Paul Cook’s return to Fratton Park ended in defeat after Portsmouth came from a goal down to beat the Blues 2-1. James Norwood netted his seventh goal of the season to give the Blues the lead on 32 but Pompey skipper Tom Naylor headed a leveller four minutes before the break and then Marcus Harness grabbed the winner in the 72nd minute.

Town boss Paul Cook made four changes with Norwood, Stephen Ward, Teddy Bishop and Keanan Bennetts returning to the side.

Ward came in at left-back for Myles Kenlock, who was left out of the 18 and Bishop in central midfield for Cole Skuse, who was on the bench.

Bennetts replaced Troy Parrott but playing in a very advanced left-sided position rather than a number 10 with the on-loan Tottenham man on the bench.

Alan Judge moved into a third central midfielder’s role towards the left, although ahead of Bishop and Andre Dozzell. Norwood returned in the out-out-out striker’s role with Kayden Jackson also dropping to the bench.

Kane Vincent-Young was among the subs for the first time in 17 months following his injury problems, while Mark McGuinness and Armando Dobra were also on the bench for the first time since the change of manager.

Jack Lankester, Josh Harrop and Aaron Drinan missed out on places in the 18 having been on the bench for Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at Fleetwood.

Portsmouth, with new management team Danny and Nicky Cowley in the dugout for the first time following their appointment yesterday, made two changes from the side which lost 1-0 at Peterborough in midweek.

Marcus Harness and Jordy Hiwula came into the XI for Ben Close and Rasmus Nicolaisen, whose own goal settled the game at London Road.

Town wore last year’s burgundy and blue away shirt but with blue shorts with a yellow and burgundy trim and yellow socks.

Prior to kick-off the players and officials both took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter, again with the exception of Toto Nsiala.

Pompey struck the game’s first shot in the fourth minute, Ronan Curtis hitting a 30-yard free-kick which wobbled in the air but was claimed comfortably by Holy.

Town attacked for the first time in the 11th minute when Bishop won the ball on halfway, Bennetts fed Edwards to the right and the Welshman’s chipped cross to the far post was nodded into the side-netting by Norwood having already appeared to have gone out of play.

Two minutes later, Norwood hooked a ball over the Portsmouth backline for Edwards, who was eventually outmuscled by Lee Brown.

Following Tuesday’s lackadaisical display at Fleetwood, manager Cook was constantly barking at his midfield and strikers to press whenever Pompey had the ball in their area of the field, and the cajoling appeared to be having some impact with the Blues having more bite than they had at Highbury.

Referee Alan Young showed his first yellow card of the day in the 18th minute when Jack Whatmough pulled back Bennetts as the on-loan Borussia Mönchengladbach man was about to shoot from 25 yards.

Judge took the free-kick and curled the ball to keeper Craig MacGillivray’s left and the keeper did well to get across to it and push it wide and to safety.

Town, playing at a greater tempo than at Fleetwood and seeing much more of the ball, were working themselves into some promising positions in the Pompey half, while at the other end Portsmouth’s rather fewer forays forward had been snuffed out.

On 29, a corner was worked to Bishop not far outside the area but the midfielder’s shot hit a Pompey defender and flicked through to MacGillivray.

The Blues went closer a minute later when Norwood was played in on the right of the area and cut across to Bennetts but the winger was unable to get a touch and keeper MacGillivray claimed.

But Town didn’t have to wait too much longer for a goal. On 32 Edwards played a clever pass for Norwood in the same area of the box and the striker smashed a powerful shot across MacGillivray and into the net for his seventh goal of the season.

The Blues deserved their lead having been the better side but appeared less attack-minded in the minutes following their goal and in the 41st minute the home team levelled.

Pompey had hardly looked threatening until Curtis sent over a corner from the left and skipper Naylor battled his way to the ball and headed home off the inside of the far post.

Having got back on terms, Portsmouth ended the half the stronger and on 43 Curtis curled a shot wide.

Town would have been good for their half-time lead had they not conceded the goal shortly before the break. They’d looked a much better outfit than on Tuesday and deserved their goal - a second in three games from open play - which was cleverly worked by Edwards and finished comprehensively by Norwood.

Pompey had reacted well to the Town goal but hadn’t looked like grabbing a goal until Naylor’s header from Curtis’s very-difficult-to-defend corner.

Three minutes after the restart Edwards again played Norwood in, this time breaking towards the edge of the area but the Blues striker was unable to get enough on it and MacGillivray was able to claim.

