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Derby County 2 v 0 Ipswich Town
SkyBet League One
Tuesday, 21st August 2018 Kick-off 19:45

Voting was locked for this match at midnight on Wednesday 22nd August but you may still add your mini match reports. Note that members and non-members alike were able to vote.


Referee0.0 
Match Rating0.0 


Your Derby County v Ipswich Town Match Reports

chopra777 added 21:56 - Aug 21

We offered very little up front and Derby hit hit us with two soccer punches. Back to the drawing board with our mediocre squad.
-2


timspencero added 22:50 - Aug 21

I thought Derby were quite lucky but it must be said, when the game was quite even it felt like we were playing in one of our better gears and Derby had more to come - or at least, quality to rely on.

Their opener was a big deflection - Lampard would've been proud. Second, Bart should really have done better. He's now looked a little shakey for a few we've conceded this season.

Nsiala looked great, Nolan also was impressive but tired and was out of the game in the second half.

Ward was unable to make an impression on a chance.

Donacien played quite well, though rode his luck again at times.

We looked as though we carried no goal threat, there wasn't a deep imperative to score - no teeth or real zeal.

But by god, it was a joy to see the ITFC midfield hold the ball, pass it around, keep it and not just thwack it and hope.

I think we will struggle this season, because we don't have the pure class that can get you out of jail - a Waghorn for example.

Having watched the under 23s last night, I think Morris must be knocking on the door.

Onwards and upwards... I hope...
-1


timspencero added 22:58 - Aug 21

I thought Derby were quite lucky but it must be said, when the game was quite even it felt like we were playing in one of our better gears and Derby had more to come - or at least, quality to rely on.

Their opener was a big deflection - Lampard would've been proud. Second, Bart should really have done better. He's now looked a little shakey for a few we've conceded this season.

Nsiala looked great, Nolan also was impressive but tired and was out of the game in the second half.

Ward was unable to make an impression on a chance.

Donacien played quite well, though rode his luck again at times.

We looked as though we carried no goal threat, there wasn't a deep imperative to score - no teeth or real zeal.

But by god, it was a joy to see the ITFC midfield hold the ball, pass it around, keep it and not just thwack it and hope.

I think we will struggle this season, because we don't have the pure class that can get you out of jail - a Waghorn for example.

Having watched the under 23s last night, I think Morris must be knocking on the door.

Onwards and upwards... I hope...
0


timspencero added 22:58 - Aug 21

I thought Derby were quite lucky but it must be said, when the game was quite even it felt like we were playing in one of our better gears and Derby had more to come - or at least, quality to rely on.

Their opener was a big deflection - Lampard would've been proud. Second, Bart should really have done better. He's now looked a little shakey for a few we've conceded this season.

Nsiala looked great, Nolan also was impressive but tired and was out of the game in the second half.

Ward was unable to make an impression on a chance.

Donacien played quite well, though rode his luck again at times.

We looked as though we carried no goal threat, there wasn't a deep imperative to score - no teeth or real zeal.

But by god, it was a joy to see the ITFC midfield hold the ball, pass it around, keep it and not just thwack it and hope.

I think we will struggle this season, because we don't have the pure class that can get you out of jail - a Waghorn for example.

Having watched the under 23s last night, I think Morris must be knocking on the door.

Onwards and upwards... I hope...
-1


Mullet added 01:02 - Aug 22

Only a club like Derby could play at place still known to most of us as Pride Park. Yet for all of their expensive falls just short of promotion “two midtable teams” and “two lucky goals” was the verdict of one home fan as we left the place. Leaving his hands unsnapped and intact at the offering of that midtable finish aside, there were 700 or so Ipswich fans pledging their allegiance until “[they] die” at full time. Defeat hung in the air, a humidity atop of the defiance yet again.

There was little change from Hurst. Bart and the same back four of Donacien, Nsiala, Chambers and Knudsen. Skuse and Chalobah sometimes the point and centre of diamond with Edwards and Ward at the edges, Nolan ahead in the shadow of Harrison. What looked in passages of play flat and 4-4-1-1 was also a 4-1-3-1-1 that defies convention in the written and visual sense.

Derby were all Frank Lampard. Evident experience and the questionable or untested ran through their lineup, and after 3 minutes or so, ours as well. A first shot from the creativity of Lawrence, off balance and off target, warned and reminded us of past times.

