Town returned to winning ways and to the top of League One after defeating Southend United 3-1 at Roots Hall. James Norwood put the Blues in front on seven and added the second in the 70th minute, before Kayden Jackson made it 3-0 six minutes later and Emile Acquah pulled back a late consolation for the Shrimpers on 83.

Boss Paul Lambert made five changes for the second game running with Will Norris handed his Blues league debut in goal.

Tomas Holy dropped to the bench, while Luke Woolfenden was back at the centre of the defence alongside skipper Luke Chambers in a 4-4-2 system. Kane Vincent-Young and Luke Garbutt were the full-backs.

Flynn Downes returned to the midfield after his hip injury alongside Cole Skuse with Gwion Edwards on the left and Danny Rowe on the right.

Norwood was back up front alongside Jackson. In addition to Holy, James Wilson, Jon Nolan, Emyr Huws and Will Keane all moved to the bench having started the 2-0 defeat to Rotherham in the week.

Southend, with new manager Sol Campbell and assistant coach Blues legend Hermann Hreidarsson in charge of the first time, made three changes from the team which lost 7-1 at home to Doncaster in midweek.

Rob Kiernan and Stephen Humphrys come in for the suspended Ethan Hamilton and Stephen McLaughlin, while keeper Mark Oxley returned in place of Nathan Bishop. They started in a 3-4-1-2 system.

Ex-Blues midfielder Luke Hyam was on the bench, while one-time Town academy schoolboy Nathan Ralph starts.

In steady rain, home fans thought they’d witnessed the first goal of the Campbell era in only the fourth minute when Kiernan headed Hutchinson’s freekick from the right past Norris, however, the linesman’s flag had been raised.

But four minutes later, the Blues, wearing their Barcelona-esque away kit, took the lead with their first serious attack.

Jackson deftly turned a long ball forward into the path of Norwood in between the defenders and keeper, and the Blues’ number 10 was first to it and slipped it past Oxley to his right.

The former Tranmere man celebrated his sixth goal of the campaign, and his first since the Shrewsbury match in August seven games ago. Online, another of the striker’s wrestling celebrations was unleashed.

8' GOALLLLLLLLLLLL!

Norwood smashes into the bottom corner. Get in! pic.twitter.com/8iGsRA9Dw8– Ipswich Town FC (@IpswichTown) October 26, 2019

Downes was booked for a foul on Tom Hopper on halfway in the 10th minute. The midfielder will now miss the Rochdale game in 10 days’ time as he has amassed five yellow cards already this season.

There was a scare for the Blues in the 15th minute when Elvis Bwomono sent over a low ball which Hopper and Humphrys were unable to reach.

A minute later, there was a mix-up between Oxley and two of his defenders just outside the area and the ball was mis-cleared to Rowe 35 yards out. However, the winger scuffed his effort at goal well wide.

Rowe went closer in the 21st minute, cutting on to his left foot on the edge of the box and hitting a low shot which Oxley claimed at the second attempt.

Town were forced into a change in the 28th minute when Skuse, who had received treatment a few minutes earlier, was replaced by Nolan.

Nolan immediately made an impact, the sub hitting a low shot from distance just after the half hour which Oxley saved but couldn’t hold. Jackson was first to the loose ball but was only able to smash it against the keeper and the danger was cleared.

Norwood stuck an effort on the turn from a Norris long kick in the 34th minute but he was too far out to seriously test the keeper.

On 38 Humphrys joined Downes in the referee’s book for a late challenge on Edwards.

Two minutes before the scheduled end of the half, Jackson saw a shot deflected wide. From the corner, Woolfenden’s header was nodded out by Hopper.

Town went even closer from the subsequent flag-kick, again sent in by Garbutt. Norwood headed powerfully into the six-yard box from beyond the far post and Chambers nodded wide.

The Blues had dominated the final minutes of the half and might have added to their lead.

After the early scare of the disallowed goal, Town got their noses in front and were largely comfortable from there without playing particularly fluidly in a game which was a typical League One battle for the most part.

Southend had rarely looked like getting on terms and another goal in the second half ought to be enough to win it for the Blues.

The restart was delayed due to a change of fourth official with a supporter taking over in the technical area.

Three minutes after the half started Jackson was booked for a foul on Isaac Hutchinson as the Shrimpers broke.

Simon Cox saw a powerful shot blocked on the edge of the Town box on 54 as Southend made a promising start to the second half.

However, on 57 Garbutt wasn’t too far away from making it 2-0 to the Blues with a 25-yard freekick which hit the side-netting.

Town were forced into another change in the 59th minute when Vincent-Young was replaced by Wilson. The ex-Colchester man looked frustrated as he left the field, the injury appearing a recurrence of his recent groin problem.

