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Ipswich Town 0-0 AFC Wimbledon - Match Report
Saturday, 24th Apr 2021 17:02

Town’s goal drought stretched beyond the 10-hour mark as they drew 0-0 at home to AFC Wimbledon, their fifth stalemate in eight games. Dai Cornell saved a Joe Pigott penalty in a first half dominated by the visitors, while the Dons striker also went closest for the Blues when he headed against his own bar in the second half.

Cornell and Oli Hawkins were handed their first starts under Paul Cook and Teddy Bishop returned to the XI.

Cornell replaced Tomas Holy in goal, while Hawkins, who had made three sub appearances since the change of manager, was the lone striker with Bishop, who missed Tuesday's 3-0 defeat at Northampton as he was ill, behind him in the number 10 role.

The Blues were otherwise unchanged from the team which lost to the Cobblers with left-back Stephen Ward again skipper with Luke Chambers on the bench.

Holy and Kayden Jackson, who started at Sixfields, were among the substitutes, while Freddie Sears dropped out of the squad.

For Wimbledon, Ryan Longman replaced the injured Ollie Palmer up front, while ex-Blues youngster Shane McLoughlin was on the bench.

Ahead of kick-off both teams and the officials took a knee in support of Black Lives Matter with the visitors, in form having won their last four, starting the stronger.

On four, Luke O’Neill crossed and Will Nightingale, the scorer of the Dons’ first goal in their 3-0 victory over the Blues earlier in the month, headed over.

The Londoners continued to have the better of it and on 10, George Dobson was teed-up just outside the area but his powerful, seemingly goal-bound shot was charged down by Luke Woolfenden.

From the resultant corner on the left, the ball fell loose to Jack Rudoni and this time it was Mark McGuinness who got his body in the way to block.

Town finally began to show something and on 11 they won their first corner, however, it came to nothing.

A minute later there was a big scare when McGuinness and Cornell miscommunicated with the keeper on the edge of his area and Dobson almost seized on a loose ball until the on-loan Arsenal defender managed to get back on it and clear the danger.

Keanan Bennetts struck Town’s first effort of the game on the quarter-hour, taking the ball into the area on the right from Hawkins’s flick but his low side-footed effort went well wide.

Wimbledon continued to look the most dangerous side with an Ayoub Assal shot blocked on 16 before the visitors had an even better opportunity.


After Gwion Edwards had lost possession on halfway, skipper Alex Woodyard cut inside from the right to Rudoni in space just inside the box but the midfielder shot wide when it seemed easier to hit the target. On 20 Cornell saved O’Neill’s strike from the right.

Town Town goal had been living a charmed life and in the 21st minute the Blues had keeper Cornell to thank for the scores remaining level after Wimbledon were awarded a penalty.

The ball had fallen for Joe Pigott in the area but as the striker worked himself to shoot, he was pulled back by one of several defenders around him and referee Ollie Yates pointed straight to the spot. Skipper Ward protested in a less than convincing manner.

Pigott took the kick himself but Cornell with his leg as he dived to his right, then got back across to stop the striker’s subsequent effort as Ward did as much as he could to make it difficult for the Wimbledon man to get to the ball.

Town, who had made very little headway all half, moved Bishop out wide and Bennetts into the centre to the left of Hawkins, then on 34 Edwards shot well over from distance.

In the 40th minute Pigott broke into the area to the left and was charging towards goal but Ward came across to slam the ball out of play before the striker was able to get in his shot.

A minute before the end of the half, Edwards was shown the game’s first yellow card for a late tackle on Nesta Guinness-Walker.

The Blues could count themselves very fortunate to go in level at the break with the shot count of Wimbledon 12, four on target, Town three, none on target, giving an accurate summary of the period.

While the penalty was obviously the best of the opportunities, the visitors had a number of other chances which they will feel they should have taken.

The lacklustre Blues had almost entirely been on the back foot with Bennetts’s shot their only real chance.

That the scoreline remained level was pretty much the only positive to take from the first half.

Town swapped Bennetts, who again failed to impress, for Armando Dobra ahead of the second half.

Wimbledon again went very close to going in front in the opening minute, Pigott escaping down the left and cutting back for Assal. Cornell first did well to close down the midfielder and then dived at his feet to claim the ball.

