Town’s long wait for East Anglian derby glory continues after James Maddison’s 59th minute goal saw Norwich City to a 1-0 victory at Portman Road. The Blues, who haven't beaten the Canaries since April 2009, will feel they deserved something from the game having been the better side in a first half in which Jonas Knudsen hit the post and David McGoldrick headed over when he will feel he should have scored.

Joe Garner, Tom Adeyemi and Jordan Spence returned to the Town starting line-up with Dominic Iorfa dropping to the bench along with Grant Ward, while Myles Kenlock was left out of the 18.

Garner began the game as part of a front three along with Martyn Waghorn to his right and McGoldrick to his left, while Adeyemi, who came through the youth system with the Canaries before making a handful of senior appearances for the Norfolk side, was in a three-man midfield with Cole Skuse and Tristan Nydam.

Spence was on the right of a back four with skipper Luke Chambers to the right of Adam Webster in the centre and Knudsen at left-back.

For the Canaries, Marco Stiepermann replaced James Husband at left-back following a groin injury, while Wes Hoolahan, playing in his 10th East Anglian derby, was in midfield for Marco Vrancic.

Town hit the first shot of the game in the third minute, but Waghorn’s scuffed strike from the right failed to trouble Angus Gunn in the Norwich goal.

Despite the Canaries having most of the early possession, the Blues began to threaten on the break.

On five McGoldrick fed Garner on the right, the former Rangers man crossed too deep and Norwich skipper Ivo Pinto seemed set to clear. However, the Portuguese defender tried to turn inside Knudsen, running into the Dane as he did so.

Knudsen, a scorer for Town in the last two East Anglian derbies, picked up the loose ball and took it into the left of the area before hitting a shot across Gunn which beat the keeper but slammed off the post and away.

Town continued to look a danger on the break and on 11 the Blues had another opportunity, a loose ball falling to Waghorn on the right of the box after a corner but his shot curved well wide and eventually went out for a throw.

Norwich threatened for the first time two minutes later, Stiepermann finding a lot of space on the left but shooting well wide.

Yanic Wildschut saw a subsequent effort diverted behind by Chambers then at the other end McGoldrick shot not too far over from 25 yards.

The Blues caught the Canaries on the break again in the 16th minute but McGoldricks’s threaded pass was too far in front of Knudsen.

Then, after James Maddison had shot wide for Norwich, Waghorn teed-up Nydam at the edge of the box but the 17-year-old was crowded out.

Wildschut was next to take a pop on the 18-yard line but Bartosz Bialkowski saved with little fanfare, as he did on 23 when Stiepermann hit a subsequent effort from a similar distance after a Norwich break.

Other than Knudsen’s strike off the post both sides had been limited to shots from the edge of the area and beyond, and on 25 Maddison tried his luck but curled wide.

Garner flicked a header wide from a left-sided corner in the 28th minute, then two minutes later Waghorn flicked a bouncing ball towards goal but too close to Gunn. Nydam behind him might have been able to be more controlled with his finish had the ball reached him.

Spence picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Tom Tryball in the 32nd minute.

Nydam made a superb challenge as Wildschut broke into the area a minute later, then Cameron Jerome got his first sight at goal from a cross from the left but headed well over.

Stiepermann did well to turn a dangerous Town ball from the left behind at the far post ahead of Garner, before McGoldrick volleyed a Waghorn ball in from the left back in the direction from which it came from. Moments later, Adeyemi headed a Knudsen cross from the left well wide.

Town should have taken the lead in the 40th minute after they had been awarded a rather fortuitous freekick, Nydam having slipped as he ran in behind Pinto on the left.

Waghorn whipped over the freekick and McGoldrick headed over from six yards, his marker having lost his footing as the ball came across.

Moments before the half-time whistle, Waghorn had the ball in the Norwich net but the flag having been raised for offside well beforehand.

Town would have deserved the lead had they gone in a goal in front, Knudsen’s shot off the post and McGoldrick’s header over having the best chances of the first 45 minutes, and they had looked the more threatening of the two sides.

Norwich had been largely restricted to shots from distance, while the Blues had defended well when the Canaries had managed to break into the box.

