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Ipswich Town 0-0 Northampton Town - Half-Time
Tuesday, 16th Feb 2021 20:00

Town’s home game against second-bottom Northampton remains 0-0 at half-time with the visitors having had the better of the chances.

Josh Harrop was handed his full debut as Blues boss Paul Lambert made five changes from the team which lost 2-1 at Peterborough a week ago.

Luke Matheson and Myles Kenlock returned as the full-backs with Stephen Ward and Luke Chambers dropping to the bench. Luke Woolfenden and Mark McGuinness continued at centre-half with Tomas Holy in goal.

Flynn Downes skippered from the deeper midfield role with Andre Dozzell and debutant Harrop, one of five loan players in the starting XI, ahead of him with Teddy Bishop and Alan Judge subs having started at London Road.

Troy Parrott was the lone central striker with Freddie Sears on the left and Luke Thomas on the right. James Norwood was on the bench.

Northampton made two changes from the team which lost 2-0 at home to Burton Albion on Saturday with Jack Sowerby and Fraser Horsfall replacing Ryan Watson and Cian Bolger.

The Cobblers made the brighter start with Sam Hoskins hitting a second minute shot straight at Holy from the left of the box.


Northampton, without a goal in their last five games and having scored only one in their last eight, continued to see most of the ball with the Blues struggling to get going.

On 11 a stray Parrott pass was picked up on halfway by Mark Marshall, who played the ball a long way ahead of him as he looked to beat McGuinness in a foot race but Holy was out quickly to clear.

In the 17th minute Sowerby was sent away down the left by Danny Rose and brought the ball into the area before hitting a weak shot which Holy grabbed at the second attempt.

As the game passed the 20-minute mark the Blues finally started to show signs of getting going, Dozzell trying a clever ball into the path of Parrott’s run which was cut out by a Northampton toe on the edge of the box.

In the 26th minute Parrott was caught with a high boot 30 yards out and wasted the free-kick, hitting a shot a long way wide with little power with a cross a better option.

Two minutes later, Bryn Morris got first view of referee Darren Drysdale’s yellow card for a late tackle on Thomas midway inside the visitors’ half towards the right. Harrop curled over a cross and the ball eventually fell to Sears, who looped an effort over the bar.

The Cobblers weren’t too far away from ending their long search for a goal in the 34th minute when Marshall crossed from the right and Sowerby played back to Hoskins breaking into the box but his low strike was blocked by Matheson. The ball was looped back in but McGuinness was fouled.

A minute later following a Northampton corner which Holy had punched clear under pressure, Marshall struck a low 20-yard shot which was also blocked. Town were again leaving their front three across the halfway line from opposition corners with Harrop also outside the area.

The Cobblers, with caretaker-manager Jon Brady periodically shouting instructions loudly from the press box, went even closer in the 42nd minute when Marshall fed Peter Kioso on the right of the box from where the overlapping full-back struck a powerful effort at Holy’s near post which the keeper palmed on to the post and across the face of goal to relative safety.

Two minutes later, Marshall, whose pace had caused Town problems all half, was found breaking away on the Northampton right following a Town corner but chose to shoot when a cross was the better option and dragged well wide.

As the game moved into a single minute of additional time, Woolfenden was booked for a foul on Rose.

The visitors will have left the field feeling that they should have ended their goal drought and claimed the lead having had all the half’s chances, two of which might well have been put away, Kioso’s late shot which hit the woodwork and Hoskins’s effort which was blocked by Matheson.

Town had shown little all half aside from winning a handful of free-kicks in dangerous areas but which came to very little, as has so often been the case of late, and once again went a full 45 minutes without registering a shot on target.

There's little doubt had fans been present that the Blues would have been booed off as they made their way to the tunnel.

Ipswich: Holy, Matheson, Woolfenden, McGuinness, Kenlock, Dozzell, Downes (c), Harrop, Thomas, Sears, Parrott. Subs: Cornell, Chambers, Ward, Bishop, Judge, Lankester, Norwood.

Northampton: Mitchell, Kioso, Horsfall, Jones, Mills (c), McWilliams, Sowerby, Morris, Hoskins, Marshall, Rose. Subs: Arnold, Bolger, Harriman, Watson, Ashley-Seal, Edmondson, Chukwuemeka. Referee: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire).


Photo: Matchday Images



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Tractorboy1985 added 20:02 - Feb 16
SHOCKING!! FOPRP!! LAMBERT OUT
0

LWNR2013 added 20:03 - Feb 16
Northampton looks very good(in comparison)
0

heathen66 added 20:03 - Feb 16
Unfortunately we look like a side just thrown together.
Too many changes too often.
Continuity is the key
1

itfchorry added 20:06 - Feb 16
Cobblers
1

warksonwater added 20:06 - Feb 16
PL potentially has just 45 minutes left....
0

Bazza8564 added 20:07 - Feb 16
Worst 45 minutes in the 50 years ive been watching, clueless, sad and if we dont sort it out then Paul L can get a cab ordered !
1

heathen66 added 20:07 - Feb 16
you CANNOT make 4 or 5 changes every game and expect to play as a TEAM !!!
1