A minute later, Naylor won another header from a corner, Holy blocked, the ball dropped loose and after a brief scramble eventually ended up in the big Czech’s hands.

Soon after, Curtis was booked for a foul as Bishop broke into the Pompey half, then on 56 Andy Cannon joined him for a foul on Edwards on the right wing. Two minutes later, midfielder Cannon was swapped for Close.

A minute later, Pompey broke through Harness and Ryan Williams struck a shot across the face of goal.

On 59 Town swapped Bennetts, who had been less effective since the break, for Dobra, with the Albanian U21 international making his first appearance under new boss Cook. Dobra moved into a number 10 role with Judge in a more orthodox left-sided position.

Edwards was booked for a foul on Curtis in the 66th minute as Portsmouth broke following a Town corner which had come to nothing. Pompey complained that they would have been better off had the official played the advantage and with the resultant free-kick looping into Holy’s arms, they may have had a point.

Town had threatened very little since the break but on 70 a Dozzell free-kick found Norwood and his header from just inside the box inched just past the post having caught a Pompey defender. A minute later, Bishop was booked for a foul on Close.

Chances at both ends had been rare since half-time but in the 72nd minute the home side went in front.

Portsmouth broke down the left having played out from the back - although with Town players feeling the ball had gone out of play - and eventually Curtis's cross reached Harness bursting into the area from the other flank. The former Burton winger’s first shot was blocked by Judge but with his second he made no mistake.

In the 79th minute Town made a double change with Vincent-Young making his very long-awaited return and Jackson coming into a two-man attack. James Wilson and Judge made way. Chambers moved to centre-half to allow Vincent-Young to take up his usual right-back role, while Dobra switched to left wing.

Jacobs was booked for a foul on Dobra in the 82nd minute but with Town not looking particularly like levelling. On 88 Parrott took over from Bishop.

In the final scheduled minute Pompey might have added a third but a low ball across the edge of the six-yard box was bundled behind by Nsiala.

Soon after the fourth official’s board had indicated five additional minutes, James Bolton headed powerfully straight at Holy following the resultant corner.

Pompey were looking more likely to score a third goal than Town a second as referee Young brought the game to an end to cheers from the home bench and directors’ box as new manager Cowley recorded his first win in his opening game in charge.

In the end, Portsmouth deserved the win with the Blues having shown little in the second half. The pressing and work-rate which had been on display in the first half perhaps suffered due to tiredness as the game wore on and although chances had been few and far between at both ends, when a decent opportunity came, Harness took it.

The Blues, who dropped to ninth following the later fixtures, now have a free midweek in which manager Cook plans extensive work on the training field ahead of next Saturday’s trip to another of his old clubs, Wigan.

Ipswich: Holy, Chambers (c), Nsiala, Wilson (Vincent-Young 79), Ward, Dozzell, Bishop (Parrott 89), Bennetts (Dobra 59), Edwards, Judge (Jackson 79), Norwood. Unused: Cornell, McGuinness, Skuse.

Portsmouth: MacGillivray, Bolton, Whatmough, Raggett, Brown, Williams, Naylor (c), Cannon (Close 58), Curtis, Harness, Hiwula (Jacob 72). Unused: Ward, Nicolaisen, Daniels, Mnoga, Byers. Referee: Alan Young (Cambridgeshire).

Photo: PagePix

TimmyH added 15:26 - Mar 20 Silly post really @clint_eastwood, how can you judge a manager after 5 games? he's still working with the same bunch as Lambert so the probability says similar results and shuffling the deck to see who he likes and doesn't but you can't argue that it's been a disappointing start to Paul Cook's reign. On another note, anybody else notice when KVY came on in the right back position the un-droppable then moved to James Wilson's spot (arguably our best defender over the last month or so) - we now know what to expect if KVY starts!

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AbujaBlue added 15:26 - Mar 20 Already some dull-witted comments concerning PC when he has barely just been appointed. Pay them no heed. As others have said many times, give him the space to build his own squad and we'll see what happens from there.
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midastouch added 15:26 - Mar 20 Well if that second half is anything to go by, the Play Offs are Off! Time for Cook to change the ingredients! He may as well drop half of our players off down at the Colchester Foodbank! These 1pm kick off times aren't welcome. It just means our Saturday afternoon is getting spoiled an extra coupe of hours early! It feels like we've got a big enough squad to fill a jumbo jet but just with nobody good enough to get the thing to lift off or land! Never mind £10 for iFollow, it's barely even worth the electricity to run my radio. Cook is going to need to be ruthless as he's never going to get a tune out of some of these players on the pitch. And until he does I'm not so keen to tune in on my radio to listen to it again.

