James Wilson netted against his former club as the Blues drew 1-1 with Lincoln City in new manager Paul Cook’s first home game in charge. January Town target Morgan Rogers gave the Imps a 29th-minute lead as the visitors dominated the first half, however, Wilson nodded in his second goal in three games to claim a share of the points as the Blues improved after the break.

Cook made three changes from the team which lost 3-1 at Gillingham on Saturday with Flynn Downes, Gwion Edwards and Jack Lankester coming into the side for Josh Harrop, Keanan Bennetts and Troy Parrott.

Downes joined Andre Dozzell in the centre of midfield with Teddy Bishop in the number 10 role, Edwards on the right and Lankester on the left.

Alan Judge was back on the bench having been given compassionate leave at the weekend following his mother’s death.

None of Town’s six loanees started, for the first time in the league since the 1-0 defeat at Lincoln in October, while five of the XI came through the academy.

Lincoln made two changes from the team which beat Crewe 3-0 at Sincil Bank on Saturday with TJ Eyoma and Tom Hopper coming into the starting line-up for Regan Poole and Callum Morton, who dropped to the bench. Ex-Town loanee Tayo Edun started for the Imps, who named only six subs.

Joining the first team coaches on the field prior to the game to observe the warm-up and chat at length to Judge was U23s coach Kieron Dyer.

After both teams, again with the exception of Toto Nsiala, took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, Lincoln hit the first serious shot of the game in the fifth minute, Rogers’s low effort from the edge of the area curling past Tomas Holy’s right post.

But Town saw most of the ball in the following minutes, but without finding a way through the Lincoln defence.

The Imps subsequently had a spell on top but also without being able to work a chance. On 16 Cohen Bramall blazed wide after Chambers had headed clear a corner from the right.

Five minutes later, from another Imps corner on the right, the ball fell to Rogers in space in the box but his low effort at goal was blocked by Chambers. The on-loan Manchester City man will have felt he should have done better.

Lincoln were well on top and in the 23rd minute they almost went in front. Eyoma sent over a dangerous low ball from the right and Nsiala turned it on to his own post, blocked a follow-up header and eventually helped scramble it behind while on the floor. Had the centre-half not diverted it on to the post a Lincoln player behind him would almost certainly have tapped home from a matter of inches.

The Blues had just about kept that out but in the 29th minute the Imps took a deserved lead.

Rogers, who Town tried to sign on loan before he moved to the Imps in January, was played the ball not far inside the Town half, brought it forward and then inside from the right before smashing a 25-yard strike past the static Holy and into the net.

It looked one the keeper will feel he should have stopped but seemed not to pick up as it wobbled through the air towards him.

Town had struggled to make any headway going forward but on 37 Norwood won the ball midway inside the Imps half and fed Edwards to his right but the Welshman wasted his cross.

The Blues came very close to levelling in the 41st minute. Downes, who had swapped roles with Bishop, was fouled by Edun on the left and Dozzell sent over a free-kick which reached Nsiala at the far post but the central defender directed his header the wrong side of the post.

Three minutes later, Edun again felled Downes, this time not far outside the area to the right and, after the ex-Blues loanee had been booked, Dozzell curled a goalbound free-kick past the wall but Lincoln keeper Alex Palmer was able to paw away and then claim at the second attempt ahead of Nsiala.

Lincoln were well worth their lead at the break even if the Blues had had a couple of opportunities towards the end of the half.

After the Blues had had a decent early spell, the visitors had been very much in charge for most of the rest of the half, passing the ball around quickly, slickly and incisively, and might well have been ahead before Rogers’s fifth goal of the season.

Town huffed and puffed thereafter with their late chances coming courtesy of set pieces with nothing of note created from open play.

Blues wingers Edwards and Lankester swapped wings ahead of the second half with Downes and Bishop returning to their earlier roles.

Town saw more of the ball in the opening spell and more often in the opposition half of the field than before the break but without creating another chance. On 50, Bishop was booked for a foul on Edun.

But the Blues were appearing to grow in confidence and in the 58th minute Norwood was sent away down the right and whipped over a dangerous cross which a defender nodded away from Edwards who had broken into the box.

Cook made a triple sub, as he had at Gillingham, on the hour with Parrott, Bennetts and Judge replacing Bishop, Edwards and Lankester. Parrott took up his usual role behind Norwood with Judge on the left and Bennetts on the right.

Three minutes after coming on, Parrott was fouled by Lewis Montsma on the Town left, the Lincoln defender picking up a yellow card.

The Blues continued to see a lot of the ball, with Lincoln not unhappy to sit back on their lead, but without creating any clear-cut chances until the 72nd minute when they levelled.

Edun fouled Dozzell a third of the way inside the Lincoln half. The midfielder took the free-kick, Chambers nodded it back across goal from the right to an unmarked Wilson, who found the corner of the net with well-placed his header to claim his second goal in three games and his first at Portman Road against his old club.

