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Ipswich Town 0-0 Wycombe Wanderers - Half-Time
Tuesday, 26th Nov 2019 20:53

The Blues had a goal just before half-time controversially disallowed to leave the scoreline against Wycombe Wanderers 0-0 at Portman Road.

Town were without Flynn Downes, who was subbed late on against Blackpool on Saturday against Blackpool, as they returned to three at the back.

Tomas Holy was back in goal with Will Norris on the bench, one of four changes from the team which drew 2-2 at the weekend, while James Wilson joins skipper Luke Chambers and Luke Woolfenden in the back three.

In midfield, Cole Skuse lined-up alongside Jon Nolan and Emyr Huws with James Norwood and Kayden Jackson up front. Janoi Donacien - with Kane Vincent-Young still not ready to return after his groin operation - and Luke Garbutt were the wing-backs.

For Wycombe, ex-Blues youngster Matt Bloomfield skippered, while Adebayo Akinfenwa and Dominic Gape came into the side for Nnamdi Ofoborh and Alex Samuel, who dropped to the bench.

Wycombe’s on-loan QPR forward Paul Smyth hooked an early strike wide for the Chairboys but Town - unusually attacking the Sir Bobby Robson Stand in the first half - saw most of the ball in the early minutes but without threatening until the 11th minute when a mishit Garbutt freekick from the left reached Wilson at the far post.

The centre-half stabbed towards goal but it struck a Wycombe player, on the hand according to supporters but not referee Alan Young.

Moments later, the Blues had an even better shout for a penalty when Nolan’s shot from just outside the area more clearly hit Jacobson's arm but again referee Young was unmoved.

Town, looking far more dangerous than they had for most of Saturday’s game against Blackpool, continued to ramp up the pressure and in the 14th minute they came within inches from the opener.


With rain starting to fall steadily, Jackson crossed from the right and Norwood stooped to nod home from a couple of feet out but was unable to get enough on the wet ball to direct it goalwards.

On 18 Joe Jacobson shot straight at Holy from distance, then at the other end Norwood hit a similarly speculative effort wide.

Akinfenwa had been kept in check by the Blues in the opening stages but on 25 the man-mountain frontman outmuscled Chambers on the edge of the box and was away on goal. Fortunately for Town Holy had come off his line quickly and blocked with his shins.

But overall Town were presenting the greater threat and in the 29th minute, after a 25-yard Garbutt freekick had hit the wall, the resultant corner was cleared out to Huws but the Welshman scuffed his shot wide.

A minute later, Nolan was booked for a foul on Bloomfield. Jacobson looped the freekick to the back of the box but just beyond Akinfenwa.

On 34 Garbutt was booked for a late tackle on Wheeler as the Wycombe midfielder cleared, although there appeared to be little contact.

Moments later at the other end, Jacobson curled a freekick from just outside the area on the right wide.

Skipper Chambers wasn’t too far away from his second of the season in the 41st minute when he flicked a corner from the right but just beyond the far post.

The Blues had looked threatening from set pieces all half and in the 44th minute they thought they’d gone in front.

After the initial ball in had been half-cleared, Chambers headed Garbutt’s cross goalwards and it caught a defender on the way through and beat keeper Ryan Allsop to his left.

Town celebrated the goal as the Wycombe team surrounded the referee and the players were already lined-up for the restart before referee Young, who had already had an inconsistent half, spoke to his assistant and then disallowed the goal.

It wasn’t clear whether the linesman’s flag had immediately been raised or why it had been disallowed, although the assistant presumably erroneously believed Jackson had got the last touch and was either offside or had handled.

The Town players were furious and Norwood talked himself into the referee’s book for his protests towards the assistant. The former Tranmere man now has five bookings for the season and will miss the Blues’ next league game at Coventry a week on Saturday.

Just before the break, Smyth was cautioned for a foul on Woolfenden, then Donacien was harshly yellow-carded for a foul on Curtis Thompson, much to the anger of a now furious Portman Road.

The whistle was greeted by boos aimed at towards referee Young, who had somewhat lost the plot in the final minutes of the half in the wake of the bizarre circumstances surrounding the disallowed goal. Yellow cards were flashed for innocuous Town challenges with worse tackles and lengthy time-wasting - particularly from Chairboys keeper Allsopp - having gone unpunished earlier on.

Had the goal counted, Town would have deserved their lead having been on top for most of the half and having created a couple of decent openings with Norwood unfortunate not to get more on Jackson’s cross earlier in the period. The Blues had also looked dangerous from most of their set pieces.

Wycombe had threatened on fewer occasions and had seen much less of the ball but with Akinfenwa always capable of causing problems and Jacobson’s set pieces a threat.

Town: Holy, Woolfenden, Chambers (c), Wilson, Donacien, Huws, Skuse, Nolan, Garbutt, Jackson, Norwood. Subs: Norris, Edwards, Rowe, Judge, Nsiala, Dozzell, Keane.

Wycombe: Allsop, Jacobson, Gape, Stewart, Wheeler, Bloomfield (c), Smyth, Thompson, Grimmer, Akinfenwa, Charles. Subs: Yates, Kashket, Phillips, Freeman, Samuel, Aarons, Ofoborh. Referee: Alan Young (Cambridgeshire).


Photo: TWTD



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HALLSJ added 22:12 - Nov 26
Dangerous from set plays, they were awful.
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runningout added 22:17 - Nov 26
Plenty of room for improvement
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