Garner scuffed a half-volley wide after Spence had nodded down a Webster cross-field ball as the second half started much as the first had ended. On 50 Maddison made himself look somewhat foolish with a very obvious dive as Knudsen saw the ball out of play.

Garner headed a dangerous Norwich freekick from the left clear on 53, with Skuse seeing the ball behind after Hoolahan had fed in Maddison on the left of the box.

Town weren’t too far away from taking the lead in the 54th minute when Spence was sent away in space on the right and sent over a cross to the near post for McGoldrick, whose flicked header flew just beyond the far post.

After Skuse had undergone treatment on the pitch, Jerome hit a low shot through to Bialkowski on 58 and a minute later the Canaries took the lead.

Wildschut brought the ball forward and fed Stiepermann on the left, and the full-back cut back to the unmarked Maddison, whose shot beat Bialkowski to his left.

On 6 6Norwich, who had been on top having gone ahead, were forced to replace Christoph Zimmerman with Grant Hanley, then a minute later Flynn Downes took over from Adeyemi for Town.

Chambers was yellow-carded for a foul on Maddison in the centre circle in the 71st minute, then a minute later Downes joined him in the book, although he appeared to win the ball as he challenged Trybull.

Town had looked short of ideas having gone behind and on 76 manager Mick McCarthy swapped Garner and Nydam for Freddie Sears and Bersant Celina. A minute later Norwich switched Hoolahan for James Husband.

The Blues began to make some headway as the game entered its final minutes, a grounded Waghorn turning a shot through to Gunn, then from a Knudsen long throw on the left Skuse scuffed a shot from the edge of the box which Gunn claimed.

On 86 Skuse hit another effort from even further out which deflected through to Gunn, then Celina saw a strike blocked with McGoldrick unable to find the space to hit another effort.

Seconds after the fourth official indicated four additional minutes of time, the Blues went close to an equaliser. Waghorn battled for the ball on the edge of the box before chipping over Gunn but an inch or so past the post.

In the dying seconds Knudsen headed a Waghorn corner from the left wide before referee Tim Robinson confirmed Town’s defeat.

The Blues, who derby winless run stretches back eight and a half years, will be left rueing their failure to make their first-half superiority tell, Knudsen’s shot off the post and McGoldrick’s header over the best opportunities.

The Canaries had rarely threatened until Maddison’s goal but from there they saw out the rest of the game largely in comfort with Town not looking like getting back into the game until the closing stages.

A derby defeat, particularly one at home, is always painful, however this was a game the Blues will feel they should never have lost and indeed ought to have won.

Town, who have lost six of their last eight in the league, drop to 11th in the table following the weekend results with Burton Albion their next opponents at the Pirelli Stadium next Saturday.

Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Chambers (c), Webster, Knudsen, Nydam (Celina 76), Adeyemi (Downes 67), Skuse, Waghorn, Garner (Sears 76), McGoldrick. Unused: Gerken, Iorfa, Celina, Connolly, Ward, Sears, Downes.

Norwich: Gunn, Pinto (c), Zimmermann (Hanley 66), Klose, Stiepermann, Reed, Trybull, Hoolahan (Husband 77), Maddison (Vrancic 89), Wildschut, Jerome. Unused: McGovern, Husband, Vrancic, Oliveira, Murphy, Franke. Referee: Tim Robinson (West Sussex). Att: 24,928 (Norwich: 2,009).