On 48 Rudoni smashed a shot into the side-netting at an angle from the left, then at the other end Dobra hit a shot against a defender, then Edwards scuffed a rebound to visiting keeper Nik Tzanev.

Despite the early Wimbledon chance, the Blues had started the second period more on the front foot than they had been in the first and in the 52nd minute they hit the woodwork.

Dozzell whipped over a corner from the right and Pigott diverted it on to his own crossbar as Hawkins prepared to head goalwards.

Town swapped Bishop for Cole Skuse in the 63rd minute, the veteran taking up a deep midfield role alongside Andre Dozzell with Flynn Downes ahead of them and Dobra on the right.

Moments after the change, Dobra forced Tzanev into his first serious stop of the afternoon, the keeper parrying his effort from the right of the box just past Downes. On 68 Hawkins was switched for Aaron Drinan.

In the 70th minute, Cornell, Town’s man of the match on his return, dived across to his right to palm Pigott’s 25-yard free-kick wide. The clock crossing the 71-minute mark took Town’s goal drought past 10 hours.

Wimbledon made a double change two minutes later with ex-Blue McLoughlin and Cheye Alexander taking over from Assal and O’Neill.

On 77 Jackson replaced Dozzell with Downes moving back alongside Skuse and the sub joining Drinan up front.

Dobra, Town’s most effective attacking player since his introduction, used his pace to beat a defender to the ball on the right on 79 before using a trick to work himself space and send in a cross which flew just behind Drinan.

A minute later, Town forced Wimbledon to give the ball away midway inside their half. Drinan fed Jackson on the right of the box and the sub hit a shot from a tight angle which Tzanev blocked.

In the 83rd minute Edwards was fouled to the left of the box but sent his free-kick into the area not only over the bar but over the net erected behind the goal and deep into the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.

Three minutes later, Woodyard blazed over from distance following a corner with Wimbledon chances having been much rarer events in the second half.

Town’s goalless streak now stretches to 619 minutes and in truth they again rarely looked like ending it. That Wimbledon striker Pigott came closer than any Town player to beating Tzanev summed up the afternoon.

The Blues, still unbeaten at home under Paul Cook, were better in the second half having been as woeful as at any time this season in the first and Wimbledon should have been out of sight by half-time.

Yet another 0-0 draw, Town’s eighth 0-0 of the season, sees them stay 11th ahead of next week’s trip to Swindon, whose relegation to League Two along with Bristol Rovers was confirmed following today’s 5-0 thrashing at MK Dons.

The Blues' longest ever goalless streak, the 714-minute run in the 1994/95 season in the Premier League, will be surpassed if the Blues fail to find the net at the County Ground and in the first six minutes at Shrewsbury in the following match.

Town: Cornell, Vincent-Young, Woolfenden, McGuinness, Ward (c), Dozzell, Downes, Bennetts (Dobra 46), Edwards, Bishop (Skuse 63), Hawkins (Drinan 68). Unused: Holy, Chambers, Nsiala, Jackson.

AFC Wimbledon: Tzanev, O’Neill (Alexander 73), Woodyard (c), Nightingale, Rudoni, Assal (McLoughlin 73), Guinness-Walker, Heneghan, Dobson, Longman, Pigott. Unused: Cox, Oksanen, McLoughlin, Harrison, Kalambayi, Osew. Referee: Ollie Yates (Staffordshire).


Photo: Matchday Images



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billys_boots added 18:43 - Apr 24
Even the worst Sunday team I ever played for had enthusiasm and knew where the goal was. And these players wouldn't have got into the better Sunday teams I've played for. This league is ridiculously poor and many of those who usually sit in the stands could actually do a better job on the pitch than the players. And get into the top 6 of this dire league.
2

DaGremloid added 18:43 - Apr 24
If PC keeps playing the likes of Bennets and Ward, is he REALLY the manager to take us forward? Why keep playing the dross? There are other younger players he could be playing with the intention of having a look at them for next season. We, and he, knows who the crap players are so why keep playing them?
4

istanblue added 18:44 - Apr 24
The banter era clings on.
0

Nobbysnuts added 18:56 - Apr 24
I would keep one player from our entire squad...and that's kvy and the rest can just f#ck off....sadly I don't think kvy will stay as I've heard a few clubs are watching him including Norwich. And as for Paul Cook....well I'm sorry but he can get lost as well...his record is awful just awful. I'm sick to death of watching the same sh#te players...dozzell,Bishop,Edwards,Hawkins.... the list just goes on ....pathetic excuse for professional footballers.
3

Blue_Meanie added 19:00 - Apr 24
Really don't know if Cook is the man.