Woolfenden moved to right-back, a role he played regularly during his time in the academy and on loan at Bromley.

The Blues felt they might have been awarded a penalty in the 63rd minute when Edwards and went to ground under the attention of a Southend defender but referee Davies instead gave a freekick to the home side.

On 65 Cox almost played in Humphrys on the edge of the area but Garbutt did well to get in a toe and Wilson cleared the danger. Three minutes later, Alan Judge took over from Rowe.

Edwards almost added a second for the Blues in the 69th minute turning his man, then brought it in from the left and hit a low shot just past Oxley’s left post. Moments later, the Shrimpers swapped Hopper for Acquah.

The 2,450-strong Town support didn’t have to wait too much longer for a second goal. In the 70th minute the ball broke for Jackson on the left, he brought it to the byline and cut it back to Norwood, who turned home his second of the game and his seventh of the season.

Cox was booked for a lunge on Wilson, which might well have warranted more than just a caution before the Blues made it 3-0 in the 76th minute.

Following a corner, Nolan struck a shot from just outside the area which Oxley once again failed to hold. Jackson was quickest to react and slammed it low under the keeper and into the net for his seventh of the campaign.

Norris was forced into his first serious save of the afternoon in the 80th minute, the on-loan Wolves man doing well to come off his line to block from Humphrys.

Soon after, Judge shot wide with the Blues continuing to look for goals, despite their comfortable lead.

But in the 83rd minute Southend pulled a goal back. Ex-Blues’ youngster Ralph crossed deep from the left and sub Acquah bundled the ball home at the far post.

In injury time, Nolan flicked a header well wide from a Jackson cross from the right, then Demetriou shot wide from distance for the home team.

Having been the better side before the break and got their lead, the Blues withstood an improved display from the Shrimpers in the early stages of the second and then sealed the victory with two goals in six minutes via the impressive and hard-working Norwood and Jackson. From there, the result was never in any doubt despite Acquah’s late goal.

The Blues are back at the top of the table, albeit on goal difference from Wycombe, who won 1-0 at Rotherham. Peterborough in third are two points behind having rescued a late 2-2 draw at Coventry. Town have a game in hand on both the Chairboys and Posh.

Town are next in action a week on Tuesday at Rochdale, expelled Bury having been scheduled to play at Portman Road next Saturday.

Southend: Oxley, Kiernan, Dieng, Shaughnessy, Bwomono, Milligan (Demetriou 84), Hutchinson, Ralph, Cox, Hopper (Acquah 71), Humphrys. Unused: Bishop, Hyam, Goodship, Taylor, Rush.

Town: Norris, Vincent-Young (Wilson 59), Woolfenden, Chambers (c), Garbutt, Skuse (Nolan 28), Downes, Rowe (Judge 68), Edwards, Norwood, Jackson. Unused: Holy, Georgiou, Huws, Keane. Referee: Andy Davies (Hampshire). Att: 8,632 (Town: 2,450).

Photo: Pagepix

ITFCsince73 added 21:31 - Oct 26 Since we played AS....they've played 2, won 0, scored 0. It really is a funny game. Is there really much difference in quality from AS to Wycombe? I don't think there is. There's no difference in quality from the team 6th top to 6th bottom. Overall a league with poor quality. Open opportunity for the leagues best 4, to fight for top 2.
6

sixtyblue added 21:49 - Oct 26 It's amazing that when Chambers makes a mistake he instantly blames the nearest player to him ,especially the younger players.Man up and admit you are to blames.
6

Marinersnose added 22:02 - Oct 26 Another good win today against a very poor Southend side. Agree with many that we are still not firing on all cylinders but we are getting results with squad rotation. KVY unfortunately rushed back too soon and probably be out for 6 weeks with a groin problem. Whilst I was surprised Holy was rested he has been poor on crosses and he loves to kick long. Norris aside from a mistake for the offside goal early on was very impressive. He claimed difficult crosses make an excellent save on a one on one and his distribution was excellent. Great to have Downes back as he's head and shoulders above many in this league. Norwood Jackso and Woolfenden all played well today. I'm concerned about our left side which has been exposed too many times this season. Garbutt is a fantastic player but he's not a defender and gets caught too frequently. Edwards offers no support and is lightweight and average. This area needs attention. We also need another right back unless Wolfy fills in. Great win . Lambert is doing a fine job

3

Uhlenbeek added 22:17 - Oct 26 I was there today and I must say I thought we were really poor. This Southend team is really REALLY terrible but they looked a match for us for most of the game. Yes there is the new manager bounce but this is a team with 1 win in 15 and got drubbed midweek. I'm pleased we won and we took the goals clinically but there are a few players in there not up to spec - Rowe and Edwards prime examples Sorry to sound negative, an away win is always good but there is alarm bells ringing for me

