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Judge: Ultimately It's Probably Going to Come Down to Home Form
Sunday, 16th Feb 2020 15:57

Double-goalscorer Alan Judge says Town now need to build on yesterday's 4-1 home victory over Burton Albion with the Irishman believing home form will ultimately be what decides whether the Blues' season will end in success.

“I think it had everything,” Judge said looking back on the victory over the Brewers. “We weren’t the best in the first 20 minutes, although we still had a chance in the first two or three, Keano [Will Keane] was unlucky not to score and then they scored.

“Then I should have scored, Kayden [Jackson] should have scored, but I think the way we reacted was the best way. It was a professional performance in the end.”

Reflecting on the significance of the result and performance, he added: “Eight left at home, then another four away, so ultimately it’s probably going to come down to home form.

“The fans come out in their thousands every week and home form is going to be important in the run-in, so that’s a good start for the home games we’ve got coming up.

“We can’t let this good performance go, we have to carry it on next week and Oxford are a very good team. We’ll start building up to them next week.

“I know the manager there [Karl Robinson], he’s a good manager, he’s a good coach, he’s got good players and hopefully the weather will be better than when we played them up there.”

Turning to the weather on Saturday and the impact of Storm Dennis on the match, the 31-year-old felt the conditions weren’t as bad as had been feared.

“Today was actually alright, the pitch played well, the pitch is holding up quite well,” he added. “I don’t want to speak too soon, we’ve got a lot of home games coming up.

“Today was about just getting the win but I thought we played some good football in the end.”


Judge, who joined the Blues from Brentford in January 2019, had a long wait for his first Town goal, his account opener coming in the FA Cup replay at Lincoln in November.

His first home goal then came in the league against Accrington in January and his two on Saturday were his first brace for the Blues.

However, the Irish international was disappointed not to claim a third: “Yes, devastated I didn’t get the hat-trick, the first one [when he hit the bar at 0-1] I hit it a little bit much.

“The one I did score in the first half I’ve managed to get it in and the second one, funnily enough I slipped, the keeper slipped and went under him and I’ll take it and I also got an assist, so I’m delighted.

“I know I can score goals, I know people get frustrated and I’ve taken a lot of flak this year because people thought I’d be the top player, but sometimes it doesn’t work out like that.

"The only way is to keep working hard and keep doing it and I’ll take that responsibility, I’ll never shy away from that responsibility and I’ll keep going.”

The Dubliner was most pleased with his assist for Kayden Jackson’s second goal: “To be honest with you, people don’t understand, I prefer that than scoring, I always do.

“I love playing those kind of passes. I’ve had a few of the this year and they haven’t worked out but that’s the type of player I am.

“I do risk versus reward and then sometimes I’ll get people’s backs up but that’s the way I am as a player and I think that’s probably why the gaffer likes me.

“He knows I won’t shy away from the hard passes. If I lose it, I lose it, one week it’ll come off, one week it won’t.

“The lad took a heavy touch and I managed to get it through his legs and I was just delighted it went in, I didn’t care.

“I think it hit Kayden in the face! When he ran over to me he just said it hit him right in the face. I said it didn’t matter as long as it went in.

“I think that settled us for the second half. We came out in the second half, we adjusted a little bit. They played some good football, I thought they were a decent team. They were getting at us down the side and that little tweak at half-time made a difference.”

Judge explained that his boot-throwing goal celebration after scoring his first goal was down to a new pair supplied by adidas in which he hadn’t overly impressed in training earlier in the week.

“We’re contracted to wear the new boots when they come out, so I wore last week at training and the gaffer had a joke with me that I was never to wear those boots again!” he laughed. “So I took it off, just messing, throwing it towards the gaffer as a bit of banter.

“Obviously it goes down well as long as nobody thinks there was aggression in it, it was just a bit of fun because we all spoke about it, it was a bit of a laugh. He’s not getting them off me now. I’ll be wearing them until the new colour comes out.”

Judge says if the Blues can take Saturday’s performance into next weekend’s game against Oxford and continue to improve their home form they could get some momentum going into the business end of the season.

“If we can do what we did today and make it count next weekend,” he said. “There’s no point in us talking about it because I know people are fed up of hearing that kind of stuff, we have to do it again next week.

“They’re all big games now and I think particularly at home is going to tell where we’ll end up at the end of the season.”


Photos: TWTD



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dannyrr added 16:03 - Feb 16
It's our home form that's the reason for not being in the top 6 or top of the table.
2

Dolphinblue added 16:12 - Feb 16
Judge was brilliant yesterday...
11

cat added 16:36 - Feb 16
Yesterday's performance was what going to watch football is all about. Big crowd, good atmosphere, a big win with plenty of goals and most importantly football being played the right way.
13

afrodids added 16:36 - Feb 16
He's right thought 6 out of the next 8 are at home. Home form has been poor this season, time to put this right!
5

BettyBlue added 17:13 - Feb 16
Judge: "Ultimately It's Probably Going to Come Down to Home Form"
Chambers: "Home Improvement Vital"
Keane: "Home Form is Going to Be Vital"
Lambert: "Home Games Make or Break"
-2

norfolkbluey added 17:25 - Feb 16
Well done everybody involved. There were a few squeaky moments but you would expect there to be in every game. Just wish we would score like this most of the time as are many of the top six. There is little doubt now that we can and this must be for the home fans and their continued support from the terraces. PL got it spot on yesterday and picked a winning team. Good to see Bishop and Sears making progress. However now we need consistency especially at home. Its going to be a rollercoaster for the last weeks of the season with plenty to aim for, like automatic promotion. COYB
3

Phil1969 added 17:29 - Feb 16
I often wonder if the contributors on this site are really Ipswich supporters, the comments being so negative. Judge had a game we were brilliant for the final 75 minutes. Obviously home games will make the difference just get behind the boys ffs.
12

pennblue added 19:15 - Feb 16
Agree totally dolphinblue. If judge alone can keep that form up alone we will be in the
Mix.
3

DifferentGravy added 19:16 - Feb 16
'Not really Ipswich Supporters'...................what constitutes being a supporter?

