Ipswich Town 1-0 MK Dons - Half-Time
Saturday, 21st Aug 2021 15:58

Macauley Bonne’s excellent 16th minute goal has given the Blues a 1-0 half-time lead over the MK Dons at Portman Road.

Hayden Coulson was handed his Town debut at left-back as Blues boss Paul Cook made three changes.

The on-loan Middlesbrough man came in for Matt Penney, who dropped to the bench, while Kane Vincent-Young returned in place of Janoi Donacien at right-back with the former Accrington man also among the subs.

Wes Burns was back from injury and started on the right with Scott Fraser moving into the middle behind Macauley Bonne with Joe Pigott dropping to the bench.

Centre-half Cameron Burgess and left winger Kyle Edwards were making their home debuts for the Blues.

The mystery player manager Paul Cook had said was ill at his Friday press conference appeared to be Kayden Jackson, who is missing from the 18.

For MK, manager Liam Manning, returning to the club where he was an academy player and coach, made two changes from the team which beat Charlton 2-1 on Tuesday with Dean Lewington replacing Daniel Harvie, who was out with a concussion, and Aden Baldwin came in for Tennai Watson.

Former Town loanee Troy Parrott started for the Dons, while ex-Blues striker Charlie Brown was among the subs.

Prior to kick-off, both teams and staff took a knee to applause from around Portman Road with the Dons keeping possession in the early stages. In the second minute Mo Eisa shot at goal from distance but Vaclav Hladkey claimed confidently.

On four, Coulson sent Edwards away running at pace at the MK defence from deep his own half, skipping past one defender before being upended by Warren O’Hora, who was booked. The free-kick was underhit and headed away from the edge of the box.

A minute later, Matt O’Riley scraped a shot wide for the visitors, before Edwards drew another foul a third of the way inside the Dons’ half, this time from Tennai Watson.

Both teams were having spells on the ball, although with MK looking a little more practised, and opportunities. In the 13th minute, Parrott shot low to Hladky’s right and the keeper saved comfortably.

A minute later the Blues went closer when Burns whipped over a ball from the right and Bonne headed off a defender and over.

But the striker from Chantry didn’t have to wait too long for his first goal in front of the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.

In the 16th minute Vincent-Young played a superb ball from deep on the right to the on-loan QPR man breaking towards the area on the left. O’Hora allowed it over his head and Bonne, who fluffed a gilt-edged opportunity to make it 2-0 at Cheltenham on Tuesday, deftly took it down before smashing a shot into the roof of the net.

The striker from Chantry gleefully celebrated behind the goal before eventually hugging kitman James Pullen in front of the tunnel.

MK were an inch or two away from an equaliser in the 26th minute when they broke quickly after Edwards had been dispossessed following a Town corner - although the former West Brom man appeared to have been fouled - and eventually Ethan Robson hit a well-struck shot from the left of the box which scraped the top of Hladky’s cross-bar.

A minute later, Vincent-Young tricked his way beyond his man on the right of the area and his low cross was deflected over by Zak Jules. From the corner on the right, the ball was played to Burns 25 yards out and the former Fleetwood man shot not too far over.

Town were very much on top by this stage and in the 31st minute Edwards brought the ball in from the left beating Harry Darling and back from the byline before his low cross was diverted behind.

A minute later, Fraser’s free-kick from the right was sent into the box ahead of his team-mates but after Lewington left it keeper Andrew Fisher was forced to dive to push past his post with the ball otherwise set to nestle in the corner of the net.

Evans tried an audacious effort from distance with Fisher off his line on 34 but the ball looped just over.

Three minutes later, Edwards tricked his way past a number of defenders before cutting in and hitting a 25-yard strike beyond Fisher’s left post.

The visitors began to get more into the game as the half passed the 40-minute mark, Scott Twine’s snap-shot from 30 yards arcing past the post the Hladky’s left and into the side-netting with the Town keeper not panicking.

On 43 a Darling shot deflected through to Hladky from the edge of the box in the wake of a corner from the right.

As the half moved into one minute of added time, Bonne won the ball on the left of the box and fed Edwards to his right. The winger feinted away from a defender before hitting a shot which was blocked by Darling.

That was the last action of an entertaining half in which both sides had had spells on top and chances with the difference Bonne’s brilliantly executed goal.

The Blues had looked much better going forward than in previous games, although stil without creating many clear-cut opportunities, with Bonne the focal point up front, while Edwards and Burns had both looked a threat down the flanks and Fraser had been more comfortable in the role behind the main striker.

While MK had kept the ball for long periods at times, their best opportunities had come on the break as the Blues sought to get numbers back after their own attacks or corners.

A game far from won at this stage with the second goal of the match appearing crucial.

Town: Hladky, Vincent-Young, Woolfenden, Burgess, Coulson, Evans (c), Harper, Edwards, Burns, Fraser, Bonne. Subs: Holy, Penney, Pigott, Barry, Dobra, Carroll, Donacien.

MK Dons: Fisher, Watson, Lewington (c), Jules, O’Hora, Darling, O’Riley, Twine, Eisa, Robson, Parrott. Subs: Ravizzoli, Brown, Martin, Baldwin, McEachran, Boateng, Ilunga. Referee: Josh Smith (Bedfordshire).

Photo: Matchday Images

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