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Colchester United 0-5 Ipswich Town - Match Report
Friday, 19th Jul 2019 21:25

New boy James Norwood netted a fabulous hat-trick as Town went goal-crazy to earn the first win of their pre-season programme, running ragged League Two rivals Colchester 5-0 at the JobServe Community Stadium tonight.

While summer signing Norwood, the country’s leading marksman last season when his 32 goals helped Tranmere to win promotion into League One, was the star of the show, half-time substitute Kayden Jackson was the best of the rest with a double strike — plus an assist — on a night when home boss John McGreal was left with more questions than answers.

The Blues led 1-0 at the break, thanks to Norwood’s early penalty, and Jackson added a second with his first touch soon after the break. Three goals in just 10 minutes saw off the U’s and put Paul Lambert’s men firmly in charge in what was a comfortable, thoroughly deserved win.

Cheered on by almost 3,000 appreciative members of the Blue Army, who were in predictably good voice throughout, Town looked far more menacing in the second period and could even have secure a more emphatic victory.

Town went ahead thanks to spot-on Norwood as he emphatically converted a penalty awarded after Cameron James was rightly punished for an ill-timed sliding tackle on Danny Rowe that left referee Tim Robinson with an easy decision to make.

The game’s first scoring opportunity actually fell to Colchester new boy Jevani Brown, a summer signing from Cambridge United, in the eighth minute and at the end occupied by most of the travelling fans.

But he delayed his shot long enough to allow Town skipper Luke Chambers to go to ground and block the danger.


Chambers, who will miss the season’s opening League One fixture at Burton through a one-game suspension carried over from last term, was prominent again to dispossess Courtney Senior.

Within seconds, however, his challenge on ex-colleague Frank Nouble was punished by referee Tim Robinson, although the freekick floated in by Courtney Senior was easily gathered by new 6ft 9ins goalkeeper Tomas Holy.

The goal clearly lifted the Blues and they began to stroke the ball around with confidence, midfielders Andre Dozzell and Idris El Mizouni enjoying plenty of possession but unable to carve out any clear-cut opportunities for front man Norwood.

Colchester threatened down the left in the 32nd minute as Brown and Nouble exchanged passes but Janoi Donacien produced a well-timed challenge on the latter at the expense of a corner that was easily cleared.

Holy, signed on a free transfer after his contract expired at Gillingham, was grateful when the home side spoilt another potential opportunity by sending yet another free-kick into the area that he was able to gather easily.

With 33 minutes on the clock the referee called Chambers towards him and seemed to ask that the Town captain have a word with team-mate Norwood, which he duly did before the game got under way again. Presumably, had it not been a pre-season friendly, the Town striker would have been in trouble for something he had apparently said.

Town squandered an excellent chance to increase their advantage six minutes before the break when Tunisian international El Mizouni raced through without being challenged. But, rather than slip the ball to the unmarked Rowe, he opted to let fly from just outside the area and saw his low drive miss the target with plenty to spare.

Tristan Nydam, Idris El Mizouni and Luke Garbutt, who had lined up at wide midfield in his first appearance in a Blues shirt against one of his former loan clubs, all made way for Town at the interval, to be replaced by trialist James Wilson, Jackson, who joined Norwood up front, and Jordan Roberts.

And less than 90 seconds after the restart Andre Dozzell sent a low cross across the goalmouth for Jackson to drill into the net from close range.

The Blues should have added a third goal on the hour mark when pressure by Norwood saw the home lose possession and Rowe picked up the loose ball. He moved through the middle into the home side’s half and his clever pass released Jackson, whose tame left-foot effort failed to test Gerken.

But Lambert’s men quickly found the net again as Norwood claimed his second goal of the night, meeting a cross from Myles Kenlock, who had started the game at centre-half before moving to his usual left-back role, on the volley and firing spectacularly past the helpless keeper.

The ex-Tranmere man added a third in the 71st minute, this time turning in a cross by Jackson with a clever first-time finish and seconds later, before the visiting fans’ applause had died down, Jackson added a fifth from an assist by Jordan Roberts.

A beaming Norwood was withdrawn in the 77th minute and shook hands with both Lambert and assistant manager Stuart Taylor before taking a seat on the bench.

Colchester: Gerken (Ross 73), Vincent-Young (Collinge 73), Eastman (Kensdale 73), Sowunmi (Prosser 73), James (Ager 73), Lapslie (Comley 73), Stevenson (Pell 69), Senior (Fernandes 73), Gambin (Hasanally 73), Brown (Cowan-Hall 46), Nouble (Norris 73).

Town: Holy, Donacien, Chambers, Kenlock, Nydam (Wilson 46), Garbutt (Roberts 46), Rowe (Clements 85), Downes, Dozzell (Huws 61), El Mizouni (Jackson 46), Norwood (Dobra 77). Att: 5,210.