When Grant Ward finally tested Carson’s hands with a drop inside and shot at goal 39 minutes had passed slower than our midfield had been. Derby had seen defensive midfielder George Evans substituted, and his replacement Joe Ledley come into the game. At the start of the half it had looked like Nolan might not finish it, limping from a heavy knock before running it off. Those differences changed and dictated how the midfield was won or lost all night.

Ipswich had the better of the opening exchanges after roughly 10 minutes. Harrison ran down the youthful right back Bogle and put him on his ass. His head went right after his balance, and for a long time the potential was there for Ward or Knudsen to get past him. Sometimes they did, sometimes they found Nolan or Skuse to break forward. Rarely did any of them find a way to breakthrough.

Both teams liked to play out from the back, but the Ipswich old boy Keogh had space and cover to move the ball easily, as the impressive Chelsea defender Tomori did all the hard work. Often, he and Harrison tried to swap shirts but gave each other little.

Edwards was a spectator behind the rolling roadblock of Craigs. Forsyth and Bryson and pushing him out or inside of where the ball needed to go to really hurt the home side.
When our wingers did swap it was Ward who earnt a free kick and yellow out of the left back. However, both were soon back where they started as was the ball placed down where the foul occurred around the halfway line.

The Ipswich/Chelsea connections that traversed the lineups and fixture combined nicely when Trevoh slowly turned his L plates to his team mates, and was so busy looking at Bart, he slipped in his London colleague Mason Mount for an easy run and poor shot at goal in a dangerous area. It seemed at times neither side could finish, with Nugent of all people watching shots that might have been crosses fizz ahead of him like the game seemed to be doing as he is reaching his dotage.

Whilst Town struggled to get out of their half too often, or the ball to the feet of runners like Edwards. Some neat switch passes and interplay did set us away. When Derby were caught high, it was the slowest man on the field Keogh who was quick to haul Harrison down; before he could cross the Rubicon of halfway again and launch an assault on an isolated Carson. The booking was obvious, but so was the sense that our best chance to counter a pillow-punching Derby had gone too.

The ref had had an excellent 45 minutes, even if neither side had. Derby looked much worse than in previous encounters, but in no real danger. Town’s corners and cross field balls had improved tonight, but when the second ball did, we didn’t seem to believe in second chances. Chalobah’s first floater from outside the box was a very different proposition to one we’d see after the break.

You sensed that the phenomenal record Ipswich had in this fixture stretched back so far, and passed so many managers for either side, that in the crease of the annals where Arturo Lupoli sat, little stirred in the way of omens tonight. Those superstitious amongst us could find nothing in half time tealeaves to suggest how and why things might really change, stale was the game Mate.

It’s hard to know what Hurst read into the opening 45 minutes. But the teams weren’t out long when the yellow card was too. Skuse late to Ledley. The Welshman turned his back expertly to win the foul and shield the ball. The caution was all in the Town midfielder’s challenge and the awarding of the card an afterthought.

The number 8 who had been up and down a lot tonight in a good way, was soon replaced by Flynn Downes. Whether this was protection from a second-second yellow in sequential games, the effects of playing with ten men on Saturday or whether Hurst just reads the data from those little sports bras all game and lets the lingerie decide, who’s to say? But that was Cole’s final word and deed pretty much.

Possession seemed to be mostly with Derby, but Town’s backline seemed more than resilient tonight. It was still hard to pinpoint a shot or pass from the Rams, that really cracked too many chinks of light on where the break would come. That was until again a ball to the back post proved our undoing.

A player from each side jumped, the ball went behind, the linesman flagged for a goalkick. The referee with an inferior view, but superior position gave a corner. Town’s travelling hundreds sounded like thousands in their disapproval. Toto headed the set piece away bravely, but it was the second ball that slapped us in the face and left us with a sense of shame, injustice and regret. Ledley’s thunderous finishing shot towards goal, might have been deflected, but it was not to be stopped. 1-0. Sh1t.

Town’s second substitution would have a similar effect. Predictably Harrison who had ran and jumped all game across the defence and goal he was attacking whilst never getting near enough to testing either, was off. Jackson was on.