I know the team is sh1te......but surely we should have squeezed a win somewhere in the last however long?
6

mib added 19:05 - Apr 24
And most posters on here thought Lambert was bad, compare records, and dont say they are Lamberts players as he got more out of them than this excuse of a manager.
4

BettyBlue added 19:11 - Apr 24
No manager will get anywhere with our squad if they've been turned against the manager by the so called "captain"
-3

Thebot added 19:12 - Apr 24
Oi grumpy ol man, the only laughable bit Is your comment say about nationality. Clint said preferable a Spanish /Portuguese but if it were a German or Brazilian it wouldn't matter as long as it isn't someone with a win percentage of 2 in 12 for f£#k sake sake. Get a life you karon.
-2

midastouch added 19:14 - Apr 24
Without any doubt, ship 'em out!
2

buzbyblue added 19:18 - Apr 24
Time to rip up the contracts of a few more players with 3 games to go, no point keeping them all here til the end, start the clear out now
1

itfcserbia added 19:40 - Apr 24
Do some people honestly believe we had a chance to crash playoffs before Cook came in? We were 2 points off, eh? With a game more played than the teams above mind you and got even that close with the one shaky short patch of results and no great performance whatsoever. So please, while Cook really dissapointed with the results he is not the one who cost us yhe playoffs.
1

BettyBlue added 20:12 - Apr 24
Which managers in the EFL have the choice not to bother with a shot at the Play-offs.

Come on management ship Cook out . He is a complete failure.
-4

blueboy1981 added 20:38 - Apr 24
Some of the comments on here prove they are from Kids, or Adults who haven't a clue what they are watching, least of all about Football.
The Sh#te was here before Cook arrived, but I guess that is too much for some to realise.
So, you clever lot - Who do you want next as Manager ?? Pep ? Klopp ? Tuchel ? - you'd find fault with them after a month to six weeks - because even they couldn't do anything with this current shower.
Conveniently overlooked by some of you, so maybe YOU arr part of the problem for where the Club finds itself ??
Ever given that some thought ? - NO - of course not, I wonder why ??
5

blueboy1981 added 20:43 - Apr 24
What Planet are the likes of BettyBlue on ??
No wonder we are a diabolical mess.
We've no hope - and not all pitch related either .... !!
2

blueboy1981 added 20:58 - Apr 24
This is a Blessing to us - if we had, by some bizarre twist of fate got promoted this season - it would have resulted in total embarrassment, because we are not even good enough to compete at this level, with the current shower of inadequate, not even Division 3 players.
And who brought them in ?? - NOT Paul Cook, not a single one of them ... !!!
So aim your criticism in the right direction, or is that too much to expect ??
2

Help added 21:09 - Apr 24
Paul Cook, I know what you say but please just get rid of the baggage for the next 3 games. get the U23's in and explain to them that they have a chance to impress you. Play with no fear, play with your heart and not one ITFC fan will blame you if you lose. Because so long as you play with desire, even if you lose you will show more commitment than the existing team and we fans will love you for having a go and trying
3

Help added 21:13 - Apr 24
Whichever players leave this club at the end of the season I for one will not miss them nor remember them after that final whistle has blown. In fact I would be quite happy for them to be erased from the record books. Good riddance to the lot of them one and all. May we never see not hear of you ever again.
1

Monkey_Blue added 21:14 - Apr 24
Either lambert was getting more out of terrible players and so was better than we thought or Cook is doing a terrible job. You can't have it both ways. What's turning me off cook more than the results and performances is his vocals at the players. It's not only poor man management it's not what you get from someone who's confident in himself. Performances and results are worse under him so perhaps his next public rant should be at the manager.
-2

Help added 21:18 - Apr 24
@ Essex Tractor rock bottom ticket prices just to get bums on seats will be the order of the day especially the prices ME used to charge for this poor excuse for footballers.
0

Help added 22:02 - Apr 24
Can we please look at this situation based on the timescales and event timings. You are a player whose contract ends at the end of the season. You have a stable manager (5 year contract) and owner (been here 14 years), who you may in the past have got a new contract from. You are thinking play well??, get in the play offs, or get promoted, I might be offered that 1 year extension or a new contract?? . Also you, your agent and the club have known for some time that your contract is up, but there has been no discussions.

