Murphy, who suffered a calf injury while away with the Republic of Ireland, remained behind in Suffolk. David McGoldrick was named amongst the subs for the first time since early December.

Teddy Bishop, yet to play a senior game this season, made the trip but wasn’t included in the matchday squad.

Feeney, a half-time sub against the Millers, started in a front three on the right of Pitman with Freddie Sears on the left. Pringle lined-up ahead of Cole Skuse and Jonathan Douglas in a central midfield three. Wolves similarly started in a 4-3-3 system.

The home side were first to threaten in the fifth minute after a mix-up between Douglas and Sears on halfway. Eventually, Conor Coady sent over a cross from the left but Bartosz Bialkowski got there ahead of George Saville and punched clear.

But the Blues had largely had the better of the opening minutes, with Feeney making a lively start, albeit without being able to create an opening.

On 11 Pringle crossed to Jonas Knudsen at the far post, but his knockdown just evaded Sears. Moments later, a Feeney cross from the right was half-cleared to the Dane but he scuffed his shot wide.

Feeney came within an inch or so of claiming his first goal for the Blues in the 18th minute when Pringle’s corner from the left was returned to the on-loan Fulham man. He played it inside to Feeney, who unleashed a powerful low strike which slammed against the outside of Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme’s right post and cannoned behind.

After Chambers had blocked from Jeremy Helan as he looked to cross from the Wolves left, Sears forced Ikeme to save his low shot having brought the ball inside from the left after being fed by Pitman.

There was a scare for the Blues on 24 when Bialkowski failed to claim Matt Doherty’s freekick from deep on the left. The loose ball fell to Wolves skipper Danny Batth but he was unable to get a clear sight of goal before the keeper regained his ground and the danger was cleared.

The home side were now starting to get on top and were looking the more threatening team and on 28 Helan crossed from the left and Knudsen was forced to nod behind at the far post with Bjorn Sigurdarson behind him. From the resultant corner, Batth escaped his man but was just unable to get his head on the ball.

On 34 Kortney Hause blocked from Feeney as he tried to turn a Knudsen cross towards goal, the on-loan Bolton man and Sears having swapped flanks.

Town should have gone in front in the 42nd minute when Hause allowed Pitman to steal the ball from him on the touchline on the right, not the first time the centre-half had been forced into a mistake by the Town striker.

Pitman brought the ball inside and tried to lift it over Ikeme from a very tight angle but the keeper looked to get enough on it to allow Hause to get back and clear off the line. Pitman held his head in his hands, knowing a better option was to have cut the ball across to Feeney on the edge of the six-yard box.

Town will have gone in at the break feeling they ought to have been in front, Feeney having hit the post and Pitman having created but then spurned the late opportunity.

The Blues had started strongly but without creating an opportunity until Feeney’s shot against the post. Wolves had a spell on top midway through the half, but Town had ended the period looking the more threatening side.

Wolves switched James Henry for Sigurdarson on the right of their front three ahead of the second half.

The Blues created the first opportunity after the restart, but Knudsen horribly shinned Sears’s cutback from the right well wide.

On 50 Feeney almost played in Pringle on the left but Henry got back to dispossess the midfielder, then three minutes later Sears shot not too far over from distance but with Pitman in space on the left of the area feeling the ex-Colchester man ought to have passed.

A minute later, Wolves created their first chance of the half, but Saville eventually scraped wide having initially appeared hesitant to shoot.

On 57 Henry escaped the attentions of Knudsen as the former Esbjerg man slipped but shot well over. Soon after Helan was replaced by Joe Mason as the home side switched to 4-4-2.

But Town continued to look the more dangerous side, Ikeme grabbing a low Feeney cross from the right, then on 66 the Nigerian international made the save of the game from Pitman.

Feeney whipped another ball over from the right, the Blues’ striker flicked a header at the near post and the keeper did superbly to get a hand down to his left to save.

In the 68th minute the Blues made a double change with Pringle and Pitman making way for Luke Varney and Kevin Bru, while Wolves switched Michal Zyro for Adam Le Fondre.

The Blues continued to look the most likely scorers with Skuse seeing a strike blocked, Varney heading another Feeney cross over, then both the Bolton loanee and sub Bru shooting straight at Wolves defenders.

The home side, whose fans had been berating them moments earlier for being “boring”, conjured a rare opportunity on 74 when Henry played in Doherty, but Bialkowski saved with his feet and Saville shot wide from the rebound.

With 12 minutes remaining, ex-Wolves defender Christophe Berra headed wide from Bru’s corner.

As the game moved into its final 10 minutes Bru won the ball midway inside the Wolves half as the home side broke following a Knudsen long throw. The Mauritius international exchanged passes with Sears before hitting a shot which looked to be going just wide before Ikeme palmed it out for a corner.

Berra wasn’t too far away from a goal against his old club on 82 when he headed a Bru corner towards goal only for Henry to clear.

Wolves began to have more of the ball in the final five minutes, Henry crossing towards Saville at the far post but the midfielder was unable to turn the ball goalwards. Soon after, Smith did well to get ahead of Henry as he broke into the area.

