Toto Nsiala scored his first Town goal but was later controversially sent off as the Blues were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, Lucas Joao netting twice for the Owls. Joao headed the home side in front in the 16th minute, but Nsiala levelled on 44. The former Shrewsbury man was very harshly red-carded for a challenge on Fernando Forestieri in the 75th minute and two minutes later Joao won it for the South Yorkshireman.

Kayden Jackson was handed his full Championship Town debut as the lone striker with Ellis Harrison moving to the wide left role.

Tayo Edun was back from his one-match suspension replacing Cole Skuse, who missed out due to his quad injury, with Jon Nolan able to start despite having been a doubt with an ankle problem. Grant Ward, who started at Derby in midweek, dropped to the bench.

Janoi Donacien blazed high and wide in the opening seconds with the Blues starting brightly. On five Toto Nsiala nodded wide from a corner after a dangerous Trevoh Chalobah ball into the box had been turned behind.

Harrison smashed well over from distance on 12, then two minutes later got his name in the book for a wild challenge on Liam Palmer.

Wednesday had begun to threaten and in the 16th minute they went in front, Town again conceding from a set piece.

Barry Bannan sent over a corner from the right, Joao pulled away from Chalobah at the far post and nodded into the net all too easily.

Four minutes later, it was almost 2-0. Bannan whipped in a freekick from the right and Jordan Thorniley’s powerful diving header flew wide when he will feel he ought to have scored.

But Town began to get back on top and in the 24th minute Jonas Knudsen smashed over a low cross from the left which Owls keeper Cameron Dawson dropped but the ball was cleared by Thorniley from inside the six-yard box before Edun or Harrison were able to pounce.

The Blues continued to play the better football but without looking particularly dangerous either from open play or set pieces with a number of potentially promising freekicks having come to nothing.

But in the 40th minute Town levelled. In the aftermath a corner on the right, an Edwards ball into the box from the left deflected into the air on the edge of the box. Edun nodded into the area, Chambers headed on and Nsiala planted a third header past Dawson from six yards.

The Wednesday players and crowd protested vociferously that the centre-half was offside but referee Jeremy Simpson waved away the protests. Replays suggested Harrison was offside but not Nsiala and that the referee was right to allow it.

Soon after the goal Bannan, evidently still annoyed, was booked for his protest having been penalised for a foul. In the final scheduled minute Atdhe Nuhiu joined him in the book for a cynical trip on the breaking Nolan.

Town ended the half the stronger side and in injury time weren’t too far away from going in front on two occasions.

First an Edun corner from the left was flicked on and Nsiala’s header at the back post was kept out by combination of Dawson and Palmer on the line.

Then shortly before the whistle, Harrison ran on to his own knockdown, cut in from the left and hit a goal-bound shot which Dawson bundled away down to his left.

The home fans booed referee Simpson off following the whistle, still believing that the Town goal shouldn’t have stood.

Whether that decision was right - as it appeared to be - or otherwise the Blues hadn’t deserved to go in behind having been the better side during the first half.

Wednesday’s goal had come against the run of the game at that stage with Town having played the better football in the early period, albeit without looking overly threatening.

Having gone behind via another set piece goal, the Blues took time to re-establish their ascendency but they gradually began to pass the ball around confidently.

They were rewarded with the equaliser and might well have found themselves ahead at the break given the two late chances.

The Blues began the second half on top, winning a couple of early corners which Edun and Nolan took short.
"From the second, in the 51st minute, Harrison pulled off an overhead kick but straight at Dawson. The Owls keeper kicked long quickly and Marco Matias got in behind the Blues’ backline as Knudsen was unable to cut it out but rather fortunately for Town the Owls forward shot wide.

Wednesday threatened again moments later, Matt Penney cutting back from the right to the edge of the box from where Bannan struck a powerful low effort which Knudsen blocked on the line.

Jackson struck a deflected shot on the turn from a Knudsen throw from the left which looped through to Dawson on 62 with the Blues still on top of an increasingly open game.

Wednesday briefly put Town under a spell of pressure but after Donacien cleared a Bannan cross, Harrison broke strongly down the left but failed to find Nolan with a pass inside with Edwards in acres of space on the right.

On 70 Knudsen was booked for pulling back Joao as they battled for a bouncing ball with the Owls starting to take control.