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blueboy1981 added 15:27 - Mar 20 USELESS bunch of **ss**s - would have difficulty winning an argument, with this lot. Massive clear out required. New Manager ! - any self respecting player would be out to impress - WHERE IS IT ?? This all goes to prove the point as to how poor the players, and squad, actually are. Is there any of this lot even up to Division 3 Standard ? - not in my book, or Paul Cook's by now I would hazard a guess. ROOT and BRANCH CLEAR-OUT required - they've had their chance, many times over.

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ESSEX75 added 15:33 - Mar 20 COOK OUT
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martin587 added 15:33 - Mar 20 Very good first half.Second half total rubbish.Nobody competed ,midfield awful.We need strong combative players in midfield as what we have are too powder puff.We need a total clear out and I feel sorry for PC as he has inherited a total load of crap. Great to see KVY back. That's about it.Summer clear out and start again next season.
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jayaps added 15:35 - Mar 20 Agree cook will need to get rid of the dead wood but the reality is if the takeover doesn't happen it will be the free transfer market he will be expected to build his squad from..worrying times.
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slimjim added 15:36 - Mar 20 Apparently PC turned down offers to manage in the championship, one wonders if he done his homework as this squad seem incapable of putting a run together. Far too early to judge PC but the usual managerial bounce hasn't happened and he needs to sort out this squad ASAP in readiness for next season as I can't see promotion this year but hope I am wrong.
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Kickingblock added 15:36 - Mar 20 Beaten by a team that couldn't beat a team in the 4th division the previous week.
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ESSEX75 added 15:37 - Mar 20 jayaps What takeover
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surgery added 15:37 - Mar 20 Who's going to fund the purchase of all these replacements? Can't see it being Evans
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Facefacts added 15:38 - Mar 20 Things I learnt today: the game had a turning point which was the 1:1. It was a quality ball in and we don't have a keeper in the squad who could come and clear everything out and take the ball, or even punch the ball away. The ball was headed in from within the 6 yard area. Whereas all our deliveries into the box from set plays were woeful. Good to see Dobra given 30 mins or so, he draws free kicks as he is too good for these cloggers. The 14 Cowley dragged off to stop him getting a red. His face reminded me of an oaf with a skinful looking for a fight on the doorstep of a pub. That is the opposition we face. They know we are nice Ipswich Town, wouldn't hurt a fly. We will always wilt in the face of that, and weak referees work against us.

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Nobbysnuts added 15:38 - Mar 20 Awful.......this team is probably the worst team in Ipswich history..just sh#te
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martin587 added 15:39 - Mar 20 I forgot to say EVANS needs to sell out now otherwise this club will be ruined under his ownership.He has totally ruined this club.
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bluelodgeblue added 15:39 - Mar 20 It's all well and good saying we need a massive clear out and need to bring in some quality but we have Evans, which will be the spoiler unfortunately?
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Vanisleblue2 added 15:44 - Mar 20 Retained list for 21/22 Vincent- Young Norwood Wilson
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bernie added 15:45 - Mar 20 So pi–ed off , we are such a frustrating team to support !! Unbelievable, we need a strong spine to the team which we haven't got, CB and CM been saying it for years we need men not boys . Just can't believe how many times this team of ours let's us down , so bloody frustrating .
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Marinermagic added 15:45 - Mar 20 Why is it whenever there is a chance of establishing themselves in the play off zone we get scrap performance ? Nothing to do with half the team realizing they would not feature in any Championship team I wonder !
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tobymeadz91 added 15:46 - Mar 20 Hello all, As a loyal fan for the last 20 years I thought it's time to start voicing my opinion!! Firstly I would like to say, I view TWTD more than any other website during the week, great viewing as always, Secondly, today's performance... first half we looked decent, and listening to Paul Cook on IFollow it's clear he wants us to press ... not sure what he said to them at half time though... we lost our punch.... Third point - Paul Cook appointment - I'm sure when you have a new manager you are meant to win the first few games (which is a bit worrying)... although we have to give him a chance... Fourth point - The squad Top players - Norwood, KVY, Downes, Bishop (when he's fully fit) Ones to leave tomorrow - Chambers (great servant but needs to go), ward, Toto, Dozzell (he's too lightweight for any league) Loanees - Tbh none of them are showing any signs of being any better than we already have - gone are the days giavanni dos Santos / tom Lawrence / mark noble Final point - Ownership, although Marcus is fitting the bill for ITFC at the moment we are only heading in one direction... we need a new direction Prediction for the season - Play offs (only because we have the bottom teams to play which we should beat)

