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Ipswich Town 0-3 Hull City - Match Report
Tuesday, 13th Mar 2018 21:58

Town failed to score for the fifth successive home game for the first time in their history as Hull City comfortably beat the Blues 3-0 at a fractious Portman Road with manager Mick McCarthy holding an impromptu meeting with his players on the pitch afterwards. Town went close to opening the scoring early on when Jordan Spence hit the post on eight but went behind to Markus Henriksen’s 25-yard strike in the 18th minute, Harry Wilson doubled the lead for the previously struggling Tigers on 40 and Jarrod Bowen completed the scoring two minutes after the break.

Luke Hyam, Grant Ward, Jordan Spence, Jonas Knudsen, Tristan Nydam and Freddie Sears all started as Mick McCarthy made six changes to the team which drew 0-0 with Sheffield United on Saturday.

Cole Skuse missed out, presumably due to injury, as did Dominic Iorfa, having suffered a groin problem at the weekend, while Adam Webster, Martyn Waghorn, Callum Connolly and Myles Kenlock all dropped to the bench.

The Blues switched to what looked to be a 4-1-4-1 system with Stephen Gleeson the deeper midfielder with Hyam and Nydam ahead of him in the centre, Bersant Celina on the left and Ward on the right.

Joe Garner, whose wife gave birth earlier today, was due to be on the bench but was a late drop out, although apparently due to injury. Aaron Drinan took his place among the subs.

Hull made three changes, Fraizer Campbell came in for Abel Hernandez, who only recently returned from injury, Michael Hector for Ondrei Mazuch and Allan McGregor returned in goal for David Marshall.

Neither side threatened until the eighth minute when the Blues came within an inch or so of going in front. From Celina’s corner from the left, the ball was nodded on to Spence, whose flicked header across goal struck the post and bounced safely for the visitors.

But Hull quickly began to create chances. First Nydam got back to make a brilliant challenge to dispossess Henriksen, who had been found in space in the area on nine, then three minutes later Bialkowski saved well from Jackson Irvine after he had been found by Bowen.

Wilson struck a shot from distance which Bialkowski claimed at the second attempt on 13, but visiting fans had only another four minutes to wait for their side to take the lead.

Following a corner, Jackson Irvine stabbed the ball back to Henriksen 25 yards out and the Norwegian hit a well-struck low effort which beat Bialkowski across to his right and crept just inside the post.

The Tigers almost went two ahead in the 28th minute when Nydam gave the ball away to Bowen midway inside the Blues half and the former Hereford man unleashed a powerful shot which fortunately for Town struck the outside of Bialkowski’s right post.


The Blues had shown little attacking threat aside from a couple of Ward crosses from the right but on 38 they weren’t too far away from levelling.

Ward fed Sears to his right before breaking into the area and powerfully heading the former West Ham and Colchester man’s cross towards goal, McGregor reacting superbly to tip it over.

But two minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead. Ola Aina crossed deep from the right and the totally unmarked Wilson volleyed low past Bialkowski at the far post.

The second Hull goal was the trigger for chants of ‘Mick McCarthy, your football is s–t’ from the Sir Bobby Robson Stand, the again small crowd previously having been silent for the most part.

Celina was booked for a dive shortly before the half-time whistle was greeted by loud boos which increased in volume as manager McCarthy made his way to the tunnel.

Hull fully deserved their lead at the break, having been in control for most of the half. After Spence had hit the post, the Tigers had created two decent openings prior to Henriksen’s strike.

Frustrated Town had looked bereft of ideas with too many aimless long balls punted towards Sears but eventually began to make some impact. Ward, who presented the Blues’ greatest threat throughout was unlucky not to score with his header, but Town were made to pay for poor defending as Wilson added to the visitors’ lead.

It was little surprise that the Blues made two changes at the break, Waghorn and Connolly taking over from Gleeson and Nydam.

But two minutes after the restart the visitors made it 3-0. Bowen eased his way past Connolly on the Tigers left, feinted to cross before shooting low between Bialkowski and his near post.

The Town crowd began to sarcastically cheer every successful pass by a Blues player in no matter how unthreatening an area as the game reached the 50-minute mark, then similarly overreacted to a scuffed Sears shot from the edge of the box which was easy for McGregor.

On 55 Waghorn and Knudsen exchanged passes on the left of the area and the Danish international struck a shot which was cleared from inside the six-yard box.

The Blues began to keep hold of the ball and on 59 Spence teed-up Connolly inside the box but the on-loan Everton man’s shot was blocked.