Two minutes later, Palmer scuffed wide from the edge of the box, before Fernando Forestieri replaced Matias.

Then, in the 75th minute, the Blues were reduced to 10 men on contentious circumstances for the second successive Saturday.

Nsiala slid in and cleanly won the ball from Forestieri, who collided with the Town defender in the aftermath. It looked a perfectly good challenge but referee Simpson immediately ran over and showed his red card to the amazed Nsiala, who complained bitterly at the decision before walking off and then again to the fourth official as he left the pitch.

The resultant freekick led to a corner from which the Owls took the lead. Joao initially headed Bannan’s flag-kick off the post but followed up to net his second of the game.

Flynn Downes replaced Edun for Town as the Blues prepared to restart, while Wednesday goalscorer Joao was withdrawn for Steven Fletcher.

With 10 minutes left the Blues had a chance to level. Harrison was found breaking into the area and looked set to stab the bouncing ball past Dawson but before he could do so a Wednesday defender hooked it away from him.

Harrison suffered a knock as the game moved into its final five minutes and Freddie Sears took over.

Fletcher shot wide for Wednesday on 87, but Town kept pressing as the game went into four minutes of injury time.

The Blues’ last chance was Nolan freekick which was nodded back by Chambers was but was cleared from the area and Nolan’s subsequent shot was scuffed wide. Soon after, the final whistle confirmed what was an undeserved and unfortunate defeat for the Blues.

There was no doubt that the game’s key moment was Nsiala’s red card, Town appearing certain to lodge an appeal against the dismissal which would see the defender miss three games. Although Wednesday had started to get on top at that stage, Town had been in relatively little danger, while looking like they might threaten on the break.

The Blues hadn’t reorganised for the freekick which followed and then conceded from the corner immediately afterwards.

Having been the better side before the break Town had continued where they had left off at the start of the second, although without having tested Dawson further, and the game looked like anyone’s to win going into the final quarter of an hour.

The Blues still remain winless under new manager Paul Hurst - a Sheffield Wednesday supporter - and are bottom of the league going into next Sunday’s East Anglian derby at home to Norwich.

Sheffield Wednesday: Dawson, Palmer, Pelupessy, Bannan, Thorniley, Lees (c), Nuhui, Joao (Fletcher 79), Matias (Forestieri 72), Reach, Penney. Unused: Wildsmith, Fox, Hutchinson, Kirby, Baker.

Town: Bialkowski, Donacien, Nsiala, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Chalobah, Nolan, Edun, Edwards, Jackson, Harrison (Sears 85). Unused: Gerken, Spence, Ward, Roberts, Sears, Downes, Kenlock. Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire). Att: 22,499.

Photo: Pagepix

inghamspur added 23:26 - Aug 25 Still no win 10 games is when to start worrying. Goals seems to be the problem at the moment.
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Michael101 added 23:47 - Aug 25 Tractor boy 1985 not once have i said Hurst is a good or bad manager ,the FACT was the football under mad Mick was pathetic,so if you want to see that every week you are a better man than me
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Dog added 00:15 - Aug 26 We are bottom of the league. Oyston out.
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budgieplucker added 00:43 - Aug 26 The delays in getting players in has hampered PH getting the team to where he wanted them to be, the pre season was not tough enough either, so to a certain extent these first few games are a steep learning curve. The difficulty is that often there is little more than a fag papers width between a lot of teams in this division. I would have predicted Rotherham, Reading, QPR and perhaps Bolton and Birmingham all struggling and providing us with a buffer. QPR have signed two premiership loan strikers this week and one of them scored to hive them their first victory. Having watched the EFL tonight I have to say I am a little worried. Bolton have got off to a good start this season. Birmingham are starting to play some good football now under Gary Monk and we're unlucky to concede to Forest to go away from the City Ground with an away point rather than a win. I still think Reading, QPR and Rotherham will be in the bottom six, I am though struggling to see at the moment many other teams that we look better than on paper. So it really is up to the philosophy of Paul Hurst to show the whole team contribution can be much greater than the sum of all the individual parts. I personally would forget Curtis Tilt and focus on getting three good premiership or experienced championship players to add to the squad. Villa are talking of Bolaise and Tammy Abraham, for one moment I don't think either of those two players would be attracted to coming to Town over Villa. But it is now time for ME to forget about haggling over the odd 100 or 200k and look to give this squad a real shot in the arm and try to bring in players of similar proven quality.!!!! Loosing 40+ goals from proven Championship strikers in Waghorn, Garner, McGoldrick and Celina is a tough ask to replace but nevertheless it cannot be ignored. Harrison and Jackson will have their time and no doubt will gradually prove to be good acquisitions in the long term. I think he next week could be a critical and pivotal one in our history.

