Town are still waiting for their first win of the season after AFC Wimbledon scored deep in injury time to come from two goals behind to claim a 2-2 draw at Portman Road. Joe Pigott, who joined Town after leaving the Dons in the summer, put the Blues in front from the penalty spot in the 52nd minute after Wes Burns had been fouled, then Burns made it 2-0 two minutes later, before Ben Heneghan pulled one back for the visitors on 58. Town looked on their way to their first win of the campaign until Jack Rudoni scored a second for the Dons five minutes into injury time.

Pigott returned to the Blues’ XI against his old club with Macauley Bonne missing from the squad having picked up a knock.

Town were otherwise unchanged from last week’s 2-2 home draw with MK Dons, while Sone Aluko was among the subs in the league for the first time having returned from injury.

There was no place for Armando Dobra on the bench with the Albanian U21 international looking set to go out on loan earlier this week with Colchester showing strong interest.

Heavy rain before kick-off had subsided prior to the players from both teams taking a knee mainly to applause but also muted some boos.

Town began the game on the front foot and in the fourth minute Scott Fraser shot at goal from just outside the area but without overly testing Wombles number one Nik Tzanev.

Wimbledon started to come into the game more as the quarter-hour approached with the Blues clearing somewhat aimlessly on occasion and on others were caught in possession trying to overplay out from the back.

On 16 Dons skipper Alex Woodyard was booked for a foul on Pigott, who had been booed by his old fans from his first touch.

Town quickly regained full control with dangerous low crosses from the right from Kane Vincent-Young and Burns both failing to find team-mate in the box, while Rekeem Harper shot into keeper Tzanev’s midriff from distance.

In the 22nd minute, Vincent-Young tricked his way past a couple of Wimbledon defenders on the right of the box before teeing-up Pigott, whose shot pole-axed Dons striker Ollie Palmer, who required attention before continuing.

Two minutes later, Coulson did well to dispossess Palmer as the striker worked his way into the area with the Blues not for the first time looking troubled when run at by Wimbledon attackers.

Town continued to dominate but with the Dons presenting a threat on the counter. On 31 Henry Lawrence crossed from the right and Aaron Pressley diverted it well over when under pressure from Cameron Burgess. It looked a very decent opportunity.

Four minutes later, Palmer headed an Anthony Hartigan corner from the left against Blues skipper Lee Evans and on to the roof of Vaclav Hladky’s net.

From a subsequent Wimbledon flag-kick, the Blues broke quickly. Pigott sent Burns away down the right, the Welshman cut inside to Fraser, who turned it on to Harper, whose shot from the edge of the box deflected over off a defender.

Town continued to dominate but without being able to create a really clear-cut opportunity. On 42 Kyle Edwards, who had had another lively half down the left, shot towards goal from a central area not far outside the area but Tzanev was able to claim down to his right.

Moments before the fourth official indicated an additional one minute, Hartigan became the second Dons player to be shown a yellow card after pulling back Edwards.

Just before referee David Rock ended an entertaining half, Evans shot high and wide from 40 yards after latching on to a Tzanev clearance with the keeper well out of his goal.

The Blues had been on top for the vast majority of the half playing some good stuff at times, but without creating much in the way of clear-cut opportunities.

At the other end, Town hadn’t always looked comfortable with Wimbledon a threat on the break, indeed Pressley’s chance was probably the best of the half.

Hayden Coulson, who had enjoyed an impressive first 45 minutes, struck Town’s first effort of the second period, cutting inside before hitting a right-foot effort which flew well wide.

The early minutes of the second half followed the same pattern as the first and in the 52nd minute the Blues were awarded a penalty.

Burns was fed in on the right of the box and touched it beyond Will Nightingale, who pulled him back. Referee Rock pointed straight to the spot and booked Nightingale.

Former Dons striker Pigott stepped up and calmly stroked the ball to Tzanev’s left as the keeper dived to his right for his second goal in a Town shirt.

Two minutes later, the Blues were two in front. Again the ball was played in front of Burns on the right of the box by Vincent-Young and this time the Welshman smashed a shot across Tzanev and into the corner of the net for his first goal for Town.

However, the two-goal lead last only four minutes. Edwards fouled Lawrence to the right of the box, Hartigan sent the free-kick into the area, it flicked off Pigott’s head and Heneghan nodded across Hladky and into the corner of the net.