Cloddyseedbed added 20:08 - Feb 16
More energy and movement in a over 50's walking football team. Shambles, no player seems to know where they are supposed to be playing. Not so sure if it's one up front or not tonight as most of the time it's none up front. Parrot has been helping out our defence! Sears out wide again, what a ruddy shambles of a team, looks like none of them have played together before. Well done Lambert. Best hide again after the game.
1

BeattiesBackPocket added 20:08 - Feb 16
People need to realise we don't have the quality everyone thinks. We've lost games this season against lower league sides it's not just the odd game which you can account for this is consistent and if these players were any good they'd be doing better. We have older players who on paper should be tearing up the league but let's be honest since joining the club they've never even looked remotely like even league one players! We have youngsters who aren't as good as we think the quality of players have slowly over 13 years got worse and worse and this is why we are gradually moving towards league two. Those still supporting evans if the result stays this way and lambert isn't sacked he is literally pulling your pants down. There is no supporting that which was probably the worst half of football I have ever seen from any Ipswich side ever!
4

Karlosfandangal added 20:09 - Feb 16
Problem being is it's the same side that played against Blackpool except Judge.
So why are they unable to put a pass together. Have to go two up front and four across the middle
0

jas0999 added 20:10 - Feb 16
Whatever happens now that was unacceptable. Even if we win, Lambert MUST go.
2

bluearmy4life added 20:10 - Feb 16
Lambert out!
2

moggasnotebook added 20:10 - Feb 16
OK - let's consider this. Whatever we were doing for 5 years prior to Lambert was getting us no where near the Prem. In fact when Lambert came in we were near bottom of Championship and in a muddle with new signings. Something needed to change within our make up, Lambert is employed as a boss, bosses have to identify areas to change and occasionally need to ruffle feathers whether it makes them popular or not. Senior players coming out of contract, physios under review, academy staff and others who suffered a pay drop due to relegation may not like what they are hearing from the boss - therefore they will grumble and moan and it will be heard on the grapevine or even repeated to the likes of Benty. Benty is a nice chap but is he experienced as a a boss, manager, department head, share holder expecting a return or similar in any business? No..... yes, there will be staff fed up but I wonder if any that is because they've been told they are underperforming or not getting new contract or offered less money or been told to up their game in whatever department they are in? In fact if all the staff at ITFC were happy right now I would say that's a bigger problem and concern for club and fans to consider than having unhappy staff right now.
0

skankerman added 20:10 - Feb 16
We are Rock Bottom as a club
0

herobobby added 20:15 - Feb 16
How far are we gonna sink before town fans make a stand ?

Sorry but I'm done,F##k this? I've support town through it all,Over 45 years the amazing days and the low ones,never have I been so angry and disappointed

Good luck Marcus in the words of Duncan balentine on dragons den

IM Out
5

herobobby added 20:18 - Feb 16
Lambert will go we all know that

But the problem is Evans he is the owner !
4

RobITFC added 20:19 - Feb 16
I think fans would accept it if the players showed some passion and the management had some idea what they are doing but how on earth can Evans allow this to continue. If he thinks this is acceptable then he might as well sell up and disappear up his own ....... .
2

Gforce added 20:19 - Feb 16
Can things get any worse 😩😩😩
0

moggasnotebook added 20:20 - Feb 16
TWTD report that ‘There's little doubt had fans been present that the Blues would have been booed off as they made their way to the tunnel‘ - journalistically factual! However it would likely have been 500 ‘fans' of the 15000 fans in the stadium or about 5% at the most....... the other 95% fans would have likely thought ‘all square at the break, let's see the team come out after the break up for this and wrap this up with three points and move on'

Both journalistically correct but you can put your chosen slant on it
-4

BeattiesBackPocket added 20:20 - Feb 16
Moggasnotebook picture this before evans came in and sacked a passionate manager we were challenging for or around the playoffs. He gets sacked evans was interested for about two years and since then our club has sold off its assets or in a lot of cases like leadbitter Norris and numerous others let go for no money whatsoever and replaced with league two and one players, gone through 5 managers since and we wonder why we're heading towards league two
1

RobITFC added 20:27 - Feb 16
Any of the Lambert fans out there still happy with this dross ?
0

multiplescoregasms added 20:31 - Feb 16
A quarter of the game to go and hopefully the same refers to Lamberts Ipswich career. Awful, just awful.
0

herobobby added 20:31 - Feb 16
Moggasnote book

First time EVER I have out a down arrow for someone

Wake up !
0

Gforce added 20:33 - Feb 16
Moggasnotebook........ Think you are way off, that half of so called football was so bad around 80% would have booed them off!!
1

Kilterums added 20:34 - Feb 16
Of course Lambert knows that about how to work with staff. However, he doesn't seem to be up for it. The interview he did on Football Focus, he came across much a shadow of what we'd expect a manager to be. No real oomph!

Maybe that was because he's still recovering from COVID. Even if that's the case though, you'd still expect a manager to try and engage positively with the fans during these difficult times. It needs an arm around the fans shoulders as well as around the staff shoulders. Alienating the fans is always a bad move.

Somethings obviously not right at the club. Seemed to me that he's a Manager just waiting for his exit whether via a sacking or perhaps where Evans is actively looking for a replacement and Lambert is merely seeing out his time before he gets his P45.

Say all you want about Evans (I wouldn't necessarily disagree) but a Manager should be able to get the best out of the squad and I don't think we're seeing it.
0


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