Stand-in skipper Flynn Downes was red-carded in injury time as dismal Town drew 0-0 with Northampton at Portman Road. The visitors had the better chances, coming closest when Peter Kioso hit the post in the first half.

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 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 that had fans been present that the Blues would have been booed off as they made their way off.

Three minutes after the restart, Shaun McWilliams picked up a yellow card for time-wasting having previously been spoken to by the referee in the first half.

In the 51st minute a Dozzell corner from the right was sent looping over the bar by Kenlock.

A minute later, Northampton threatened again when Morris played in Sowerby on the left of the area but the former Fleetwood man was unable to pick out a team-mate despite the visitors having a number of players in and around the area.

On 53 Dozzell hit a shot from the edge of the box which looped off a defender and out for a corner.

Three minutes later, Town made their first change, Jack Lankester taking over from Thomas, who had undergone treatment for a knock following another underwhelming display. In the 59th minute Judge and Bishop replaced Sears and Harrop.

In the 65th minute Cobblers skipper Mills was booked for a foul on Parrott, then within a minute Judge was felled by Sowerby a couple of yards outside the box. Judge took the free-kick and smashed it into the wall and did the same with the rebound, referee Drysdale waving away an unlikely penalty claim.

On 70 Northampton swapped Rose and Marshall for Benny Ashley-Seal and Ryan Watson, then the Blues switched Dozzell for Norwood as they moved to two up front.

The game looked to be drifting to a 0-0 draw with neither team looking threatening, however on 76 Watson hit a low shot from distance which failed to trouble Holy.

Three minutes later, Judge played in Norwood on the left of the box and the former Tranmere man forced Cobblers keeper Jonathan Mitchell into his first save of the game with his feet.

Judge’s introduction was finally seeing the Blues show some attacking initiative and in the 84th minute the Irishman played a pass into the path of Matheson making a rare break forward down the right but the on-loan Wolves man’s cross-shot flew well over.

On 87 Norwood crossed from the left and Lankester headed wide, before Northampton replaced Sowerby with Ryan Edmondson.

In the final scheduled minute, Judge was booked for what referee Drysdale deemed a dive inside the area. The Irish international had been looking to take the ball past Kioso and may well have had a case for a spot-kick.

Drysdale initially simply waved away the protest before somewhat aggressively booking the Blues’ sub, bizarrely pushing his head towards the midfielder's face.

The evening got even worse for Town in injury time when Downes was sent off after being shown two yellow cards in swift succession in the centre circle. The first for a foul and the second for something he said.

The frustrated stand-in captain, who will now miss two games, made his way disconsolately towards the touchline and then the tunnel, summing up the overall mood around the club at the present time. Soon after, referee Drysdale brought the game to an end.

There have been plenty of disappointing and under par performances from the Blues this season, but this was probably the worst.

Disjointed, stilted, lacking energy, confidence and invention, they failed to land a glove on the lowly Cobblers, who are now without a goal in six matches having won one in 13, until the latter stages when subs Judge and Norwood made an impact.

Until recently the season was following a familiar pattern, the Blues would beat teams in the bottom half but lose to those in the upper echelons.

Now they’re failing to defeat teams in the lower reaches with Swindon having left Portman Road with a 3-2 win last month and now Northampton with a point, which was the least they deserved.

The Blues have needed an improvement to get themselves back into the play-off hunt but if anything they’re getting worse. Had Town not racked up points in the early stages of the season, then on this form a relegation fight would be a concern.

How much longer owner Marcus Evans will wait before making the long overdue decision to make a change of manager remains to be seen.

Despite the disappointing draw, Town move up a place to 11th and a point nearer to the play-offs, four, with a tough home game against Oxford on Saturday, a match which will almost certainly end in defeat if they play anything like they did this evening.

Ipswich: Holy, Matheson, Woolfenden, McGuinness, Kenlock, Dozzell, Downes (c), Harrop (Bishop 59), Thomas (Lankester 56), Sears (Judge 59), Parrott (Norwood 71). Unused: Cornell, Chambers, Ward.

Northampton: Mitchell, Kioso, Horsfall, Jones, Mills (c), McWilliams, Sowerby (Edmondson 87), Morris, Hoskins, Marshall (Ashley-Seal 70), Rose (Watson 70). Unused: Arnold, Bolger, Harriman, Chukwuemeka. Referee: Darren Drysdale (Lincolnshire).