McGoldrick made his long-awaited return in the 87th minute as a sub for the tiring Feeney, then as the fourth official indicated four additional minutes Bialkowski rushed off his line to clear ahead of Le Fondre.

Deep in injury time, a Wolves corner from the right fell to Doherty but Chambers made a superb block. The ball was sent back into the area but it was headed wide. Soon after, referee Rob Lewis blew his final whistle to confirm the goalless draw.

Town will feel they probably had had enough chances to have won the game with Pitman’s opportunity before the break perhaps the best, while Ikeme did superbly to save the former Bournemouth man’s second-half header. At the other end, Bialkowski was really only forced into one serious stop from Doherty.

Overall, the performance was a great improvement on the Rotherham display and one which should have yielded all three points.

The Blues remain in eighth but now five points plus goal difference behind Derby, who drop to sixth following their 2-1 defeat at Cardiff, now seventh three points ahead of Town. Sheffield Wednesday won 1-0 at Huddersfield and are up to fifth, six points ahead of the Blues.

Town are next in action at home to Charlton, who beat Birmingham 2-1 today, on Tuesday evening.

Wolves: Ikeme, Iorfa, Batth (c), Hause, Doherty, Coady, Price, Saville, Sigurdarson (Henry 46), Zyro (Le Fondre 68), Helan (Mason 58). Unused: Martinez, Deslandes, McDonald, Hunte.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Pringle (Bru 68), Feeney ( McGoldrick 87), Sears, Pitman (Varney 68). Unused: Gerken, Foley, Digby, Hyam. Referee: Rob Lewis (Shrewsbury). Att: 20,225 (Town: 1,154).

Photo: Action Images

paulthebluealien added 17:06 - Apr 2 Really happy with the clean sheet today.
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paulcooperisgod added 17:10 - Apr 2 Wolves there for the taking but MM has no ambition. Time to go MM
24

bluefeast added 17:11 - Apr 2 MM , you and your tactics are mind numbing ,how can you give players attacking belief if centrally we offer nothing at all ,how are wide players supposed to make diagonal runs into the box if nobody can actually pass the ball. We are stale and in Mick we RUST.
28

bluey123 added 17:14 - Apr 2 Absolute rubbish no tactics poor subs to many players out of position he has to go McCarthy OUT
23

prebsa added 17:14 - Apr 2 What a waste of time. Still picking Skuse and Doglaus as a midfield pair is not going to work. Better with 2 wide attacking players but still just not good enough! Wednesday are too far away now and their goal difference is miles ahead of ours! Thanks for keeping the club out of league 1 and giving us a stable base Mick, but you have taken us as far as you can and its time for you to go. Make sure you remind the driver to drop you off at Villa Park on the way home!

22

iaintaylorx added 17:15 - Apr 2 After last season, coming so close, I really don't understand how we haven't used that as inspiration and an incentive on wanting to bring in good quality and reinforcements for this season. Another hugely disappointing performance and this was always going to be the case from when the line-up was introduced. Why are both Skuse and Douglas starting? Don't ever want to bring that bit of creativeness to the game. A pointless season and now Mick must think about doing what is best for the club and resigning. We need to show some ambition and spend the money which ME will eventually get back if promotion is achieved. A lot of changes need to be made. Why are we paying more to watch our team than top top teams. It pains me to say it, but Norwich should be proud of what they're doing. A great result for them today and a full house because they respect their fans and sell out through good price on tickets. Mick's tenure must be in the looking now, surely?

19

TractorBoy666 added 17:16 - Apr 2 Watching the Brighton v Burnley game today, that's the football I miss seeing with Chris Hughton always being a manager I liked. 'Boring boring Ipswich' were the chants of Huddersfield fans. 'Boring boring boring' today by wolves fans, more so aimed at their own side I suppose but I guess we helped that. I saw Tony Cottee once talk about our game which lasted about 5 seconds. Home games this season have been so much poorer to last season and people still think Mick is magical. Don't get me wrong, I love Mick for the work he did on keeping us up but where's the progress? Do we just accept that we are going to be a mid table side for the next few seasons? Something has to give in the summer, whether that be a manager change or Evans investing some money into the squad, if that's what Evans does then I'd like to see what Mick can do with that but the current football I'm witnessing is the most awful I've seen down at PR and would much rather a footballing manager. Like always I'll be down PR on Tuesday hoping for a footballing performance from the team, but it's more than likely going to be a negative performance from a negative manager.

20

paulthebluealien added 17:17 - Apr 2 People, relax. There's always next year.
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blue75 added 17:17 - Apr 2 Boring boring ipswich.
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jas0999 added 17:19 - Apr 2 Disappointing result. MM will no doubt be delighted with a point and some will say we were unlucky as we created the better chances. However luck tends to level itself out. We were lucky at Huddersfield, fortunate to get all three against Forest and remarkably lucky to get anything at Bolton. The performance may have been better, but teams like a Wolves are very beatable as their season is over. Poor side, not interested and we yet again fail to win. Play offs will be tough after Cardiff and Wednesday wins today. Remaining home games are winnable albeit against teams scrapping for their lives, whilst away from home will be tough. I find it remarkable that Douglas was selected again today. Nowhere near good enough, just like this result. We need creativity and goals in the centre of midfield and until that happens I can't see us getting promoted. Sadly that type of player will command a fee and I doubt ME has any intention of spending. Disappointing.