Heneghan wasn’t too far away from a second in the 63rd minute when allowed a free header from a corner from the right but this time his effort was straight against Pigott.

Wimbledon, who had swapped Pressley for Mebude just after the hour mark, made a double change on 70 with Rudoni and Nesta Guinness-Walker replacing Luke McCormick and Cheye Alexander.

Town started to look more in control and more threatening, but on 74 their defensive frailties were in evidence again when Palmer was allowed to bring an overhit Rudoni cross from the right in from the other flank before hitting a shot which Hladky palmed behind for a corner.

The Blues’ second goalscorer Burns was forced off in the 77th minute having taken a knock. Janoi Donacien, who made a quick dash down the tunnel, presumably to get his shirt, came on in his place a minute later with Vincent-Young then swapped for Aluko, who was making his Town league debut.

Two minutes later, Hladky was booked for stealing five or so yards as he prepared to take a free-kick.

Town continued to have jittery moments at the back as the Dons pushed for an equaliser, while the home crowd got behind their team.

On 87 Coulson was warmly applauded off after a very impressive performance at left-back with Matt Penney taking over.

Two minutes later, Harper was teed-up on the edge of the box following a Town break but slipped as he shot and the ball flew well over.

Town had only a minute of additional time to see out when the Wombles levelled. From a corner on the right, Heneghan’s header was saved by Hladky, but the Czech keeper couldn’t hold on and Rudoni slammed into the net from close range.

There was no time left for the Blues to hit back and for the third home league match out of three this season Town had to be content with a 2-2 draw. At the whistles boos briefly rang out, as they had done after last week’s game against MK Dons had ended in the same scoreline.

Once again, the game was all but won with the Blues’ defensive vulnerabilities again losing them two points.

The Blues are now 21st with a trip to Wycombe, who were beaten 3-1 at Sunderland today, scheduled for next week but potentially set to be postponed due to international calls for the Chairboys.

Town: Hladky, Vincent-Young (Aluko 78), Woolfenden, Burgess, Coulson (Penney 87), Harper, Evans (c), Burns (Donacien 78), Fraser, Edwards, Pigott. Unused: Holy, Carroll, Barry, Jackson.

AFC Wimbledon: Tzanev, Lawrence, Woodyard (c), Nightingale, Alexander (Guinness-Walker 70), Hartigan, Palmer, Assal, Pressley (Mebude 61), McCormick (Rudoni 70), Heneghan. Unused: Oualah, Marsh, Chislett, Kalambayi. Referee: David Rock (Hertfordshire). Att: 19,051 (AFC Wimbledon: 611).

Photo: Matchday Images

Orraman added 18:38 - Aug 28 I have attended games for 63 years now and in the last three games I have seen something I have never seen before. Three minutes before the teams come out we are treated to the wonderful Paul Cook entering the arena to claim rapturous applause from the deluded faithful. Tw@t! He is so up his own ar*e it is unreal. Telling us prematch that some of our injured troops are back in the squad then what do we get??? The great Aluko on the bench. We had just gone on a run of wins to just outside the playoffs when this fake took over and since then steadily downhill. After two games he announces that the whole squad can find employment elsewhere as if he was the second coming of the Messiah. Curious that three of the better players on show today were three who didn't leave, Donacien, Woolfenden and KVY. If the Wycombe game is called off that gives Gamechanger 2 weeks to get rid and appoint someone who actually knows what they are doing

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EssexTractor added 18:39 - Aug 28 A truly poor last twenty minutes….but some good words for Coulson a frail looking but a man of tremendous heart and skill…hopefully it was his excessive good efforts that meant he couldn't last the 90 minutes. The best new player I have seen. I hadn't seen Edwards before but was told he was exciting ..in first few minutes he looked like that ..but he disappeared from the match , sadly doing nothing in the second half..but he needs to be encouraged as do his colleagues to “ feed him the ball” more than today. Burgess looked a steady central defender , but despite our ( maybe ) fading goodwill for Wolfenden he needs a more rugged determined central defender alongside him. Fingers crossed Edmondson will meet the hype . Our keeper certainly no better than Holy….in fact maybe worse! Wes Burns looks to be akin to Gwion Edwards when he first started for ITFC..he has pace, and yes he took his goal brilliantly ..but then he fades too…maybe , going off again he is not 100% fit… I do wonder about Fraser …he gets the ball a lot looses the ball quite easily ..and has that sort of hang dog expression about him…all puffed out ….! KVY ran and ran but despite his good intentions has he now lost that real last oopmh to go beyond the defender, which takes this subject to crossing …not a strength at all today by anyone.. Pigott scored a penalty ..well done ..but beyond that nothing… fora man of his height his aerial ability is woeful ..some say he does better when fed the ball on the ground to then turn his man ..for that he needs, requires, excellent midfield men to thread those balls to him..and here is the crunch.. For years a main theme of my comments has surrounded the lack of quality midfielders…and after yes I know , a short period of time this season , I do not believe we are better served there than in recent past . So Mr Cook your favourite guy Mr Evans and his sidekick Mr Harper need serious refurbishment …we will not prosper in League One unless the players operating in those positions dominate. (Finally , Aluko, why?)

7

Umros added 18:44 - Aug 28 Is this Unbelievable. No actually it isn't. So we give it more time and more time, if so how much? How many games can we afford to let slip by? The fact remains old team or new team cooks win rate is awful. I'm not convinced.
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BlueTractor78 added 18:49 - Aug 28 Spot on EssexTractor!
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Monkey_Blue added 18:52 - Aug 28 Can you lot understand why Evans stopped throwing money at it now? Can you lot not grasp what a great job MM did? I didn't like the pragmatic approach to football he took but I preferred winning games and being in the play off race for the premiership to being in the relegation zone in league one.
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BecclesBlue500 added 18:54 - Aug 28 Only 9 or 10 points from the next 5 games (all of September) will be acceptable; but the reality is that with 2 of those games being Sheffield We'd and Wycombe, I reckon we're talking 5 points or max 8 - which will see us starting October in probably 17th, or best case 15 place. 9 places off the play offs. In the third tier. Closer to the 4th tier than the second tier. Wow.

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dirtydingusmagee added 18:57 - Aug 28 Keep clapping blues1 , most were saying got to give it 10 games , but you will be happy to give it another 10 years, proper supporter you .
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SickParrot added 19:04 - Aug 28 I was very pleased with the appointment of PC because of his previous success. I'm not ready to write him off yet but I am worried by his dreadful win ratio so far. I put his poor results last season down to the players sulking because of his criticism (which I thought was justified at the time). In hindsight I now wonder whether it was poor man management to go public with his indictment before the end of the season, especially as he now says he never criticizes players! He says he doesn't make excuses for defeats but refers to injuries as being one reason for our poor start along with all his new players needing time to gel. One of his criticsms of the squad he inherited was their lack of fitness but the team he has put together runs out of gas at around 70 minutes. I really want him to succeed but I am no longer sure that he will. As others have said, maybe his Assistant Manager was the key factor in his previous successes.

6

Monkey_Blue added 19:07 - Aug 28 Don't worry!! We've got all the big boys out of the way now. We've got a run of games against the minnows. Cook couldn't have had more support, a kinder fixture list and more decent players. He's 4 wins in 22!! Last seasons squad was capable of winning more than that under lambert. His record is abysmal and away to Wimbledon and Northampton last year are probably the lowest points in my Town supporting life…. Which spans decades. Today added another. In the relegation zone of league one.

10

alfromcol added 19:14 - Aug 28 Might have been a good idea to have kept Chambo as a defensive coach until the new players gel. Just a thought.
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Dissboyitfc added 19:18 - Aug 28 Burns looked good so did Coulson. as Mick Mills said Evans and Harper looked the real deal against Morecambe but have sadly been disappointing since. As for the Keeper, well i hope a good keeper is signed before Tuesday, Hadlky is average back up keeper at best! We cant defend set pieces and corners! And as for our corner taking, why cant we get the ball past the first man? Been like that for years, do we even practice dead ball delivery in training? Really is a pet hate of mine, but a proffesional footballer should be able to kick a dead ball with some precision! Anyway i said at the end of last season, we need to give him !0 games, halfway through that now. For me i think the problem is the coaching staff, just not being experienced enough and the lack of an assistant. For now i stand by the 10 games to judge him. Feel quite low and despondent after that result. At 2-0 we were looking really good, perhaps the players thought job was done as we certainly allowed a very average side to take over when we went 2 up!

7

Phil1969 added 19:23 - Aug 28 As an avid doom merchant this was my first game watching this season. We bossed up until their 1st goal and simply ran out of steam. Coulson and Burns off thro exhaustion but our two best players. Goalie was ok but simply didn't win it for us being inept on crosses and in the 6 minutes extra just kicked it long. Kane Vincent can't defend but overall thought we just were a bit unlucky, coupled with lack of fitness.

0

Orraman added 19:24 - Aug 28 @ Timmy H. - I did mean Evans out. ( There is a quote from the past!) No problem at all with Burns who apart from a superb goal today remains in my opinion one of the better arrivals this season
2

OldTractor added 19:35 - Aug 28 Unable to defend from free kicks Unable to defend from corners Unable to defend from long throw ins Can anyone recall in the games we have played so far when Hladky has caught a high cross ball in the air ? Time to bring back Holy Basics to me.
2

Billysherlockblue added 19:35 - Aug 28 A couple of games ago i said cook needs to grow a pair. Evans needs to be dropped not up to it at the moment. He needs a no 2 as tactics are woeful. We cant even take a corner not to mention defending them. Were not solid or structured. When 2 one up Wimbledon changed tactics we stayed the same . This has cost in each of our games. Ill give cook 15 games as i think he can sort it out but no more. We have the players but they have to step up a bit more. Edwarda should have been subbed today and hes our best player. Stop minding ure favourite s and get going. Dobra on load ffs at least he gives 100 per cent. Super blues forever 💙

1

del45 added 20:37 - Aug 28 ? When was ipswich ever at a lower position in the league then we are today.
2

del45 added 20:42 - Aug 28 Sorry I meant the football league
0

afcfee added 20:42 - Aug 28 runningout spot on few players trying to be clever cruyf turns just need to keep it simple
0

IvorFeeling added 20:57 - Aug 28 Be surprised given the investment that PC will be here if after 10 games Town haven't got at least 10 points. Clear he needs a good No2 and it has been his clear out which I thought was too extreme. The exec team are IMO a good fit for us and they won't let this go on too long. Keeping the faith but PC under serious pressure now.
1

dirtydingusmagee added 20:58 - Aug 28 i keep hoping i'll wake up and its just a bad dream, trouble is its become a recurring nightmare,
7

OliveR16 added 22:04 - Aug 28 As most of us have agreed, he has ten games (this season). We are 60 per cent through them. Cook has very little time, and no excuses. His choice of new players, a very kind fixture list, a supportive crowd. At the end of September we'll let him know what we think.
3

BlueRuin69 added 22:07 - Aug 28 Dont agree the clear out wasnt neccessary. Cannot think of many players from last year that would get into this squad. I actually thonk we are playing some great football and have never seen anything like our 5 games before. I mean..... Morcambe...winning Woolfie error goal Burton....missed pen Cheltenham.... one nil up then worst open goal miss ive ever seen from a top striker Mkdons......winning then Evans error goal Wimbledon...2nil unbelievably comfortable then last minute equalizer. Freakish stuff really and just dont see what Cook can do about these errors, strange start to season for me, playing well, scoring, fun to watch but not winning in weird kind of ways. Coyb. It has to end.

6

USA added 22:17 - Aug 28 There isn't much I can add that hasn't already been said a dozen times. However I am struggling to see why people rate Harper? Always looks under pressure and I don't believe that is due to those around him. Far too sloppy for me. Gives it away again and again.
2

bringonbrazil added 23:16 - Aug 28 Some random scores… Hlaky 0 Ron Fearon 5 Craig forrest 8 Paul cooper 10 Bialkowski 9 Laurie Sivell 7
1

blueboy1981 added 23:25 - Aug 28 Has our Club had a curse put on it ? - it makes you wonder ... !!! At this rate we don't need to think about Promotion, more about dropping into League 2 would be more appropriate. Time will tell if PC has recruited well - but at the moment there just has to be a few doubts with a few players who are just not looking up to it. Much harder games ahead - our easier games on paper have gone with a meagre accruement of points in current relegation mode it has to be said. Fortress Portman Road ? - anything but at present - will it materialise ??

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