Photo: TWTD



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JaySwitch added 21:28 - Jul 19
Can we play you, can we play you, can we play you every week.....
5

midastouch added 21:31 - Jul 19
Norwood = just what the doctor ordered:

Town Confirm Norwood Signing 10th Jun 2019 19:43
Town have confirmed the signing of Tranmere striker James Norwood on a three-year deal with the club having an option of a further season. 80


I was sweating over his signing like you couldn't believe for weeks with good reason! We keep him fit and we could go places! Said as much before the game on

Town Continue Pre-Season at Colchester 19th Jul 2019 12:45
Town travel to Colchester United this evening for the first of their three domestic pre-season friendlies (KO 7.30pm). 22

Judge and Norwood have huge parts to play for Town this season. Keep them fit and we have a decent chance. Let's pray lady luck keeps pur best players like Norwood and Judge fighting fit all season long. And great to see Jackon chipping in with a useful brace too. COYB!!!
8

runningout added 21:33 - Jul 19
Nice! Can't be relying on Mr Norwood. He and team needs help and we may get somewhere
1

shouldistayorcounago added 21:34 - Jul 19
Good result, any conplaints tonight?
8

mrmorisato added 21:36 - Jul 19
Good Grief, we actually scored five goals in a game!?!?!?
6

IpswichToon added 21:36 - Jul 19
Baaaarcelona!
1

timkatieadamitfc added 21:37 - Jul 19
Good result, GREAT to see Huws do another half hour
9

itfchorry added 21:38 - Jul 19
Every Friday Night - We follow to cheer the
Boys in Blue !
3

Dolphinblue added 21:39 - Jul 19
Fantastic! Thats better! Whoop! 👍😀🐬
3

midastouch added 21:42 - Jul 19
Those number 10 printed Norwood shirts are going to be flying out of Planet Blue after this! Whoever does the printing on Open Day will be able to do them in their sleep by the time the day is out!
6

TractorRoyNo1 added 21:43 - Jul 19
Should have bought him in January
2

BlueandTruesince82 added 21:44 - Jul 19
How did we line up 2ns half, wilson CB, Kenlock LB? Jackson on the left and roberts in the middleish?
0

TimmyH added 21:49 - Jul 19
A good emphatic win...just what the club and supporters needed with the season just around the corner. Well done!
9

Lightningboy added 21:55 - Jul 19
Norwood AND Jackson could be prolific together next season..still think we need another striker in for competition/back-up until Sears is back.

Great win tonight though - will do wonders for confidence.
14

multiplescoregasms added 22:04 - Jul 19
Not just a win, but a really decent performance, 5 goals, a clean sheet, and a striker who got a hat trick. And yet again the Town fans were brilliant. Great night.
6

MonterreyBlue added 22:05 - Jul 19
And to think i ordered my Norwood 10 shirt about an hour before kick-off ☺️ All positive, well done boys!!
2

Jonaldo added 22:06 - Jul 19
The result is great! We now seem to plan to score goals rather than hope to score goals. This will do the teams confidence no harm at all.

You win nothing in pre-season but you can lose faith and trust in the manager if it goes badly.

We deserve a little luck too. Just hope last season's gremlins don't strike and we dont lose Norwood and Holy to injuries in first few weeks.

Believing we can score goals is MASSIVE for us. Last season you could see that the players felt we already lost after we were 1-0 down and everyone who played us knew it and exploited our weak defense from kick off!
6

Saxonblue74 added 22:07 - Jul 19
.....come on doom mongers, where are you? No "Evans outers"?!😂😂
-1

algarvefan added 22:09 - Jul 19
When you're smiling, when you're smiling...................... one swallow a summer doth not make but this is a good result and the kind of result that will lift the lads and keep the prophets of doom off their computers.

Well done Town!!!!
4

KiwiTractor added 22:21 - Jul 19
What a pleasure logging on this morning and reading that headline.
Well done lads.
I'm expecting Norwood to score, so great to see Jackson chip in with a couple too.
3

thechangingman added 22:22 - Jul 19
Just enjoying the positive result! It's gotta be good for team morale/belief. Come on boys, keep it coming. We've gotta get out of the starting-gate quickly this year... COYB!!!
4

Edmundo added 22:26 - Jul 19
Sorry Algarve, meant to up mark you: all God tonight, shows there are a few more top players coming through that we can look forward to: El Mizouni looked class last year in U-23 and U-18 and adds a bit more power to midfield. He can be added to Huws, Dozzell, Bishop (when fit,), and Downe's. Interesting, no Skuse this evening?
0

Bluefox added 22:26 - Jul 19
Some good performances as well as Norwood. Downes very impressive throughout, El Mizouni lively during his first 45 minutes, winning the ball high up the field that led to the penalty, Nydam very sharp in the tackle, Kenlock look assured both bring the ball out as a centre back and left back, a high octane shift from Roberts on the left wing and Huws oozing class when he came on. Would like to have seen Dozzell looking more dominant. All in all a very encouraging performance, although probably flattering Town a little as Colchester brought on swathes of subs in the second half — much more so than Town. In fact the puzzling thing was the non appearance of Woolfenden and Ndaba at centre back, given that Chambers is suspended for the Burton game. Wilson had little to do when he came on in the second half as Town took control so it was hard to judge him, although he didn't look very dominant — Kenlock probably looked more assured at centre back when Colchester were pressing in the first half.
1

arc added 22:30 - Jul 19
There's no way Phil wrote this report. Not his style. Too many modifiers ;-)
0

BoxerBlue added 22:41 - Jul 19
Best thing for me was to see the togetherness of the squad

After every goal every outfield player congratulated the scorer and the assister

Norwood is breath of fresh air brilliant performance all round

7


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