Being a happy clapper? Being content/ignorant/mute that your team......despite a bigger budget, large squad, 5 year contract......win only 3 of their last 20 odd games and drop out of the play offs? Should we all smile and ignore/applaud the performances against Rotherham/Peterborough etc.......the lack of desire, skill, tactically inept and hoofball for 90 mins? Only the most deluded of fans would have expected us to to storm this league....but Its completely understandable that such a poor run brought about frustration. Yet, despite the poor run, the supporters still turn up in their thousands(whinge or no whinge)spending their hard earned money. Its up to Lambert and the players to give the fans something to cheer about/get behind....and they finally did against Burton

After a dodgy opening 20, the lads battled back brilliantly, created chances, scored goals and won. Most fans ive spoken to rate Judge but he hadnt quite hit the heights.....until yesterday, superb...as was Downes, again. Be interesting to see which formation Lambert opts for against Oxford. No point looking at the other teams, Town just need to concentrate on winning the next game ahead of them.
4

Pecker added 19:24 - Feb 16
We needed to see it every game all season long. Producing it in the odd game just isn't good enough. Great win, we need more of it more often.
4

Wickets added 19:45 - Feb 16
Well yes but please don't lets forget every game is a potential 3 points we going to need away points as well as home if we are to get promoted as we now are playing a little bit of catch up . Great yesterday .
3

dirtydingusmagee added 20:13 - Feb 16
play like you did Saturday [along with rest of team ]and there is some hope, fall short and it will be curtains.
3

blue86 added 21:37 - Feb 16
I said before the game judge doesn't score enough....so he shut me up! Was starting to wonder if he could produce this kind of performance anymore? But he proved he can. I'm still pleased we got the much needed 3 points, but judge and all the boys need to put a shift in, and produce the goods on the pitch if we are to have a chance. Coyb
0

JimInGreensboro added 22:22 - Feb 16
He'd be the Judge on that.
1

Bert added 23:18 - Feb 16
Are we to assume that BettyBlue believes that home form is vital ?
1

Toronto_Tractor added 03:55 - Feb 17
Id agree. I think the away form will be influential too.
0

Dolphinblue added 04:08 - Feb 17
You know l dont want too go on about thenegcrew but Judge puts in a virtuoso performance and 16 comments and none of them from thenegcrew......🤔
1

therein61 added 07:12 - Feb 17
Lets keep it going you blues.
2

PortmanTerrorist added 07:16 - Feb 17
Let's hope we are the Home team at Wembley then!
0

brendenward35 added 08:19 - Feb 17
Think we should have judge or someone like him as captain take the pressure off Chambers. Judge was awesome Saturday just imaging him as captain pushing the team and lifting them when they need it. Might be lift he needs to work as hard as he did Saturday. Just my thoughts might be what we are missing
2

ArnieM added 11:56 - Feb 17
It's a shame that Towns season now comes down to the last 12 games . We really should have been comfortable over the line had we cont8nued our early season from, and not resorted to the laughable rotation system a and calling games off when we really didn't need too, thus diminishing any chance of building team understanding and continuity. Such a bloody waste of probably the best opportunity we will have of gaining promotion.
1

runningout added 12:26 - Feb 17
should be no excuses for dud away form.. Winning mentality every game please, whatever the opposition whatever league
0

midastouch added 14:07 - Feb 17
If you had of asked me at the start of the season who I thought would be our stand out players I would of said Norwood and Judge. However, for whatever reason, neither have quite lived up to expectations, both being more miss than hit. Judge even admitted himself not so long ago, saying he's been s**t this season, his words not mine, see here:

Judge: I'm Not Going to Kid Myself, I've Been Shit But Rochdale Felt More Like My Old Self 6th Nov 2019 10:26
Blues midfielder Alan Judge says he was feeling more like his old self during last night’s 1-0 victory at Rochdale, condemning his form earlier this season as “shit”. 42


You'll need to replace the two stars above for the obvious to get that link to work.
Judge's performance on Saturday was by far the best game he's had for Ipswich since joining. That was the sort of performance I was expecting to see him produce on a fairly regular basis this season. As they say though, better late than never! I'd be delighted if he could start producing more regular performances like that going forwards. I'd given up the ghost on Judge but often when you feel the most dejected things can unexpectedly turn around in life. And when you feel the most elated things can often be precariously close to a sudden nosedive!
Anyway, well done Judge, you seemed to rise from the dead on Saturday! Whatever you had for breakfast that day, keep it coming!
1

midastouch added 14:08 - Feb 17
A tactical observation which I'm sure most of you also noticed Saturday. Burton played too high a line I thought and this enabled the likes of Judge and Jackson being able to exploit the space left in behind almost at will. Let's hope more teams come to Portman Road and play into our hands like that between now and the end of season!
1

BangaloreBlues added 15:12 - Feb 17
I'm still betting we'll finish in the top two.
2


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