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budgieplucker added 00:50 - Aug 26 Just to add, does anyone remember when Bobby Robson had his early days and he went out and got Frank Clark and Jimmy Robertson. Frank was a centre forward with QPR and struggling to get into their first team but was ageing a bit and had plenty of first team experience. Likewise with Jimmy who was a winger at Spurs failing to make the first team. If it hadn't been for these two players we probably would have been relegated that year, their experience and extra quality was justly needed.

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aas1010 added 00:59 - Aug 26 O well what can we say ... so far not good . 🤔🤔🤔🤔
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Minneapolis_ITFC added 01:09 - Aug 26 What is it, five league games thus far and no victory as yet ? End position in the league also.. The team has sold some of it's prize assets and the new kids haven't really adapted into things as quickly as some would have anticipated. Inability to see off average opposition or even poor teams and see where we're at.. Some will blame other elements such as poor match officiating, missed opportunity and misfortune etc, but one strength of a team is to possess the character to overcome adversities. Something we don't seem to have in abundance right now. Mind you, a result with Norwich next up and all hitherto deficiencies will be swept conveniently under the rug with many. Don't get me wrong, I like a victory over those as much as the next but one potential win out of six is still a poor record. Defeat doesn't bear considering right now, but it's a derby game, all things are possible. All you can realize is a marked improvement regarding club scores is just about now imperative.

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aas1010 added 01:17 - Aug 26 Wheres Marcus Evans ( aka mr grace from are you being served) “Carry on you all done very well “ ? Why hasn't he spoken . Seems to disappeared now hurst😈 is loosing games thick n thin
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bobble added 02:36 - Aug 26 things can only improve from here....the wallabies lost as well ..what a poor weekend/.
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neil1968 added 06:05 - Aug 26 Sad thing is if we are in the bottom 3 at Xmas . Hurst will be sacked and another ship steadying keep us up manager will be brought in . Dejavu
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bobble added 07:52 - Aug 26 we look better than norwich and several teams we have played, but need a good striker urgently..
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bluearmy4life added 08:07 - Aug 26 Sunday is now a must win game! A win would give everyone at the club an incredible boost. It's been far too long all of these years without beating the scum. All in all our record against them in recent years is simply unacceptable. If we need to hire in the A team do it! Get Pep Guardoula from Man City for one game lol , we have to win for everyone who is associated with ITFC. Win on Sunday and the first five games will kind of be forgotten about! Keep the faith. Let's get right behind everyone at the club. It would be too easy to be negative right now, keeping positive will help, but we can only do that for so long.

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ormey75 added 08:25 - Aug 26 When do we hit the pannick button
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delias_cheesy_flaps added 09:15 - Aug 26 Here's a thought.... Why don't all these so called Town fans who appear to be whinging doom-mongers who have nothing positive to say about the new regime, just give up following the Town and go follow those inbreds up the A147! Or shut the feck up and support the team!
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GiveusaWave added 09:57 - Aug 26 The fact is we couldn't carry on under MM. Crowds were dwindling, people were refusing to renew season tickets and people were fed up of mid-table football. Relationship between manager and fans was abysmal. MIck-inners....he isn't coming back...so you really need to work out where you now stand. Wishing for the MM years at this point is pointless and he isn't going to be a knight in shining armour at Xmas... Despite our results so far....we are attempting to play a different kind of football. We do look a more "physical" unit....pass the ball more often though we have been a bit unlucky with refs. Don't get me wrong...bottom of the league and knocked out of the cup by Exeter is frankly appalling....but having a go at the team isn't helpful. It's a bad start but the ship will steady eventually. Couple of loan signings....particularly someone who can put the ball in the net...would be helpful. He's 5 league plus 1 cup game into his time at PR....he's barely started yet. Give him a few more games to settle in. If we are seriously adrift in 8-10 games time then negativity would then be understandable. One win would...at this point...lifts us out of the relegation zone. Get behind the team and let's see if we can put further dents in Norwich' premiership aspirations (which are starting to look increasingly unlikely).