You are wondering what is going on, why are we not in talks, why have they not started. Then you hear rumours that the club is up for sale, or the owner is after more finance. Fans are calling for the manager to go, and the owner. All this is going on whilst you are trying to play football. Let's be honest although we were hanging around the middle to play offs under PL, we were not setting the world on fire were we. The existing manager has a breakdown and rants to the local media about a club with a rotten core. But he never clarifies who or what that rotten core is. Then PL has two wins under his belt, from nowhere. Then the manager is gone and the temp takes over. You get another win. 2 points off the playoff's somehow.

Then it is confirmed there is a new manger coming in. Then the owner sells the club. Suddenly things look not so rosy. Because you now think is this why ME has not been in contract talks. Maybe that first meeting with the new manager did not go so well. There are things we as fins do not know what is going on. But as a player you suddenly think. Maybe the new man does not like me. I am not getting a new contract as both are gone. Would you play.

There are many factors we can only speculate. But think of the facts we know. think of what happened when in the timescales. Put yourself in each parties position. Player, manage, owner, new manage, new owner. How would you feel in each case. Stand back and look at it abjectly, open your eyes and look at the big picture. 14 months negotiations were going on. Why would ME get into contract negotiations. New owners did not want PL?? Both parties wanted PC?? An agreement is made that he can decide whom he wants and does not from the existing squad once he has had a look at them all.??

None of us know all the facts, but a lot of what we are experiencing makes sense as to why it is happening. Maybe it would have been better to keep PL till the end of the season or until he did or did not get us promoted, or into the play off's. But we will never know. Decisions are made by people with out need for explanation.

Yes I have speculated, but no more than any other fan on here posting. But consider what we know and when things happened that might help put things into perspective a little more
1

KernewekBlue added 22:13 - Apr 24
This whole mess started to materialise with a couple of bad decisions by Sheepshanks and the board at that time, culminating with the sale of the club to Evans.

Evans sucked the soul out of the club, sold decent playing assets and replaced them with dross, chose poorly when it came to manager appointments and failed to invest wisely at pertinent moments that could have turned the tide of our decline.

Hence, we are left with a squad that has no heart or desire, a squad that even a football genius would struggle to motivate and a club with cancerous, losing mentality that will be difficult to shed.

The real proof of the pudding, regarding the new ownership and management, will be seen during the close season, when Paul Cook might be given the funds to go and build a new team... then we'll really see what he and the owners are made of and be able to gauge just what the intentions are going forward.

I hope they don't scrimp like Evans did and flinch at the mere mention of a transfer fee for the right acquisitions.

God knows we need some financial assistance to drag ourselves out of this 14 year, nightmarish malaise.
0

WonTheCupin78 added 22:54 - Apr 24
10 hours without scoring in Division 3.

How low can we go?
0

atty added 23:52 - Apr 24
too true blue sorry marked you down by mistake
0

shakytown added 00:49 - Apr 25
forget how bad we are all that matter now is who are we going to keep from these players???? Weve got to bear in mind that we cannot feasibly replace the whole squad in 1 transfer window as well. I would keep Cornell - could be a useful backup with better coaching. Defenders KVY, wilson Baggot and Nsiala and maybe kenlock. Midfield Downes ,Nolan,Nydam Bishop ( needs to get fit) and i know this will upset most but i would keep Skuse on a reduced contract as we need some experience in the squad. Strikers none they are all either useless or unfit - injury prone As for the younger players that will be up to the management team to assess each one of them and whether they have it in them to go to the next level.
0

aas1010 added 01:44 - Apr 25
O dear o dear Just bring on the clear out !
0


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