Photo: Matchday Images

Orraman added 22:28 - Feb 16 Our new loanees came in against Blackpool and immediately raised the gloom with their skill and adventure. Fast forward 2 weeks and Shambert has already knocked that out of them. If there were stats available for number of backward passes in a season we would be out of sight by now. Northampton came out and surged forward straight from kick off - it's not difficult. I am now off to bed and hope to log on to TWTD when I awake and read the news we are all fervently hoping forward

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KillarneyBlue added 22:29 - Feb 16 Another win for Mick at Cardiff. We were lucky to get rid of him!!!
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spro1973 added 22:31 - Feb 16 I'm not a poster, having been an Ipswich fan for 40 years, but after tonight's abysmal performance I felt the need to vent my frustration at where my beloved club now is. I have seen some poor performances over the years, but this wasn't just poor, it was diabolical. No clear ideas on how to play. No creativity anywhere on the park. Final ball was, well we didn't have one! The manager hasn't just lost the dressing room, the supporters

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paris_mitchell_in_oz added 22:31 - Feb 16 Anyone else get a sense from the post-match interview that Lambert knew his days were numbered?
2

coldwarkid01 added 22:32 - Feb 16 So, rather than show us a highlight after the match, there weren't any!, ITFC website have shared, Josh Harrop warning up....??? Says it all really.. FFS...
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Gcon added 22:34 - Feb 16 Enough! I completely sympathise with Blue Action's frustrations. If the owner won't listen to the supporters then direct action is required. I suggest season tickets are cancelled en masse over the next 24 hrs. I think it's the only way he will listen.
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Northstandveteran added 22:34 - Feb 16 To be fair oldboy, With the club being worth in the region of minus £100,000,000, it is within my price range. I'd make a great bar manager out of him. He might give a few beers away for free but I'd trust him to limit the shots.
3

62WasBest added 22:34 - Feb 16 There has to come a point that both Marcus Evans and Paul Lambert see that whatever their good intentions, things at Ipswich Town are just not working. Given the fact that Evans runs the club more like a business than a modern football club he has to acknowledge that no manager in a business would survive such a woeful return on the owner's investment. No man likes to think of himself as a failure but that is the only way to look at Lambert's tenure. He is unlikely to leave willingly but Evans should make a rational decision. The cost otherwise for Evans and the fans is a further decline of the club, and his investment. As for us fans, we may need to grit our teeth accept that we may not be able to play the expansive football we delight in until the ship has been steadied and points are being won. It is over to you Marcus. Have you got what it takes to accept that you still haven't got your appointments right? And don't listen Harry R. He'll only tell you what he thinks you want to hear. After lockdown, we may see a sharp decline in attendance at games unless action is taken.

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Bert added 22:35 - Feb 16 You know it's bad when the diplomatic Mick Mills uses sarcasm to describe how awful we are. If it were not for COVID restrictions, I do believe thousands would now gather to protest. It has got to that point when our voices must be heard, the media must make it front page news and the leaders in our community must show Evans that enough is enough. This is more than football it's about the Ipswich economy, the town in general, Suffolk and the people who love their club ..... or still want to. Sad is an understatement. Lambert has to go and changes made within the club that can stand the test of time.

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itfc1974 added 22:35 - Feb 16 I'm not a ranter, but cancelled my direct debit after the peterborough game and got an almost apologetic email from the ticket office. When things open up wouldn't be a great signal if the Ipswich ladies games at Felixstowe were packed other than going to Portman Road - my young niece is part of their development system and its brilliantly run from top to bottom.
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spro1973 added 22:41 - Feb 16 The soul of the clubi love has been ripped out by this administration and its inability to give us our club back. I'm not talking of giving us the glory years, the European nights etc, just give us hope, that you have the club at heart, like we all do, and do the decent thing and sack Lambert now, find an investor who can take us forward, and dissappear into the great yonder where you spend your tax free time.....thanks for ruining our club, be thankful the only statue you will get at PR is a guy Fawkes one on November 5th...

2

FromIpswichToPhoenix added 22:42 - Feb 16 Is it me or is the ref smiling as he hands out the red?
0

Theonlywayisup added 22:46 - Feb 16 The club is warped and poisoned and anyone that cannot see that needs their head tested. I would bet that this is what Evans wants and just sees it all as a game. No one could be thick enough to think this is what is best for the club and if Lambert was my employee I would be telling him to face up to the cameras. Evans had all these plans but he has just been ripping the pi55 out of the fans when he makes up crap like the 5 year plan and give the Scottish t**t a 5 year deal. If it wasn't for covid he'd have to be gone as the crowds would be unimaginable by now. First time in 30 years I go into games really hoping we lose.

