Ipswich Town 1-0 Brentford - Half-Time
Saturday, 19th Aug 2017 16:02

Martyn Waghorn’s home debut goal has given Town a 1-0 lead over Brentford at half-time at Portman Road.

Myles Kenlock returned to the Blues side for injured skipper Luke Chambers in an otherwise unchanged side.

The 20-year-old started at left-back with Jonas Knudsen moving into a makeshift central defensive pairing with Jordan Spence. Cole Skuse wore the captain’s armband in Chambers’s absence.

Mick McCarthy again fielded all four of his strikers, while Dean Gerken and Bersant Celina, who both missed the 4-3 win at Millwall as they were unwell, returned to the bench along with Flynn Downes, who had been absent at the Den with a calf injury.

Brentford made three changes from the team which drew 2-2 at home to Bristol City in midweek with Jota, who has been strongly linked with West Ham, among those missing from the 18.

The visitors struck the game’s first shot in the second minute, Kamo Mokotjo smashing a powerful effort well wide following a corner from the right.

The Bees dominated the first couple of minutes but on six Freddie Sears broke into the area on the left and looked for Joe Garner at the far post but a defender intervened.

Brentford threatened again in the 11th minute when the ball was cut back to the unmarked Nico Yennaris in space on the edge of the area but the Bees’ skipper took a touch when he might have shot first time and Knudsen was able to close down and block.

The Bees continued to dominate and on the quarter hour Neil Maupay turned a Yennaris cross from the right to Bartosz Bialkowski, who claimed comfortably.

The West Londoners weren’t too far away again two minutes later when Yoann Barbet was found by Ollie Watkins’s freekick from deep on the left but the French defender was unable to get enough on the ball.

Bialkowski saved sharply low to his right from Watkins in the 20th minute with the Blues still having made little headway going forward.

That changed in the 23rd minute when Kenlock sent Sears away down the left. The former West Ham man cut inside and into the box but Barbet got across to slide in and put the ball behind before he could cross for Waghorn at the far post.

The Blues began to get on top with David McGoldrick starting to see more of the ball. Meanwhile, at the other end, Maupay was becoming increasingly frustrated with referee Oliver Langford, a couple of decisions having gone against him.

On the half hour, Kenlock won a freekick on the Town left and Ward swung the ball in deeper than he probably intended and Bees keeper Daniel Bentley was forced to tip over.

Two minutes later Bialkowski was out quickly to punch away ahead of Maupay as he chased a ball down the middle, the French striker subsequently shoving Spence after the ball had gone out and receiving a ticking off from the referee.

Town had begun to look the more threatening side and in the 35th minute they went in front. Skipper Skuse intercepted a pass just inside the Brentford half and left the ball for McGoldrick, who brought it into the box where he was shoved to the ground by Yennaris.

The players and the Portman Road crowd called for a penalty - probably justifiably - but the loose ball ran through to Waghorn, who turned his first home goal into the net, his fourth for the Blues since his move from Rangers less than two weeks ago.

Brentford looked to quickly get back on terms and on 43, Romaine Sawyers, who moments earlier had been booked for frustratedly throwing the ball away, was found in space on the left of the Town area and hit a shot across Bialkowski that the Blues keeper saved well.

Then, following a corner, Yennaris smashed a shot from distance off the top of the bar. The danger still wasn’t gone, however, and within a minute Florian Jozefzoon headed straight at Bialkowski when unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box from Watkins’s left-sided cross.

For the Blues, McGoldrick twisted and turned to find himself space in the area and hit a shot which Bentley saved.

Moments before the half was brought to an end Maupay finally talked his way into referee Langford’s book.

Brentford’s frustrations were perhaps understandable having been on top for most of the half and creating most of the game’s chances.

But, as has been the case with Town’s strikers in the last few games, when a Blues’ chance had come Waghorn tucked it away, the Bees having either spurned their opportunities, hit the bar or found Bialkowski in typically resolute mood.

Town: Bialkowski, Iorfa, Spence, Knudsen, Kenlock, Skuse (c), Ward, Waghorn, Sears, McGoldrick, Garner. Subs: Gerken, Celina, Rowe, Downes, Nydam, McDonnell, Woolfenden.

Brentford: Bentley, Dalsgaard, Dean, Barbet, Colin, Mokotjo, Yennaris (c), Jozefzoon, Sawyers, Watkins, Maupay. Subs: Daniels, Bjelland, Egan, Clarke, Vibe, Archibald, Westbrooke. Referee: Oliver Langford (West Midlands).

Photo: TWTD

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