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BartonBluee added 10:05 - Aug 26 This time last season we were 2nd with 12 points from 5 games. Currently we are bottom with 2 points from 5 games. We now have arguably worse players and an inexperienced manager. I'm really sorry if I'm missing something here, but where is this so-called progress that all the MM out brigade have been harping on about? We aren't Real Madrid (like most clubs) and it's not about playing "total football". It is about winning games and grinding out results, not being the foot of all football fans jokes and the table. Sort it out Paul Hurst.

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Lightningboy added 10:12 - Aug 26 It's glaringly obvious we need championship players brought in this week but what will we end up with at such a late stage? We've become a League 1/2 team with sprinklings of championhip players when it should've been the other way around - at the moment every game feels like a cup match where we're taking on higher opposition - at this rate this squad will be burnt out by xmas with the effort they're making just to stay in games. If we had the likes of Waghorn,Garner etc etc then i'd be confident of giving someone a pasting before long but cannot see that happening with these players..even if we win Sunday it wouldn't surprise me if we went another 5 games without a win. I like Hurst but how he's gone about things so far is incredibly naive.

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Tractorboy1985 added 10:18 - Aug 26 Here here Barton blue! Well said!! And Michael101.. it's not a case of wanting to watch mick mc carthys football.. I just said he would have never taken us down! We all got what we wanted a change in manager but I want to see my side actually win a football game.. currently under hurst I don't know where it's coming from! I pray to god it's next week against them lot as a defeat is not worth thinking about! These next 7 days could determine whether Paul hurst succeeds or fails at ITFC.. we need at least 2 solid signings.. 1 being a striker for sure as 4 goals in 5 games is relegation material. However signings is not Paul hursts job and we go back to our hopeless owner Marcus Evans......

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ipswichone added 10:31 - Aug 26 ipswich are having lots of bad luck,especially with ridiculous red cards.i think morris should be in team.brilliant 10 minutes v blackburn,scoring all the time in u23s,take the hint ph,he knows where the goal is.
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aas1010 added 10:35 - Aug 26 Delilah's cheesy flaps .. the trouble is every body wants success for this club . Whether it's hurst or who ever , and that success is wanted now. Not slumped to the bottom off the championship where we have graced it for many years now . We want promotion always have and always will . It's in our nature ! Had too many bad managers and results over the year we soooo deserve it . !

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ThaiBlue added 10:44 - Aug 26 Not the best nor worst performance but need a win which will come v norwich.need some more guys in B4 the window closes too.think Bart will need to be dropped if any more mistakes even though he is superb for us most of the time.confidence is a big thing we need to keep as I think we can string a few results together and move us up the table COYB.
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BlueFinn added 10:50 - Aug 26 Keep the faith. The tide will turn.
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dirtydingusmagee added 11:18 - Aug 26 disappointing result again, personally dont see one up front succeeding with these players,however as ive said just looking to survive this season, im concerned but not worrying yet. Its natural we all want to stuff the budgies and i would dearly love to see us do it this week,however i think those who believe that we will are whistling in the dark, i honestly cant see us winning.At the moment playing one up front i cant see Harrison or Jackson scoring 10 goals this season.

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delias_cheesy_flaps added 11:53 - Aug 26 aas1010.....and therein lies the problem with most doom-mongers "SUCCESS IS WANTED NOW" which in all honestly is not a divine right or even a realistic statement after 5 games of the season! We (Ipswich) have a history of being patient with new mangers and without which none of our past glories would have been achievable if the Cobbold's had listened to Bobby Robson's dissenters at the start of his tenure, it wasn't pretty and results didn't happen straight of the bat, but look where patience got us. Success is earned not given but in todays social media society it's all too easy to forget about time and patience!

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Swn98 added 12:22 - Aug 26 delias_cheesy_flaps just like the MM haters did last season at least with him we had hope I 'm affraid all i can see at the moment is despair. Perhaps you had better toddle off up the A147 dont Know where it leads to.
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