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prebbs007 added 22:49 - Feb 16 ENOUGH !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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norfolkbluey added 22:49 - Feb 16 Is Evans blind? This has to be the end of PL's relationship with this club. The ref was a disgrace as well. Lowest ever point in the club's history. It can't get any worse or can it?
3

BcarefulwhatUWish4 added 22:49 - Feb 16 Worst I've seen us play, and I have seen us play some pretty dire football in the last 3 years. Northampton are dreadful but we made them look good at times. Woeful, truly woeful.
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Suffolkboy added 22:53 - Feb 16 Oh dear , oh dear oh dear ! What can the matter be ? I wonder ? I wander ? Who will substitute for poor old PL before the media now ? What lame set of well rehearsed explanations and excuses will likely be paraded in the forlorn hope of finding either empathy or sympathy – neither of which have been earned ! Where is the pride , where has the confidence gone , what excuses are left ? How do our squad really feel ? How do the loyal staff of our lovely Club feel ? Why is the fertile ground of our supporters loyalty steadily being poisoned and destroyed ? So so much is very very wrong ,so so much could be put right but when things go wrong we must look to the top ( wherever that is and whoever it involves ) . ITFC need leadership and courageous decision making allied to implementation .For certain we should have a five year vision and plan BUT in place that plan needs the people to see it through ! ME must be asking himself why the plan is under the greatest threat right now , which parts are going astray and how a correction can be implemented . Personal performance plans should be examined and those not matching up relieved of future responsibility. Sadly in my view PL and his cohorts fall well short of expectations ,and appear either unable or unwilling to change and improve : they are unable to fulfil their part of the plan.The answer is pretty plain ,and enough support has been provided to enable them without corresponding reward . COYB

0

Vanisleblue2 added 23:02 - Feb 16 Quick question How was Jim Magilton fired and Paul Lambert not? We were a couple of points from the play offs in the Championship, playing attractive football and with a legend who bled Blue and White. Now we are a turgid embarrassment in the 3rd division with no goals no excitement and no hope
6

runningout added 23:04 - Feb 16 We are officially Dead as a professional football club
0

moggasnotebook added 23:06 - Feb 16 mmmmm...... anyone notice that in PL interview with EADT after the game he touched on exactly what I insinuated in one of my posts earlier this evening? I think I posted it on the Benty story. How on earth would I know that.........
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atty added 23:27 - Feb 16 Whilst l share the Evans out sentiment, can someone tell how it is possible to achieve that when he is “just” a shareholder albeit a majority one. He is not a director or an employee, How do you remove his authority other than by buying his shares?? He doesn't go anywhere unless he decides to, l doubt he's going to give those shares away when he's owed £100M. But who would buy a Ckub £200M in debt against assets of what, £10M?

0

TBT added 23:53 - Feb 16 Evans has offered a debt free club to any prospective buyer if they pay £20m and guarantee a level of investment into the team every year for 5 years and then he wants a significant share of the winnings if we return to the EPL. He knows he won't get a decent price for his failed investment so this is what he has come up with. It's laughable, the investment market is strangely vibrant and so Evans and his ridiculously unrealistic plan is laughed at by potential investors. He doesn't care about the fortunes of the club, he has hardly lost any money at all over the last three seasons because ITFC sell any valuable assets. He doesn't care about points or divisions or ITFC. I understand why you want to shout me down because like me, you are desperate for this not to be true.

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atty added 23:55 - Feb 16 Correction/typo -£100M in debt
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TimmyH added 00:23 - Feb 17 I wished for McCarthy to leave (he'd been here too long treading water)...it was 'stick or twist time'...what I didn't wish for was our clown of an owner aiding and abetting a league one manager (Hurst) with a load of league one/two players coming in and after that debacle I didn't wish for ex budgie Lambert whom has done nothing since his Norwich tenure! What I wished for at the time never came (Steijn)...what I wish for now probably Pearson, Cook or somebody of that ilk or even some blue blood back in now we've stooped so low. That's what I wished for

2

Minneapolis_ITFC added 02:43 - Feb 17 I wish I could have seen the game as many mention it was so bad out there it almost had to be seen to be believed. What I can attest to however is no score at home against one of the very worst opposition teams this league has to offer. Some reports mention they could even have won it ? Bizarre, but in no way surprising. It's futile calling for Lambert and Evans to vacate. The former is more plausible as each negative score passes but got to feel we're stuck with the same owner for some considerable time to come. Who would want to purchase us anyway ? 100 million debt figure, that's not going to be cleared overnight. What am I looking at here. Another year / season goes by (we're not getting any younger) and this club fails drastically to improve or better itself. I don't want or not expecting beating European sides on way to a Final again or a team stuffed with internationals and star names, just a bit of ambition and to be part of the Championship (second league) once more playing attractive and fluid "football". That's a realistic target. It doesn't seem much to ask but got to realize it's pretty much in the realms of fiction right now.

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