Although their chances had been limited, the Blues had been on top since the break and the goal continued their recent run of set-piece goals, their last six having come from either corners or free-kicks.

Lincoln swapped Morton for Hopper as they prepared to restart following the goal, then on 79 Anthony Scully for Edun and on 82 replaced Eyoma with Poole.

The Imps had rarely entered Town’s half in the second period but on 83 Brennan Johnson seized on an Nsiala error and took the ball to the left of the area but Holy did well to block at an angle. A minute later, Downes was booked for a foul on Adam Jackson.

In four minutes of time added on, Norwood was replaced by Kayden Jackson but there wasn’t time for the striker to make his mark before referee James Oldham ended proceedings.

Town were much better in the second half, wresting control from the Imps, who had been very much on top before the break.

The Blues had been unable to create a serious chance but once again they were able to profit from a set piece with Wilson taking his opportunity clinically.

A draw against the third-placed Imps is a very creditable result, particularly after the first half.

Manager Cook was a more vocal presence on the touchline than he had been at Gillingham - or perhaps it was just he couldn’t be heard above Steve Evans’s constant diatribe towards the officials at the Priestfield Stadium - urging his players to press and not to commit fouls among other instructions.

Town, who now only have to play Portsmouth, at Fratton Park, of the sides above them, climb a place to seventh, one point behind Pompey in sixth, ahead of Saturday’s home game against Plymouth.

Town: Holy, Chambers (c), Nsiala, Wilson, Kenlock, Dozzell, Downes, Lankester (Judge 60), Bishop (Parrott 60), Edwards (Bennetts 60), Norwood. Unused: Cornell, Ward, Harrop, Jackson.

Lincoln: Palmer, Eyoma (Poole 82), Jackson, Monstma, Bramall, Edun (Scully 79), McGrandles, Jones, Rogers, Johnson, Hopper (Morton 73). Unused: Long, Archibald, Roughan. Referee: James Oldham (Derbyshire).

Photo: Matchday Images

runningout added 21:35 - Mar 9 You cant be content with that and I'm sure the players and coaches are not.
7

Wishing4arightback added 21:35 - Mar 9 I know its early days, but so slow, possession football with Centre backs, Dozzell in effective only if its a dead ball, he needs to start doing things apart from pulling shirts in open play. Norwood looked isolated and seemed frustrated. Plus though was Bishop
7

LimerickTractorBoy added 21:36 - Mar 9 Top 2 not possible Hutch but playoffs very realistic, and hopefully PC will have improved us hugely by then. We need to get promoted, even if we struggle in the Championship for a year.
6

aas1010 added 21:37 - Mar 9 Point is fair . A lot off work to be done by the boss and players . Rome wasn't built in one night COYB
4

delias_cheesy_flaps added 21:43 - Mar 9 I think it will take PC until the end of this season to get the 30 months of Lambert's training and tactics out of the players system, however we really look pretty clueless going forward and inept at the back...a clear-out is definitely needed in the summer.
8

shakytown added 21:48 - Mar 9 We really are lacking in quality across the pitch. Very little goal threat and as usual barely even a shot in anger. midfield huff and puff but actually don't do much and playing one up front is just a waste of time.
9

Skip73 added 21:49 - Mar 9 We can't expect too much difference until PC can offload all the deadwood and bring in some decent players.
5

Saxonblue74 added 21:52 - Mar 9 A decent point I thought. Ok so we're not looking good going forward yet but I like that line up. Lanks, Bishop and Edwards looked ok and if given a run could work. I have to wonder about some of the comments on here after a matter of days with our new manager. Loanees dropped out of the 11, 5 academy guys starting and square pegs in square holes. None of those things would have happened with Lambert. I really can't believe that some are saying he was sacked too early after 3 reasonable performances.........in 2 years!

3

SickParrot added 21:53 - Mar 9 Just 3 attempts at goal and that's not unusual for us. It's early days but I don't think the existing squad is capable of playing the style of football that PC demands. As we have far too many players at present, he's got to move a heck of a lot out to bring some in. I hope he was aware that a major rebuild was needed when he accepted the job.
3

TractorFrog added 21:57 - Mar 9 Well I was pleased with the match. Bishop was excellent, Wilson, Downes and Edwards were good too. Big improvement on the last one, and with Paul Cook in charge I think we can continue to improve and get in these playoffs. We definitely have an easier run in than most. Don't criticise Cook, he has only had two games and he will soon turn us into the best side in the league (hopefully a good championship side next year). COME ON IPSWICH!