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townthroughmyveins added 15:46 - Mar 20 Ok, so finally i think i can smell the roses. How long has this taken? This club has been my everything since the 70's and I've followed it through thick and thin, even when I've lived abroad with the forces - I'm 57 now!! You spend every Tuesday and Saturday thinking its going to turn and you do what you can to support the club, buying the latest strips and attending all the games that work around your career, even though i live 200 miles away! Surely now its become apparent that this squad is not good enough? It lacks depth and quality! How much longer can we be expected to endure this agony? PC will not get this club back to the championship or beyond unless there is some investment in players. Thanks to Hurst we have a squad of 'has been' L1 and 2 players along with the aged hangers on that he could not get rid of. It will take 2 or 3 seasons to sort this mess and build an attacking squad that gels / can compete for promotion / works for the club/town and more importantly plays the 'Ipswich way'. These are the most depressing times i can ever remember to be a town fan. Honestly, i will eat my words if we make the play off's but i think deep down, there can not be one town fan out there now that truly believes its a strong possibility? The honeymoon period under PC is over before its begun. The only option left for us is to ensure L1 safety and clear it out over summer. TBH - who is going to want them? Sad times :(

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Kingfisher49 added 15:47 - Mar 20 After today and also recent weeks it seems fitness and desire are lacking from many of our players. Yes a big clear out is needed, to many players of a likeness not good enough but not poor. Average players who collectively do not seem capable of any consistency. The next few week will be trial for them all not only to retain a shirt but earn a contract next season. Vincent Young, Wilson, Downes and Norwood are the only ones at present who deserve to be considered. Sadly a few have been good but are now beyond their best years. But in the midst of the squad we have many over paid and played out of position I might add players who need a fresh start elsewhere. We have a few youngsters coming through and they should be given a chance as this season draws to a close. But all the changes needed are if Mr Evans is prepared to back Paul Cook who is a proven manager who deserves to be given the funds and backed.

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1psw1ch added 15:50 - Mar 20 very sad times for ipswich town,,, the budgies walking away with the championship and look at us,,,, thank god we are not meeting them anytime soon cause we would be trounced,,, breaking my heart this club is,,,, evans out now
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Billericay12 added 15:50 - Mar 20 No point in keep blaming the managers whoever it is. We may have a big squad but most are not good enough. I went through the whole squad the other day trying to think who would be capable of playing in the Championship and I struggled to make a case for any of them. Chambers , Judge and Skuse were proven at that level albeit not worldbeaters but are past it now. All the youngsters we thought were our future are struggling at League One level and other players we bought from Leagues one and two are just that. Flynn Downes and KVY were maybees. We all get excited when a new manager comes in but Without investment the future looks bleak.

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Portman51 added 15:52 - Mar 20 What a frustrating £10's worth that was on I Follow. Who wouldn't love to manage a side against the current Ipswich? All you have to do is be a bit physical, win the fifty-fiftys, run your guts out, press hard, and make sure you have a couple of decent centre halves to head away the aimless hoofs upfield or set pieces which seem to be our only form of attack. Has nobody noticed that Mariner and Whymark have retired? Also the last fifteen years of watching us give the ball away cheaply without appearing to care overmuch, whoever is playing or managing, suggests there is something deeply wrong in the DNA of this football club. Then again, perhaps we shouldn't ctiticise the performances overmuch because it seems to me this team are playing to the limit of their individual and collective ability, which is about League 2 standard. So don't have a go at Cook. We have 53 contracted professionals accumulated by McCarthy, Hurst and Lambert and I suspect he would happily dispense with all bar a handful of them and start again, if he could. Because that's the only way we'll ever move forward. Rant over and roll on next season in League 1.

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Ebantiass added 15:52 - Mar 20 I have no doubt Cook will deliver for us. He likes a pressing game but he has inheritaed Lamberts squad and a squad stripped by many byears of Evans not replacing the better players we have sold. Cook likes hard working box to box midfielders and a front man with presence puttuing himself about. Defenders that can play out from the back and youth players will be given a chance. Not expecting much this season. My wigan supporting best mate said he would not be suprised if Cook got us in the play offs and went on to win it this season. Bloody hope so

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