17

bluefeast added 17:23 - Apr 2 That kind of player also needs to be spotted and MM can't spell creative let alone introduce it on the pitch.
5

bluefeast added 17:25 - Apr 2 This side will be relegation fodder next season under this bloke ,our performances are far worse than other sides way below us ,we've been lucky this season.
5

prebsa added 17:25 - Apr 2 What was the point of taking McGoldrick to bring him on with 3 minutes to go?!
10

essexboy added 17:26 - Apr 2 Totally Gutted,Wolves were there for the taking and we blew it,AGAIN.!! Another drive home without a win.We had no ambition at all.The midfield was clueless,nobody has any idea how to put a decent through ball whatsoever.I hate to criticise the team I love,but there needs to be a Major shake-up at the club from top to bottom because we are going nowhere,and I mean Nowhere.Whether it's the owner,the management team or both something has to give.It's so frustrating. Ok,knock me if you wish,but I'm sure most of us think the same now,because if your happy with what we are serving up there is something wrong.How there have the nerve to increase season tickets for next season beggars belief.At times I'm beginning to question myself now if it really is worth getting a ticket and instead just picking the games I want to see.I will have to give this very careful thought.Tuesday will now be a very,very hard game to win.Now stopping for a bite to eat,so see you all Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. 😡😡😡

18

thebeat added 17:28 - Apr 2 Jonathan Douglas.........2 words that can be used to describe Mick as a manager. Abysmal all season, worst player on the pitch against Rotherham and yet he keeps his place today ahead of Bru, Hyam and Foley. The time has come for the cowardly dinosaur to take his frightened negative attitude far far away from my club. His obsession with playing certain players that he chooses on a personal level over ability has now reached quite sad proportions. Having no money is no excuse for playing yard dog football. Its no excuse for playing half of our defence out of position for 3 years simply because he doesnt have the cahones to choose 2 from 3. This is a man who turned to a diamond system thinking he was fooling the fans to think he was being dynamic when we all knew it was just so he could play all 3 of his dogs of war midfielders in the same team. Well thats it im done, my season ticket is not being renewed while this footballing relic is in charge of my club. I dont want to hear all the 'remember where we were when he took over' 'careful what you wish for' 'its evans fault for not giving him any money' crap. This is his team, his philosiphy. And its turgid

45

Norwichbeater added 17:29 - Apr 2 MM won't change because he hasn't the skills. Evans really needs to explain his goals now. I believe he is happy to stay in the championship as his personal wealth has grown considerably more than the Ipswich debt he owns. We have no chance of making the points up because of the lack of plan B or real quality. Worse of all is the dross being delivered week after week and when Evans came in Sullivan and gold were interested! Look how they are doing now!

8

essex57 added 17:37 - Apr 2 On way home from match how anybody can lay the blame at MCarthys door i know not the team was set up to win and im affraid to say they were not capable it would make no difference what system you used or what permitation of players they just are not good enough.
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carlo88 added 17:42 - Apr 2 I'm finding it hard to contain my indifference.
5

ChrisFelix added 17:44 - Apr 2 I wonder what team he will put out on Tuesday !!
3

TimmyH added 17:44 - Apr 2 Slipping further away from an improbable play-off spot not that we deserve it, you have to take your chances when they come and we didn't. Wish McCarthy would stop tinkering around with the combination with Skuse, MM has put either Douglas or Hyam alongside him for most of the season, how about putting Foley there (who has hasn't deserved to be dropped). Complete inconsistency since the New Year continues - if we can't beat Charlton mid-week then it's season over.

6

essexboy added 17:44 - Apr 2 Essex57,why are they not good enough.? Who do you blame for that.It's down to the Management and the owner,nobody else.!!
19

Penguinblue added 17:45 - Apr 2 McCARTHY OUT
15

thebeat added 17:46 - Apr 2 essex57 utter crap!! Any team with Skuse and The invisible man Douglas in midfield is not in any way set up to win! Open your eyes for once in your life and see Mick for what he is, a coward who picks favourites regardless of their lack of ability. Stop sticking up for him out of blind faith simply because hes our manager.
24

TimmyH added 17:48 - Apr 2 Very disappointed I should add...but yet again not suprised!
6

geminimustang added 17:48 - Apr 2 Match Statistics from BBC. Ipswich 57% possession,14 shots vs 9 from Norwich,4 shots on target vs 2 from Norwich,6 corners vs 4 from Norwich,Feeney hit the post.Now run it past me again,how is that result the fault of MM? I've no doubt MM & TC will leave at the end of the season and ITFC will be in a relegation scrap next year.I sincerely despair of the the comments put up on this forum weekly.Evans would be a better target but,wait,doesn't he throw £5M of his own money into the pot just so ITFC exists let alone succeeds.Get real,guys.For better football,ITFC needs a billionaire to roll up.Without that,MM,TC & Evans are as good as it gets,sorry.

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