3

papashango87 added 21:59 - Mar 9 I don't care who is in charge and how many games they have had. That was embarrassing. Players walking about with the ball, walking to take a throw in, walking to take goal kicks... do they even want to win??!!! It's nothing to do with Lambert now, people saying it's his team. He's gone, they can be motivated to win a game whether they have the ability or not. When we finally go to take a throw we have hardly any movement, something basic like that we seem to struggle. My Sunday league team would beat Town. The standard in the premier league is poor, games are dull and slow so maybe we are just at the right level. The leagues are full of athletes, with too much money and no brains or desire or even character.

4

warksonwater added 22:00 - Mar 9 Certainly wouldn't have settled for where we are now at the start of the season and especially not after the first six games. But from five games ago, about to play four of the top seven, I would definitely have settled for one point behind sixth place with a game in hand. And only having to play one top six side in the last 14 games, reason to feel cautiously optimistic. Top two beyond us now I think though with only one point last two games.

5

algarvefan added 22:28 - Mar 9 For the love of Mary and all things holy will ya not give Paul Cook a chance to settle in. The miserable dripping and moaning on this site does my head in!!! Look we are where we are, totally lacking in confidence and needing to find the right combinations on some areas of the pitch, at times I thought we put some good passages of play together tonight and until they scored we were looking to get forward all the time. I think Paul will need a few more games to turn this around, so lets support him and the boys. Finally, James Wilson, what a difference he has brought to the side, think he has been brilliant for the past 3 games.

10

whymarkwhynot added 22:38 - Mar 9 #standwithtoto
3

ringwoodblue added 22:39 - Mar 9 A fair result but I simply do not understand why our players are not pulling out all the stops. We are so static and most of the time they look like they're not even trying and can't be bothered. What do they do in training for goodness sake? I totally understand it's very early days for Cook and we have to give him time but we are somehow still in the hunt this season but seem unwilling to grasp the opportunity.

3

dirtydingusmagee added 22:42 - Mar 9 Cook hasnt had a chance to assess the players yet, you cant expect him to judge players on one game or even two, im sure he will whittle them down ,and get to know who is and who isnt going to achieve anything, personally i think few of present squad will make the grade,We may reach playoffs but it would be nothing short of a miracle to go up.Its going to be a dead season and hopefully BIG CHANGES IN SUMMER. but meantime Cook must be given a chance.Already heard a couple of callers on Radio Suffolk moaning about him ! ffs.

10

Kirbmeister added 22:52 - Mar 9 It'll take PC a year or more to sort this shower out. Already some rumblings from a couple. Unbelievable. Come back this time next year and assess him properly then.
4

runaround added 22:58 - Mar 9 Important to not lose following Saturday. Our run in lambert looks very kind on paper and a top 6 finish is well within reach although we need to start creating & taking more chances
1

Essexipswichboy added 23:16 - Mar 9 Big positive for me is that we started with mine of the loanees This was o tough one on paper and I'm impressed PC went down this route I think this is a huge statement of how PC sees us going forward I do agree with most ...we need some fire power
1

blueboy1981 added 23:28 - Mar 9 Make no mistake Paul Cook has a tough job on his hands - his first two games have proved we have several players who are average League 1 players at best. Players who are capable of stepping up and playing at Championship level would have done so with a new Manager coming in. Have we seen that ? - NO. Have we seen anything different from the players ? - NO. Reality check people - at least half our team consider themselves to be better than they are - Paul Cook will need to hook them out, as I am sure he is finding out already ... !!!

7

Blue_Meanie added 06:08 - Mar 10 1 to 11; who would you honestly pick to have in your side? Even at L1 level these players are proving that they are simply not good enough to compete against comparable sides. In reality a lot of our players are bang average L1 players at best. A change of manager should be the catalyst for better performances, but after only 2 matches it's clear many of them are just not capable of improvement and are at their level. A massive rebuilding project is required, whether Evans or a new consortium is up for that challenge is another matter.

3

Saxonblue74 added 06:41 - Mar 10 Defeat to Gillingham saturday and in this same period of time we had 5 full pages of comments on the match report. A (for many unexpected) draw against Lincoln and we have less than 2 pages over the same period of time. So many with nothing negative to say so say nothing at all.
0

Linkboy13 added 07:08 - Mar 10 Wont be judging Paul Cook until next season when he's got his own players in. At least half the team that played last night will not be there. The poorest squad of players ive seen at Ipswich since the mid sixties.
3

therein61 added 07:24 - Mar 10 Slowly but surely he will get this club moving.
2

dirtydingusmagee added 07:24 - Mar 10 a place up is better than a place down, i didnt expect us to win to be honest , The worrying thing is we have still not been a convincing team for promotion. A point against Lincoln at home being regarded as a good result shows how far we have fallen. However you look at it this squad clearly needs changing, far too many showing they are not even up to Lge1. Norwood may cause problems on a good day, but when you look at strikers weve had over the years he is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the list.We need far better to get anywhere.

5

Blogs 295 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls