Town continue to look for a win against one of League One’s top sides as Mark McGuinness’s 69th minute own goal saw Peterborough United to a 1-0 win at Portman Road. Jonson Clarke-Harris missed a penalty for Posh in a dull first half and the game improved little in a second in which McGuinness scuffed past his own keeper to win three points for the visitors who otherwise didn’t manage a shot on target, while the Blues registered merely two.

Town boss Paul Lambert, who again watched the game sitting in the dugout, made one enforced change with Aaron Drinan replacing James Norwood up front.

Norwood dropped out of the 18 having felt some fatigue in his previously injured hamstring during last Saturday’s 1-0 win at Burton.

Kayden Jackson was also not in the squad having missed training earlier in the week due to thigh and hip injuries.

Winger Luke Thomas, who signed from Barnsley in the week, was among the subs, as was Jon Nolan, who had previously been out with a calf problem. Town’s other new loan signing, Josh Harrop, is self-isolating having tested positive for Covid-19.

Posh made one change from the team which beat Charlton 2-1 in midweek with midfielder Reece Brown coming in for Ethan Hamilton, who was among the subs.

After the two teams had taken a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, the game got under way with Peterborough controlling the early stages but without either keeper being tested.

Town gradually began to show more and on 16 Teddy Bishop won a free-kick five yards outside the penalty area to the right. The ball was played short to the midfielder on the edge of the area, where he worked himself space to hit a shot which deflected wide.

Five minutes later, former Posh wideman Gwion Edwards won a free-kick on the left, although the decision looked harsh on the visitors, and Alan Judge scraped a strike past Christy Pym’s right post with the keeper never looking in any trouble.

Clarke-Harris struck a powerful 25-yard free-kick only just over Tomas Holy’s cross-bar in the 25th minute but with the Town keeper similarly unflustered.

Just before the half hour, Sammie Szmodics, under pressure from Dozzell, was able to turn the ball into the path of Siriki Dembele breaking down the left. The former Grimsby striker took it on into the area and hit a shot which looked to be going wide before Holy’s right hand made sure.

In the 33rd minute the visitors were handed a golden opportunity to go in front when Toto Nsiala lunged in to make a challenge on Dembele in the area. Referee Antony Coggins didn’t appear to be that interested until his assistant on the right-hand side after a long wait waved his flag and the Oxfordshire-based official pointed to the spot.

However, fortunately for the Blues, Clarke-Harris smashed his penalty very powerfully straight down the middle but too high.

The visitors didn’t seem unduly affected by their penalty miss and in the 43rd minute again weren’t far away from the opening goal.

Dan Butler’s whipped over a free-kick from the right which somehow avoided everyone in the area and flashed past the far post.

Just before the whistle, Jack Taylor was booked for a foul on Bishop inside the centre circle as the Blues broke.

A not particularly memorable half with neither side having recorded a shot on target with the visitors’ penalty the only really significant opportunity, although Dembele might feel he could have done better with his earlier chance.

Prior to the penalty, the Blues had started play more in the Peterborough half but without being able to create a chance and having had a tendency to give the ball away. Posh seemed buoyed by their penalty, even if they had missed it, and had looked more threatening in the spell which followed.

Edwards whipped over a cross from the right a couple of minutes after the restart but Drinan, still looking for his first competitive goal for the Blues, was unable to get his head on it.

On 54 Chambers nodded a bouncing ball towards Drinan not far outside the six-yard box but a Posh boot took it away from the Irishman. Five minutes later, Stephen Ward was booked for a foul on Idris Kanu.

There was a scare for the Blues in the 62nd minute when a scuffed Butler free-kick from the right made its way through a crowd of players and bounced off Holy, but fortunately didn’t fall kindly for a Posh player.

Peterborough were looking the more threatening of two not at all dangerous-looking sides and on 68 they went in front, perhaps inevitably given the overall lack of threat shown by the two teams, via an own goal.

Butler sent over a cross from the left and under no pressure McGuinness, the scorer of Town’s winner at Burton last week, sliced his clearance across Holy and into the corner of the net to give the visitors the lead.

Edwards was booked for a foul on Kanu on 71, then two minutes later skipper Luke Chambers smashed a shot high and wide after Bishop had found him on the right of the area.

Prior to the goal-kick, Town made a triple substitution with Nolan, Thomas and Freddie Sears replacing Bishop, Judge and Drinan.

Less than a minute after coming on, Nolan struck the Blues’ first shot on target from 25 yards but Pym was able to bat the ball into the air.

Thomas made his first contribution in a Town shirt on 78, cutting in from the right and playing a low ball to Edwards on the other side of the box. The Welshman turned inside his man before hitting a shot not too far over.

The Blues, as snow began to fall, briefly started to look a threat as the game moved into its final 10 minutes, Sears and then Thomas both having efforts blocked.

Posh swapped Hamilton for Brown two minutes later and the sub went close almost immediately, shooting over from Butler’s cross having initially played the ball wide to the former Newport man.

Niall Mason took over from Dembele for Posh in the penultimate minute with the Blues by now no more than huffing and puffing and an equaliser not looking particularly likely.

The Blues did have the ball in the net during five minutes of injury time but the ball had already gone out of play before Chambers had knocked back in to Nsiala, who had acrobatically hooked home.

Downes headed into Pym’s arms to register a second attempt on target before referee Coggins brought the afternoon to an end.

The winning goal summed up a game of little quality with neither team ever showing much incisiveness or invention in and around the penalty area. Despite their lack of attempts on goal, Peterborough probably deserved the three points marginally more than the Blues.

Town never create many chances but few opposition keepers will have had as quiet an afternoon as Peterborough’s Pym, who was only forced into action by sub Nolan’s shot.

On this evidence, both teams are some way off the likes of Hull City, Portsmouth and Doncaster.

The Blues have now lost five of their last six at home and taken 10 points from their last nine games.

The result, one which heaps yet more pressure on under-fire Blues boss Lambert, moves Posh up to third while Town are down to ninth ahead of another tough home game against Sunderland on Tuesday and a difficult away trip to Crewe next Saturday.

Town: Holy, Chambers (c), Nsiala, McGuinness, Ward, Dozzell, Downes, Bishop (Nolan 74), Judge (Thomas 74), Drinan (Sears 74), Edwards. Unused: Cornell, Woolfenden, Kenlock, Huws.

Peterborough: Pym, Butler, Thompson, Beevers (c), Kent, Taylor, Clarke-Harris, Dembele (Mason 89), Brown, Szmodics (Jones 84), Kanu. Unused: Gyollai, Eisa, Broom, Burrows. Referee: Antony Coggins (Oxfordshire).

Photo: Matchday Images

bluesince76 added 19:05 - Jan 23 Evans is joke owner who needs to sell should have sacked Lambert last year absolute disgrace the way he treats this once great club.
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RobsonWark added 19:21 - Jan 23 algarvefan added 18:58 - Jan 23 "What exactly has Lambert achieved since he has been at the club?" I think he managed to get Evans to paint the gates to the training ground.
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Michael101 added 19:26 - Jan 23 Dockerblue, you asked for Ebenezer evans to sack Lambert that will cost him so we will have wait for him to walk,then Ebenezer would take the cheap option and give the job to chambers. RIP Ipswich town.
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BlueArrow added 19:28 - Jan 23 Where did the goal come from Oh yeah a cross ball from the right side of defence. I use the word defence lightly. Come in number 4 your time is well and truly up.
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del45 added 19:34 - Jan 23 The club treats us like mushrooms keep us in the dark and feed us bull sh*t
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BeattiesBackPocket added 19:38 - Jan 23 Robsonwalk I'm not disagreeing with you on the attitude of players I was fuming when I saw him and all the others laughing and joking but it was the whole team coming off smiling so why just pick him out? And he was in the team until that interview came out so bit of a coincidence for me! He is our best centre half even though that's not saying much but he is he's also the only centre half a lot of other clubs have courted in the past. Chambers gave an interview completely contradicting what the manager said so let's see if he gets dropped now he IS the liability and has been for 4 years

3

BettyBlue added 19:44 - Jan 23 what is it that Lambert is building at the club? what would it look like after another 4years? the vanamara?
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Gandj64 added 19:51 - Jan 23 Jackson and Norwood DO NOT WANT TO PLAY FOR LAMBERT ! That is plain for all to see. A new manager has to come in and sort it out because those 2 players with a decent manager could deliver promotion. Go now lambert.....PLEASE
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dirtydingusmagee added 19:54 - Jan 23 Brenner on Suffolk said to Lambert , with players now coming back things will get better wont they Paul, Lambert says yes they will ,, FFS Brenner,man up ,put Lambert under some pressure if only for the fans sake. Its inconceivable that Evans can let this useless manager continue......unless as i suspect he is happy to bob along at this level.I gave up going to matches a few games before Mc Carthy went,almost started going when Lambert came in and talked the talk,thinking he would want to middle finger Norwich.But it soon became apparent he was all talk and nothing else,I never went back to the terraces and wont be going back ,Evans has removed any hope i had of a revival,this club is now just''an also ran'' WE CANT EVEN COMPETE IN LGE 1.

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coldwarkid01 added 19:54 - Jan 23 I have never understood why Chambers keeps his shirt, he has been woeful since Forest got shot of him, for me his attitude and self selection is the key reason for our fall out of the championship. I remember watching an interview with him back in the days when Freddie was scoring for fun, remember then?, and was in the background enjoying his success and Chamber's snarl at being interrupted was vile, we never saw the same Freddie again.!! Does Chambers have some dirt on Mr Evans???????

7

pup12 added 20:10 - Jan 23 Well that result was unpredictable....NOT!!One up front just not working for us .Other teams seem to able to play it tho!?? They seem to get players running forward and over lapping .We stop and pass sideways and backwards.We can't cross, when we do eventually get in a position to do so it's a shocking ball in to box.What do these players get coached in training?Physically not strong enough in key areas ,but how many seasons has that been an issue?Ward has dropped in form,Chambers woeful.The fact we don't have a left footed cb for the upteenth season is ridiculous.That inbalance at this level gets exposed and effects the teams shape .Basic stuff Lambert should be and should have addressed as soon as he came to club.99% of town fans can see all the faults but the man paid to cannot or rather will not change .Until he goes nothing will change Lambert Out ! ( is there any truth in the rumour Evans business is struggling because of Covid and the knock on effect is town are in danger?)

1

happybeingblue added 20:15 - Jan 23 lambert was proud of the performance says it all, sick of this pathetic attitude get out of our club!
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londontractorboy57 added 20:15 - Jan 23 This is what you wished for !!!!!!
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LWNR2013 added 20:24 - Jan 23 As a football manager, what is the point of getting out of bed in the morning if ‘your team' can't score goals?
0

bluearmy4life added 20:27 - Jan 23 Makes me wonder if Lambert is trying to big up a lot of our performances to keep his job and for Evans to stick with him. Let's be honest unless a miracle happens and we do get promoted, this will be the last big club Lambert manages for a while! His CV in the last few years isn't great!
5

happybeingblue added 20:32 - Jan 23 what a div comment ....this is what you wished for....wtf honestly some supporters on here need to give their heads a wobble
4

runaround added 20:42 - Jan 23 A very poor game. Peterborough were nowhere near as good as I thought they would be but we were even worse. Apart from the 10 minutes after the triple substitution we never looked like scoring. We are so pedestrian & offer zero threat from set pieces. The players only seem to show passion in anger & there seems no discernible pattern of play. The sports science & fitness regime are a joke leading to players never being fully fit. We have a squad capable of promotion but managerial team who has not got a clue tactically, can't motivate players but knows he is unsackable due to the 5 year contract. This club is in a terrible place

5

RobsonWark added 21:01 - Jan 23 BeattiesBackPocket added 19:38 - Jan 23 "Chambers gave an interview completely contradicting what the manager said so let's see if he gets dropped now he IS the liability and has been for 4 years" You are having a laugh...Chambers will still be our right back and Captain because all our previous managers are too scared to drop the useless poo!!
2

BcarefulwhatUWish4 added 21:02 - Jan 23 Don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. These results are not acceptable in DIVISION 3.
3

RobsonWark added 21:03 - Jan 23 BettyBlue added 19:44 - Jan 23 "what is it that Lambert is building at the club? what would it look like after another 4years?" Chambers will still be our No.4 at right back
2

RobsonWark added 21:06 - Jan 23 Gandj64 added 19:51 - Jan 23 "Jackson and Norwood DO NOT WANT TO PLAY FOR LAMBERT ! That is plain for all to see." ANYONE who thinks they are better than the club should be gotten rid off!! Look at all the players that Sir Alex Ferguson got rid of when he though they were better than Man Utd.
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Texastom added 21:12 - Jan 23 FRANK? Who is he? Speaks on Radio Suffolk every week after the game. The only person in the country who thinks we have a really strong squad. He believes Lambert is doing a really good job. Maybe he should contribute to his wages - he would change his mind! Why do ‘some' think we will be world beaters when all our players are back. NOTHING WILL CHANGE. It doesn't matter who plays, we aren't good enough, the players are soft, mentally weak, have no desire, get up and go and the Manager is not up to the job. He won't get another job when he's sacked, simple. Relegation next season

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RobsonWark added 21:13 - Jan 23 coldwarkid01 added 19:54 - Jan 23 "I have never understood why Chambers keeps his shirt, he has been woeful since Forest got shot of him, for me his attitude and self selection is the key reason for our fall out of the championship." I've been telling that on here for the past 3 or 4 years but still get poo on here from so called supporters who can not see the main reason of our demise and the deluded managers who pick him week in week out presumably for his fist pumps which seems to give some supporters a sexual feeling.

3

jonju11 added 21:19 - Jan 23 Could it actually be that the players are not good enough for this division. Too many are over hyped skill wise or ability to think in their feet rather than follow a lop sided playing style. Just a thought!
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RobsonWark added 21:21 - Jan 23 Texastom added 21:12 - Jan 23 "FRANK? Who is he? Speaks on Radio Suffolk every week after the game. The only person in the country who thinks we have a really strong squad. He believes Lambert is doing a really good job." I think it maybe Chambers...
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