Two Aaron Drinan goals weren’t enough to prevent Town’s U23s from falling to a 3-2 defeat to Leeds United at Portman Road.

Drinan’s second-half header gave Ipswich a way back into the game after goals either side of the break from Sam Dalby saw Ipswich go 2-0 down.

However, the visitors replied immediately to restore their two-goal gap, with Drinan’s second of the game in the 76th minute turning out to be a consolation.

Leeds created the first chance of the game with Mager Gomes picking out the run of Bryce Hossanah down the right wing.

The full-back did well to find Alejandro Machuca with a low ball across the box, but his side-footed shot went high over the bar.

The young Blues retaliated soon after with a flowing attacking move of their own. Ben Morris surged down the left touchline towards the box before playing a well-measured pass to Ben Folami, who out-muscled his man and hit a low shot across the goal that went just wide of the right post.

With both teams threatening it was the visitors that went in front in the 18th minute. Dalby was lucky to receive the ball after Tyler Denton lunged into a challenge with Corrie Ndaba, with the ball falling to the feet of the striker in the area, and he turned and struck a shot across goal and into the top right corner.

A second goal almost followed two minutes later but a fantastic reflex save from Nick Hayes saw the keeper claw the ball off the line from Gomes’s close-range shot.

Conor McKendry’s near post corner from the right gave Folami the opportunity to head Ipswich level, but the Australian striker headed wide of the post with Leeds goalkeeper Kamil Miazek missing the ball as he rushed out to collect.

Some loose play from Ndaba gifted Leeds a chance in the 33rd minute and the Blues were fortunate that Jack Clark lacked composure in front of goal, hitting wide of the right post.

Ipswich were still trying to find a way to level as the first half approached its closing stages and Drinan came close with a long-range effort that forced Miazek to tip over for a corner.

It only took seven second-half minutes for Leeds to double their lead. A long ball over the top into space was met by Dalby who took it into the area whilst holding off his man before striking low past Hayes into the bottom left corner.

The two-goal deficit was reduced in the 57th minute with a fantastic header at the near post from Drinan going across Miazek and into the left side of the goal from McKendry’s corner.

Less than a minute later the two-goal gap was reinstated, however. Machuca broke into the left side of the box and firmly hit the ball low past Hayes into the bottom right corner.

A further 20 minutes passed until Town’s next significant attack, and it was built by a powerful Folami run down the left wing that ended with him cutting the ball back to Drinan in the area. The striker took a touch to evade a sliding defender then powerfully fired it into the net.

Among the subs for the Blues, who were watched by manager Mick McCarthy, was trialist Ryley Scott, who was most recently with West Ham's academy set-up, but the central midfielder, who also featured for the U18s in Saturday’s abandoned game against Huddersfield, had a quiet 20 minutes.

U23s: Hayes, El Mizouni (Brown 71), Goteni (C), Clements, Kenlock, Ndaba, Sagaf (Scott 71), Folami, McKendry (Knight 71), Morris, Drinan. Unused: Wright, Foudil.

Photo: TWTD

MicksZzzTactics added 22:01 - Mar 19 Well done "Murph The Second"! ....Keep it up please, as if do you MIGHT just then get more than the last 10 minutes against Middlesbrough in the season finale! :-) :-)
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dugoutdave added 23:20 - Mar 19 Just play him Mick you t wat
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harlingblue added 02:29 - Mar 20 Drinan scored two impressive goals tonight, one with the head, the other a powerful strike. Aaron put in a very hard working performance, the best that I have seen him play for the U23 side, bodes well for the future. Leeds were deserving of their win against a Town U23 team missing so many of their normal players that are now out on loan, gaining valuable match experience. Folami stood out as a very clever player, Morris pacy, the strange thing is that Kenlock, our most experienced player, plays far better in our 1st team than he does for the U23's.

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BrettenhamBlue added 05:51 - Mar 20 harlingblue Kenlock does seem to raise his game for the bigger occasions. I remember a couple of years ago watching us get beat 5-4 by AFC Sudbury in a friendly. The score flattered us. Kenlock and Emmanuel were completely destroyed by the two Sudbury wingers. Two weeks later both played in the Championship and they did ok. Seen the same thing with Kenlock ever since. See Goteni was captain for this one. How did he play? MicksZzztactics Optimistic to think he might get 10 minutes! :)

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geminimustang added 06:20 - Mar 20 Is this the Drinan,MM signed and the boo boys slagged him off.Now the boo boys are complaining Drinan won't get game time.Well he wouldn't if you guys had your way cos he wouldn't have even been at the Club.Once more,God give ,me strength!Please be consistent when whinging and stop blaming MM for everything.
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therein61 added 07:52 - Mar 20 Wow! a town team scores twice in a match at portman road!!!
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dirtydingusmagee added 07:55 - Mar 20 so Drinan is at ITFC ! Was beginning to have doubts .
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Slambo added 08:15 - Mar 20 PJewellisaGod - If Goteni was the big number 5 at the back then very well I thought. Have to confess to missing most of the goals, so not sure if he was at fault for any of them; but incredibly composed and confident on the ball. Looked really classy...
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brittaniaman added 09:07 - Mar 20 So Dino is planning Emannuels future ??? I will bring him back and will then decide wether to send him back out on Loan again next season (his words) The point is does Dino know something about his own future that we Don't ?????
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PhilTWTD added 09:08 - Mar 20 I wasn't at the game last night but was speaking to someone from the Bristol press on Saturday and they were very impressed with Goteni in Friday's U23s game down there.
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arc added 10:25 - Mar 20 Not to state the bleeding obvious, but doesn't it make sense to give Drinan some first-team action instead of Sears? (Sorry, Freddie.)
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budgieplucker added 10:36 - Mar 20 Generally speaking on last night's showing I don't think any of the players looked anywhere near championship standard other than perhaps Drinan. This is the first U23 match I have seen since the Autumn and I always enjoyed the performances, however, it is so noticeable that we are missing the likes of Downes, Woolfedon, Nydam, Blanchfield, Chris Smith, and a few other first team fringe players like Danny Rowe. Even Adam Mcdonald (now Aldershot) always looked a good solid player at this level. Leeds for me dominated, looked very athletic as a team and played some cohesive football. Unfortunately we struggled to look like a team who had played together regularly. Nobody really imposed themselves on the game. To be fair to Drinan, Morris and Folami it was probably down to the players behind them. McKendry who has given some good performances on the wing in the past played a more freer role but failed to impress me at all last night. Goteni had a physical presence but I am not sure was well served by the players around him. I agree with the comments on Kenlock who really didn't look a first team player on last night's performance. I have liked Ben Folami in the past who has some really nice touches and habits of turning up to score, but I can't help thinking this lad needs to push on and impose himself on the game more. I am however not too despondent, crops of youngsters seem to come in batches and we have done well of late. Plus when we get some of injured players back we will be able to balance the U23 team with a mixture and balance of youth and experience which we didn't have last night.

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poldark added 13:02 - Mar 20 Just read McCarthy to loan out Emanuel again next season does already know he is staying ?
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KiwiBlue2 added 07:00 - Mar 21 Quite probably, although he did say that he will carry out his duties until the end of season regardless of what is going on around him ..... I suspect that he will get an extension.
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harlingblue added 00:52 - Mar 22 With reference to PJewellisaGod, Goteni put in a strong solid performance, calm on the ball for such a big lad, was hampered slightly by getting a booking during the second half. Most of the Leeds danger came from the flanks.
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