Photo: TWTD

TimmyH added 14:28 - Oct 22 Notice the more we pressed Norwich in their half the worse we were, our best period of play was when Norwich had the ball up our end as per the first 20 minutes or so and then we countered. Little quality other than that. Mick's been here 5 years and really should be put out to graze. Just waiting to hear from Rensham now. :)
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warktheline added 14:29 - Oct 22 The team selected today should be winning matches in championship. All eyes on McCarthy, mine have been for two years and more!
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Tractorboy1985 added 14:32 - Oct 22 1. We are not good enough 2. Our manager plays players out of position 3. Our owner is the biggest joke in English football (and the most bent) 4. RIP ITFC whilst Evans is still in charge and employs the staff he currently has
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Rensham added 14:32 - Oct 22 great game pity about the result. Mick was very positive and picked the right side for the game. lack of belief in the team and the supporters after the goal. can't blame mick for that. win at burton and we'll be back in the top six. COYB
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Esseeja added 14:35 - Oct 22 Stressed and depressed, we are basically the Arsenal of championship football, except we are not a big club, we are a small club.
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12th_Man added 14:36 - Oct 22 Disappointed with this result but McCarthy out stop talking cr@p
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Bluewelshman added 14:38 - Oct 22 I am struggling to see us getting many points in our next 5 games, and if we don't win against Burton I can't see us anywhere near the top half of the table, let alone the play-offs this season. All that hope we all had after the first handful of games has been completely shattered, and all that's left is anger, disappointment and realisation that we will never have the glory days back in this financial state, with a millionaire owner (who I would be surprised was even in the stadium today) that has us all wondering why the hell he bought a football club in the first place, pumping money into it every year like a tyre with a slow puncher. I'm sorry that I am in no way upbeat, but despite not wanting MM when he first came to the club, I have still held out hope that he would be the manager which would push us out of this depressing league, now I just want him out. The days of entertaining football and the passion installed into players like the club had during the Burley years seem like a lifetime away, and with zero chance of this happening under Evans or Mick, I've just lost all hope, todays game has finished me off...sorry!! coyb

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loyal_Blue added 14:40 - Oct 22 At the end of the day, we lack quality and strikers that can put the ball in the back of the net. Mick waiting till the last 15 minutes to put celina on is the biggest joke of today. Our team had no urgency and didn't care we were losing to a team that wasn't much better than us today. They don't care, they don't understand what it means to our fans. The club is falling and we need to change to stop it...... the owner needs to tell us his intentions and mick needs to go

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Lightningboy added 14:40 - Oct 22 Totally agree TimmyH..this club has slowly crept backwards and backwards to almost complete nothingness over the last 15 years since Burley got the push...i'd rather him & Butcher in our dug-out than clueless McCarthy & Connor anyday. Thought we did ok in today's first half and were unlucky not to be in front at half-time.....then no doubt their master tactician of a manager alters a few things during the break and our master tactician says same again lads and that was the end of that. McGoldrick was pretty dreadful today and the all important Skuse nowhere to be seen when they scored their goal. Think this season is now sadly going to be all about staying afloat with more negative football by the week..hopefully things will change next summer but what a wasted opportunity once again - we have the players and when all are fit we have the squad..problem is we have a manager & tactics from the dark ages.

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BrettenhamBlue added 14:41 - Oct 22 Watched the game in a bar in Hong Kong. A few people there said to me exactly what I was thinking; "Are your players even proud to wear their shirts. Sorry, but that was gutless". Sorry to say, I had to agree. So many years now of humiliation by Norwich. To say I'm angry with MN and the team is an understatement.
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dukey44 added 14:41 - Oct 22 A silly question but what ever happened to playing the ball down the wings and crossing the ball? Or has the game changed?
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jjhbruno added 14:43 - Oct 22 Can anybody remember the last meaningful game we won. We seem to lose every game that has any significant importance. Bored of being useless when I comes to the crunch. Can't think of another manager that needs to move on more than ours. Get rid, we need something to look forward to because I have no interest in watching another McCarthy Ipswich performance
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Notts_tractor added 14:44 - Oct 22 It simply beggars belief that anyone can be defending McCarty and/or Evans. How much more stagnation, tedium and ineptitude are you prepared to put up with? Are you happy with crowds of 14,000 and sliding down the table? Don't you think it's time for change??
22

martin587 added 14:45 - Oct 22 Should have been 3 up at HT. Lost the match in the third half for me.Still midfield a major problem and until this is addressed we will always struggle.Great to see the kids coming through at long last. For me we played well in the first half and in the second had more possession but if you don't score then you will nearly always loose. Now lost seven games out of the last nine.This is not good and things need to change but I very much doubt a change of Manager would make any difference.There is not much available that could do a better job. Remember we are still in shouting distance of the top six with a game in hand so I won't feel down,just yet but today's result really hurts as I have to go to Norwich hospital tomorrow for an operation.😡

0

vanmunt added 14:45 - Oct 22 Boring hoofball mick back to his best. Could someone please explain what the game plan was today, all I could see was 11 headless chickens running around and kicking the ball as high and far as possible. How any of the mick loving brigade can come on here and defend that dross will beggar belief, 2 dribble shots on target in 90 mins and the first one wasn't until 83 minutes.. pathetic dross, how that man keeps his job is a complete joke. Sunderland feels a long long time ago.