Nolan who had sat back a little by now, moved up with the wingers and let Derby know that there was pace and potential in the attack if nothing else. At the other end, one of the many former Blues in the opposition squad would decide the game. Many times did we see Tom Lawrence press the equivalent of the real life sprint button on Fifa, and then win a free kick or the right to shoot. He did all of those here. A soft free kick on the angle from 20 yards.

Bart knew as we all did what might be coming. The quiff bounced, the ball did too, off the wall, off Bart’s hand into the corner for 2-0. Sh1t and fiddlesticks. The air rushed out of us quicker than the wall could, and Town were deflated. You could feel (and in the case of someone nearby, smell) it.

It was again hard to see where a Town goal might come from. Was it Edwards on the right, Ward on the left, Chalobah from deep or Jackson in the middle, maybe Nolan getting on the end of it from a run into the box? None of those things happened in synchronicity. Town screwed crosses low and high in front of crowds but never picked out the decisive runner or rider of challenges to finish.

Swapping Edwards for Roberts a few minutes from time merely swapped Ward’s wing to run down again. The sub on the left, and the right side of fans wanting to see Blue shirts run at defenders with the ball.

Before that former Bee Jozefzoon flew onto the field and offered a real contrast in spending, depth and expectations. He gave Knudsen and company a torrid time, but never found later sub Marriott or anyone else to add a third.

Neither side really found a shot or favourable touch to put the keepers in trouble. And as the final whistle came so did the sense that another win here, or a first for Hurst would have to wait. It was the anniversary of Peterborough 7-1 Ipswich the other day. It sits right in the middle of the unbeaten run that was just halted. Such is the scope of such meaningless records over progress. However, the immediate showings from the new Boss leave a darkness on the edge of winless Town. Still yet to overshadow the positivity that poured at full time.

The subs remain the same, the approach, the lack of finishing, the gameplan overall does too. But the defence looks stronger, the challenge of the movement off the ball and clinical nature of the opposition greater, and yet we dealt with it. Somewhere amongst those variables and individual improvements of players like Ward and Donacien you sense that three points will come at once, but not on nights like this.

Odin gave his eye in Norse mythology to have greater insight, greater power and greater knowledge of the chaos that lay ahead in his story. It’s hard to believe being one-eyed in the real world helps us right now. Better Derby teams have lost to all kinds of Ipswich teams before, what matters is remembering how we refined that winning way.
-1


LancsBlue added 02:13 - Aug 22

We are only seeing the shoots of Hurst's new team. Fans need to be patient and watch them grow. Hurst knows exactly what he wants and he will achieve it. Tonight showed that there is clearly still work to be done, but equally Chalobah, Nolan, Nsiala and Donacien all showed real promise. One or two moans and grumbles around me tonight. Do they not understand that we can't buy instant success and that slowly building is our only chance of competing. To criticise at this early stage is like saying a new house is rubbish when you've only just begun to dig the foundations.
2


aljames added 11:18 - Aug 22

Still time for the team to gel, but we're not creating chances & too many players have yet to step up to Championship standard. Mediocre match won by the team able to have two decent shots on goal but who never otherwise threatened. I just hope that the current set up doesn't take us down to league 1
0


Maltster added 16:04 - Aug 22

We will never do any good when we play one, division 1 or 2, strikers up front against 2 experienced championship central defenders. Mr Hurst must think again or it will be division 1 next season!
0


THAILAND_BLUE added 19:20 - Aug 22

We've got the build up play but no end product.
0


Pilgrimblue added 22:52 - Aug 22

Still don't think that playing one up front works. Harrison isn't good enough so time for Morris to step up. Plus we only need one holding mid so if neither Huws nor Bish is ready we definitely need an attacking mid to help Nolan
0


eddiespearitt03 added 10:33 - Aug 24

We missed the creativity and spark in midfield. We had little threat up front. As mentioned by many others, perhaps it is time to stick Morris up front with Harrison in a 4-4-2. Our attacking play needs to be more varied and we need to go through the middle too !!! We must not be predictable . The defence needs to be more versatile, mobile and prepared to get more involved.
Derby,s first goal was poor as we had no one near the goal scorer which came from a cleared corner. A lack of communication and poor marking.

On a side-note, Bart needs to rush off his goal-line quicker to thwart a through ball (as proved with Westham,s winning goal in pre-season friendly ) Bart could be more vocal in directing his defenders. .
0


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