Hull swapped Campbell for Will Keane on 62. Moments later the announcement of the crowd 13,031 - another new lowest home league crowd for almost 20 years - led to chants of ‘There’s no one here’ from the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.

Following a long spell with neither side threatening played in virtual silence, Sears smashed Knudsen’s cross just wide as he sought to prevent his personal goalless streak from stretching to 34 games.

Hull sub Keane shot straight at Bialkowski on 78, then with 10 minutes left striker Ben Morris was handed his league debut by the Blues in place of Celina, while Kamil Grosicki took over from Irvine for the visitors.

The final minutes were played out in virtual silence until those fans who still remained in the Sir Bobby Robson Stand chanted ‘Mick McCarthy, get out of our club’ and ‘We want our Ipswich back’ during injury time.

The final whistle was again greeted by loud boos and further chants aimed towards McCarthy, while the players’ applause was reciprocated by those same fans.

The team and staff were then called over for a meeting on the pitch by McCarthy during which more chants were aimed towards the Blues boss. Further boos greeted the culmination of the brief meeting, which ended with the players applauded, before McCarthy was again booed down the tunnel.

It had been another thoroughly disappointing evening at Portman Road with the Blues, who have scored just twice in their last nine at home in all competitions, deserving nothing other than a heavy defeat.

Aside from Ward’s header at 1-0, they never really looked like getting back into the game and, between bouts of chanting towards the manager, the second half was played out in largely a pre-season atmosphere, the result having been all but settled by Hull’s third goal just after half-time.

One point from two poor displays has ended the scant hope the Blues had of making the play-offs and may well have seen McCarthy’s five and a half years draw to a close.

Town: Bialkowski, Spence, Carter-Vickers, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Gleeson (Connolly 46), Hyam, Ward, Nydam (Waghorn 46), Celina (Morris 80), Sears. Unused: M Crowe, Webster, Drinan, Kenlock, Morris.

Hull City: McGregor, Irvine (Grosicki 80), Hector, Larsson (Meyler 73), Bowen, Dawson (c), Henriksen, Clark, Campbell (Keane 64), Aina, Wilson. Unused: Marshall, Dicko, Tomori, MacDonald. Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire). Att: 13,031 (Hull: 290)


Photo: TWTD



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TonyMowbray added 22:14 - Mar 13
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Absolute joke of a manager and owner. Please both have the decency to say that you have tried, but failed fairly miserably. It's certainly very miserable to be an Ipswich Town fan at the moment so let's both go our seperate ways. Even the be careful what you wish for brigade cant stomach this shambolic disgrace of an Ipswich Town team anymore. Utterly depressing.
22

Bluetone added 22:15 - Mar 13
I feel numb at what is happening to our once proud club.
Beyond that I can't be bothered to comment.
33

agravenor added 22:16 - Mar 13
Can't even be bothered to write much on this tonight, just not worth my time.

It's got to be time for a change now, surely. MM OUT.
18

carlo88 added 22:16 - Mar 13
Why has no one commented on the huddle around MM at the end, and then the round of applause?? What was all that about?
11

Roola added 22:16 - Mar 13
Mick has to go.... and Evans needs to invest. End of.
18

TimmyH added 22:17 - Mar 13
Just a thought:

Chelsea walk on to the pitch to the song 'liquidator'
Everton walk on to the pitch to the theme of Z-cars
Liverpool to 'you'll never walk alone'

How about for us the the theme from 'Blankety blank'
26

Lightningboy added 22:18 - Mar 13
He has to go after that..I dare anyone to defend him.

Don't think anyone was asking to ditch the back 3 system which has proved to be very effective,so why did he change that?..probably to prove some sort of childish point (again).

The guy has obviously lost the plot and his presence here now is doing far more harm than good.

The ground being a third full is still not making him take notice..I suspect if there were only 2 men and a dog watching tonight Mick still wouldn't think it was his fault.

Counting the seconds now.........tick tock.
29

Sixto6 added 22:19 - Mar 13
Shame to see Nydam go off, wanted to get on the ball and looked to go forward !
Surely Mick has gone ?
7

yungblue added 22:19 - Mar 13
The curtain is closing on what has been a truely appalling 2 years, a relationship quite like no other has needed of any positivity that could have been grasped over the last 2 years. End of tenure.
But the beginning of a new one were surely the old Ipswich Town traditional philosophies will be bought back to its core.