12

lightingblue added 14:46 - Oct 22 Good news is that my sons team won today. 6 games and 94 goals scored. His Ben been offered a pdp pace with Norwich. Sorry guys but m tempted
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Kieron_FJ added 14:46 - Oct 22 Mick out. Absolutely clueless. Waits until the 75th minute to make a substitution when we were completely flat for the entire second half and had no attacking goal threat. And to top it off when the substitutions were made he continued to stick with long ball, regardless of the fact Garner had been taken off. Need a modern, forward thinking manager to come in and change things up. Doesn't help when you have incompetent owner either. Mick out, Evans out and some money invested into the dire squad we currently have to replace the likes of Cole Skuse who is only in the squad for nuisance value and Freddie Sears, who has a phobia of taking shots and testing goalkeepers. Had enough of being in Norwich's shadow in recent years and something had to budge. Not good enough. Mick and Evans out!

17

EssexTractor added 14:47 - Oct 22 Good Quailty in important positions sadly lacking , but we know of this , it's like a " ditto" every match.. Today some really poor quality, which the paying attendance could see, but the management sadly could not Examples Jordan Spence patently inadequate within minutes of kick off, Tom Adeyemi, the match passed him by, any satisfactory touches, no Garner who I feared may have let his short fuse ignite actually contributed more, but was withdrawn. Waghorn who has the build of a boxer is flimsy on occasion, MCGoldrick couldn't reach the better moments of this season . Norwich edged it in fairness because they showed more comfort with the ball in their possession, namely Madison and Hoolahan. As a derby it lacked fizz,and the two players who probably had the easiest days were the keepers, neither of whom broke sweat!

8

19781981twtd added 14:48 - Oct 22 Had enough ,final straw cut season ticket up can't take this crap anymore after 40 faithful years enough is enough to say I'm hurting is no where near the way I'm feeling right now ,evens and mm please go and let us fade away with some dignity.
11

lightingblue added 14:48 - Oct 22 Good news is that my sons team won again. 6 games and 94 goals. Sorry to say lads but he has recently been asked to join Norwich's elite squad and you know what after that I'm tempted
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MickCuresInsomnia added 14:49 - Oct 22 Nothing personal against Mick but the club really does need a change of manager. With the budget he's been given he's (generally) done a good job but his style of football stifles our players and bores most of us fans to tears and if we're all a bit honest about things we knew this would be the likely outcome of today. A spirited but lacking in quality 0-1 defeat to the numpties up the road was always on the cards. To be fair to them (which I hate being) they're a more forward thinking club at the moment. Marcus, I'm fed up with having to watch ever ageing footage of us doing anything significant in the game so can you please give us some hope with a dynamic choice of manager.

10

Rensham added 14:56 - Oct 22 Mick still to win a big game for Ipswich. That is a problem for the club and the fans.
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TimmyH added 14:56 - Oct 22 Yep deluded as the manager himself and that's Rensham, maybe it's Mick's son?...agreed MM put the best team out he could (arguable about the absence of Celina) but doesn't that say more about Mick 's management if we still lose against a 'poor' Norwich as you stated last weekend? - on paper the side looks okay. Some players didn't do a lot today namely Adeyemi and Spence - McGoldrick for his opportunities (1 on the break) and Skuse for the goal. STILL waiting to beat a top half team, maybe that is the yardstick of how we must judge Mick this season!...on paper that team should be doing better than that.

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SheptonMalletBlue added 14:58 - Oct 22 6 defeats in 8 games, 1 goal in 3, time for you to sling you're hook McCathy!!!!!!
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grumpyoldman added 14:58 - Oct 22 I am lucky I am over 200 miles away in York, having a lovely time, even went shopping with wife, as much entertainment if not more than is served up by an MM team. As usual he talks the talk in press conference with his wonderful witty remarks, the match starts and all hope fades to nothing. Another da closer to him leaving.
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