5

ITFCsince73 added 22:37 - Oct 26 Uhlenbeek. It's not being negative. It's about how you see it. What you see is plain for all to see.
4

algarvefan added 23:11 - Oct 26 We have certainly played better than we did today that's for sure, thought Southend passed the ball better than us at times and weren't as bad as some of you are making out. There are players out there who are giving it their all but lack the skill and composure at times. I must admit though I get fed up every week at people having a go at Chambers and only Chambers, yes he makes mistakes but there was also a good deal of excellent work at the back by him again today. Nobody is perfect but Chambers always gives his all.

0

runaround added 01:09 - Oct 27 A much needed win to get us back on track & a good sign that both strikers scored. Top of the league with a game in hand is a great place to be but we need to keep going
2

Dissboyitfc added 08:40 - Oct 27 Great post Linkboy13 the thing i want to see is steady improvement because if we do go up as things stand we will struggle thats for sure and that could lead to relegation again. I dont want us to be a yoyo team between the championship and league 1! We need to be a settled team, we do look disjointed at times, almost strangers! Anyway, a big positive, great to see Norwood taking his 2 goals with so much composure, almost cheeky and cocky for the second stroked in goal! For me he looked like the player we all thought we were getting! At times Norwood for me has been a disappointment, missed so many sitters in previous games. Norwood himself will be disappointed with the volume of missed one on ones. Norwood has recently stated that his goals come in batches, lets hope yesterday was the start of a large batch! I like lambert, he has done so much to give us our club back, but fed up with the BS. Not once have we been Brilliant, magnificent, fabulous or great! We have had our moments! Apart from the game against Bolton's kid we have not looked in charge of any game, we have come out on top and took the points in so many games without being convincing!

6

chalky added 10:39 - Oct 27 Good to see us plying with two strikers again. Add Georgiou to the starting line-up and we may begin to mount a genuine threat with some consistency (include Dobra in that when available)). We need a fit KVY. Nolan looks a better bet than most in midfield and deserves a run in the side, while Downes needs to calm down a bit and receive fewer yellow cards.
0

dirtydingusmagee added 11:46 - Oct 27 i agree Dissy ,we may be top BUT IF we were playing like we are in Championship ,we would still be deep in the doo doo.
1

cat added 12:01 - Oct 27 We're top with a game in hand and things ain't properly clicked into gear yet. Let's take the positives out of this cause if/when we do find it we should be unstoppable. I reckon Chambers and Skuse should be eased out of the team this season, although both have generally performed well on most occasions, it's hard to accommodate them both in the 4.4.2 system which suits our strikers better. Wilson and Wolf at the back and Downes ahead of Skuse as both together simply don't work for me.

5

runningout added 12:12 - Oct 27 We are still naff at times and need a big kick up the bum when we are televised game. Sort that small issue out and we may surprise ourselves
0

Tellitasitis added 13:57 - Oct 27 Skuse is so underated ya made a mistake midweek but does not make many. As Chris Sutton once said be careful what you wish for...........skuse to Bristol city in January you heard it here it first. Just stop moaning a get behind the boys FFS were top of the league.
1

Linkboy13 added 15:59 - Oct 27 Im a Skuse fan but i think his championship days have gone now , he plays at a much slower pace now and picks up injuries regularly . Although we went down last season towards the end of the season we were playing with a lot of passion which seems to be missing at times this season. I think this is because of the rotation system players not knowing if they will be picked for the next game no matter how they played causing a lack of confidence and continuity.

0

Dissboyitfc added 18:56 - Oct 27 I do believe we are playing with passion, cant fault effort but we are not entirely clicking! What a great weekend of results the rugby, we are back on top, the girls winning 6-1 and Norwich losing 3-1, they will soon be bottom! LOVE IT!!
0

ringwoodblue added 19:53 - Oct 27 I don't think there's many fans that honestly expected us to be top of the league with 30 points at the end of Oct at the beginning of the season (I'd predicted 19 points at this stage) Once we've played all the teams once, I think we'll know if we can keep the promotion dream alive. We have to play Wycombe, Coventry, Oxford and Blackpool who will all be very tough opponents plus Pompey, Bristol Rovers and Lincoln who won't be easy to beat so we must get 3 points against Rochdale who look the easiest game for 2 months!

1

Razor added 10:51 - Oct 28 Dissboy I would suggest the first 20mts at MK Dons was the best we have played all season--should have been four up but ended up hanging on for the result----bit like a lot of games this season. Now Lambo----dont change the formation, Hughes in for Rowe and you will nearly be there!
0

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls