A 2-2 draw at home against Barnsley wasn't the result Conor Chaplin wanted on Saturday, but the Town forward was pleased to get on the scoresheet against his former club, which he regards as having shown no loyalty to players.

Chaplin's 27th-minute free-kick put Ipswich in front, but Barnsley drew level before Sam Morsy, a former Tykes loanee, reinstated the lead.

A very questionable decision from referee Stephen Martin disallowed a third goal from Marcus Harness goal, which would have had Ipswich 3-1 up, and instead the visitors levelled again through Callum Styles in the 75th minute.

Noticeably Chaplin didn't hold back after scoring his curling free-kick and when questioned if he had any qualms about celebrating, he made his feeling towards his former employers clear.

“No, not at all. Obviously, they've got a policy in terms of buying and selling players, and they've not really got many loyalties to players at that football club,” he explained.

“The fans were amazing with me and the fans were brilliant. I had a really good relationship with the fans. But the football club in general has no loyalty, it's just about buying and selling players.

“I was really happy to score and I was really motivated to score against them for that reason.

“I think it didn't really work out what they were trying to do last year, obviously with relegation. So in terms of being motivated, was very, very motivated to score.”

One better for Chaplin would have been ending the afternoon with three points. In his view, the team couldn't do any more to secure them but he believes it was neither two points dropped nor one point taken.

“I don't really think it's either, to be honest,” he reflected. “I think we were full value for the win and I genuinely don't think we could have done anything more to win the game.

“I'm just gutted with the decision [to disallow Harness’s goal] really. I don't think we could have done anything else. I think we were brilliant. I don't know what the manager has said, but I'd guess he's echoed that.

“I honestly don't think we could have anything else in the game. We were knocking on the door right until the last minute, the keeper has made a great save off of Kane [Vincent-Young]’s header as well, Fridge [George Edmundson] has hit the post, Sone [Aluko] has had one blocked off the line and that was in the last two or three minutes.

“I think we scored a legitimate, really good goal at 2-1 up. At 3-1, Marcus killed the game for us really and I don't know how it's been disallowed.

“I thought it was a penalty and I was getting ready to take a penalty and then I realised he'd gone the other way, and I honestly couldn't believe it.

“In terms of performance and in terms of what we justified in the game as well, I think we won the game fair and square, and at 3-1 it would have been dead.

“In answer to your question, I don't think it's either, really. I think it’s momentum gained 100 per cent against another good side in the league, and I think everyone in the stadium could tell we were the dominant team. Obviously, they've got good players, but we were the dominant team throughout.

“They've also lost a lot of players as well. A lot of key players to them in the Championship squad. But we'd expect ourselves, especially at home, to be a team that takes it to other teams and gets three points at this ground against every team that comes here. Barnsley were definitely no different.

"The tempo in the last 10 minutes was fantastic from all the boys, so I honestly don't think we could have done anything else.

“I think we are a little bit disappointed not to be sat here on 14 points, but only because of the manner of the two draws, that's all.

“Other than that, I think we've been top class, but like I said previously, it's a start, and that's all it is. We need to make sure we keep that attitude and keep that intensity because that is when we're at our best, and I think we've been at our best for 90 per cent of the season so far, and that's where it needs to stay.”

Sitting second on 14 points represents a solid start for the Blues. Impressive displays and consistency have come together with good individual form so far, and a lot of that comes from the personal pride of the players.

Chaplin has scored three times already and is desperate to contribute more goals and assists, and is putting in the time after training to make it happen.

“I've got one in two appearance-wise for the league, so I'm happy with that. I definitely could have had more as well. I think I was a yard away from a parry today when Leif [Davis] had a shot that got parried. I was a yard away from that, which I was a bit disappointed with.

“He's [Leif] been brilliant. Really, really good. A great addition to the squad. He gives us amazing balance in terms of the right side and the left side, an attacking full-back, his delivery is brilliant, he's got a wand of a left foot, and really, really good athleticism, and I think he's only going to get stronger as well, so that's something for everyone including us, something to look forward to.

“And then the one in the first half where I got in as well where I probably should have lobbed him, the one off of JD [Janoi Donacien]. I probably should have lobbed him rather than chipping it over the defender's head. I'm definitely pleased but hungry for more.”

On his individual training, Chaplin continued: “I've been focusing on corner deliveries and penalties at the moment. I used to practice free-kicks a lot at Barnsley, I did a lot. I took free-kicks at Coventry as well, so other than last season, for two or three years before that, I practised a lot.

“I just want to take pride in it. If that is one of my roles and responsibilities in the team, I want my teammates to feel that they can trust me in those situations, and I want to feel like I can deliver for the team.

“So I take pride in all of those aspects of the game. I'm dying to get a penalty as well this season, and that's what I thought we had when the ref blew and Marcus scored. I thought he'd blown too early and given a penalty. So I was getting ready to take a penalty, and then it's not.

“But corners and set pieces I pride myself on if that's what my responsibility is going to be in the team, and I think that's really important.

“I think I took our last competitive penalty at Gillingham away. We haven't had as many as we should have had, that's for sure. I practice them most days and one of the young goalkeepers always helps me out as well.

“It's something I take pride in. I care about how many goals I score, I care about how assists I get and it means a lot to me. So any opportunity to score, I'll definitely be working my hardest to make sure I don't miss.

“Was that my best? I had one at Plymouth away for Coventry that was very, very good. No, that was good, it was really pleasing. Even better it was against my good mate [Tykes keeper Brad Collins], so I’m happy with that.”
Chaplin's desire to contribute for the team is relentless and his attention is already on Tuesday night's Papa Johns Trophy match against Northampton. For him, it is an opportunity to fulfil a career ambition of playing at Wembley and he is urging his teammates to get the team there.

“I've said previously to the club that I want to play at Wembley,” he said. “That's a big aspiration of mine. I played there as a kid for school football, but I've never played professionally there.

“And imagine this club at Wembley in a cup final. We'd have 40, 45,000, whatever our allocation was, we'd sell it out.

“I really want to get to the final of that competition, it's a big motivation of mine this season and I've said that to a lot of the boys as well.

“It's something that I really want us to take pride in, and I don't think it's a distraction at all in terms of the league.

“As lower league players, we don't get many opportunities to win cup competitions. You've got the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, so this is something for us that is really realistic and I want to get to Wembley, and I can't stress that enough.

“We won the national cup final [with his school] and I also went to the Portsmouth versus Sunderland final as a fan of Portsmouth. Each club had 40,000 there, and it was unbelievable, and it's made me want to play there even more, especially being at a massive club like Ipswich, knowing that they would take the same number.

“If you get another big club in the final as well, it can be one of the best days in your career, so that's something that I'm striving for.”

Photos: TWTD/Matchday Images

Tractorboy58 added 10:53 - Aug 28 Well said by one of our best players
14

runningout added 11:05 - Aug 28 iffy refs will come and go. It makes us look a little desperate using excuses. Onwards
-10

cressi added 11:52 - Aug 28 To be honest I didn't think we on it yesterday never really got going till lat 15 minutes. Ref was hopeless and from two minutes with the throw in I said here we go a referee who wants to be the star attraction. He was blo*dy awful. But we also have to look at what we didn't do quite right.
5

ImAbeliever added 12:10 - Aug 28 We're actually sitting 2nd on 14 points not 16 I'm afraid. But wee we're grea again yesterday 😀
1

Chondzoresk added 12:16 - Aug 28 “Sitting second on 16 points represents a solid start for the blues”….errrr, unfortunately not. Last time I looked we are joint top on 14 points. Pedantic. But I'm a stickler for detail. Sorry Blair.👍
0

buzbyblue added 12:57 - Aug 28 Running out..... Refs are paid and trained, Martin was absolutely shocking yesterday
5

Ipswichbusiness added 13:05 - Aug 28 I'm not sure what he means by “loyalty”. I don't know about Barnsley, but too many clubs spend all their revenue (and more) on wages, which is a disastrous way to run a business, and then try to make up the inevitable losses by player trading.
1

DMDC added 13:35 - Aug 28 That defence still worries me. Silly individual mistakes. Also Ladapo really isn't up to it. We need better.
2

blues1 added 14:39 - Aug 28 DMDC. For gods sake, give him a chance. Hes getting very little service right now. Jas had very few chances come his way. And doesn't help when, whenever we play the ball up to him it's in the air, and he has a 6ft5 brick s***house up against him. Is odd we do that when hes in the team, but when John jules was playing up top last week we played it up to his feet. May be assuming it, but I guess ur a Bonne fan. Well ladapo scored more last season than he did. And only played 1st half of the season. He just needs a goal and he'll be fine.

2

Jugsy added 22:30 - Aug 28 blues1 - I don't agree there's no service. Ladapo makes bizarre runs and when players are trying to make the cut through pass, he's not reading them. Ladapo hasn't got into the groove with the others, Harness took two games. It's not like we're playing a totally different system to last year, Ladapo should know that. He's either struggling to fit in or not good enough. I'm thinking a bit of both.

1

churchmans added 22:50 - Aug 28 Blues1 are you snagging ladapo?? Cmon man he has had chances and not taken them! It is clear to everybody that the clubs priority and final piece of a jigsaw is another striker! However ladapo is playing OK and I'm sure the goals will come
1

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