Thank you Mick, but goodbye 👍🏻
13

Daleyitfc added 22:19 - Mar 13
As my wife just said "No Plan B?? He hasn't got a Plan A!"
16

Daleyitfc added 22:19 - Mar 13
As my wife just said "No Plan B?? He hasn't got a Plan A!"
2

midastouch added 22:21 - Mar 13
Time to dust down your rusty Ford Model T-Rex and get the Hull out of 'ere Mick!
7

Westy added 22:22 - Mar 13
Cannot believe this. We had to win tonight and with the games coming up against teams above us still had destiny in our own hands, given also that some of these teams also have to play each other. Why then, did we have Joey Garner and Martyn Waghorn on the bench ?
7

itfchorry added 22:23 - Mar 13
If you had an ounce of decency - You would
Resign this evening.

Evans - You are out of your depth - Sell
15

kiwiblue added 22:26 - Mar 13
Absolutely appalling result, maybe the worst in the 51 years of following the town.
We could hear the boos from 12000 miles away.
Time for a massive change for the positive owner manager underperforming players and background staff. Now so the chaff can be sorted before next year.
13

Northstandveteran added 22:26 - Mar 13
He'll resign this evening.
I watched yesterday's interview and he looked and sounded like a broken man.
If he has too much pride, I hope his family have talked him round for health reasons.
He was on the edge yesterday.

Really he should have gone at the end of last season.

His position really can no longer remain tenable.

And as much as I have been his biggest critic regarding his style of football, will wish him luck and good health for the future.

Bye Mick
15

grumpyoldman added 22:27 - Mar 13
All together, “Score in the future, we're going to score in the future, score in the future, we're going to score in the future”
6

runaround added 22:29 - Mar 13
Bizarre team selection and tactics followed by a predictable poor performance & an embarrassing result. Fans relationship with Mick are at an all time low and every day he is at the club now it's making it worse. This indicision from Evans is damaging the club. Mick has to go now whether his replacement is better or not as things have gone too far & gone on for far too long
McCarthy out now
16

lightingblue added 22:29 - Mar 13
All that I fully acknowledge and appreciate what mick did for the first few season, saving us from relegation and peeking when we made the play offs, of which I think we should all be grateful. I now honestly believe his run out of ideas and Evans has to recruit a new manager. Again thank you for saving us lot from relegation and giving us a glimmer of hope by making the play offs. As our great Bobby Robson's favourate singer sang ‘Now the end is ni'(and I apologise for the poor spelling)
7

BlueArrow added 22:29 - Mar 13
EVANS COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE....
20

runningout added 22:30 - Mar 13
the odd win here and there does not hide the real loss of heart at our club. Apparently this was a must win game. We have only a few players with true professionalism. The rest think a girly haircut and tattoos is the only way ahead
9

StochesStotasBlewe added 22:31 - Mar 13
ITFC RIP.
Tonight, i,m not proud to say i left the stadium after 48 minutes. I was angry, very angry, so angry in fact that i turned the air blue & was concerned i would be asked to leave anyway. So as i walked the lonely path back to the van & my short drive home, i had the feeling of sadness, that the club i love is slowly dying in front of my eyes, on life support waiting to be turned off any time soon. By 9.15, i was in the warmth of my living room with a chilled glass of white wine & am now mulling over the abject state of our beloved club.
I expect Mick to be gone by the weekend, even the passive wurthers original munchers were booing at half time. Evans needs to stand up and give the club some direction & leadership or sell up & feck off.
Seriously pissed off right now.
28

JimmyP45 added 22:32 - Mar 13
Best defender we have Webster = dropped. Most likely to score goals in Waghorn = dropped.

What kind of useless, clueless idiot of a manager do we have.

Said before the game that the selection was wrong and making so many changes won't help. And guess what Mick changes it at half time because he got the selection wrong.

Hopeless
17

19781981twtd added 22:33 - Mar 13
Never been so pixxed off for once we had slim chance of finishing above the norfolk scum and we are throwing it away the club is in a complete mess from top to bottom evens please go Mick thanks but please go God knows what anyone can do with this current bunch of misfits we call our players not many if any are fit to wear the shirt " GUTTED"
6

midastouch added 22:34 - Mar 13
@ BlueArrow
"EVANS COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE.... "
If you want to know where Marcus Evans is you'll only be able to find out by buying a Where's Wally book! Or maybe you might be able to find him on an episode of Blankety Blank with his blank cheque book and rusty pen!
Imagine what the Hammers' fans would be doing right now? We've been more than patient! If Marcus was trying to pull this sort of stunt in East London he'd of been chased out of the comfy Executive box months ago!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
18


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