SearchFirst England U21s Call For Scarlett Fri 01st Sep 2023 10:27
New Blues loan striker Dane Scarlett has been named in the England U21s squad for the first time ahead of their European Championship qualifying game against Luxembourg during the international break. | I'm Glad We Are Building A Younger Side - Notes for Burton Albion Fri 18th Feb 2022 15:00
Off the back of a solid draw in front of 7,000 away fans at Stadium MK, Ipswich head into the first of two back-to-back home games against Burton Albion, TomTheWriter assesses the mood in the opposition camp. | U23s Comfortably Defeat Wigan Fri 03rd Sep 2021 14:54
Tawanda Chirewa, Albie Armin and Zanda Siziba (pictured) were on target as Town’s U23s comprehensively beat Wigan 3-0 at Portman Road. | U23s Draw at Wigan Mon 19th Apr 2021 13:27
Town’s U23s were denied victory by a penalty three minutes into injury time as they drew 1-1 away against Wigan Athletic at Christopher Park this lunchtime, a very youthful Blues side - only Liam Gibbs and Tyreece Simpson had league experience - having gained the lead with 10 minutes left on the clock. | McCarthy: Newcastle Trip Totally Different to Tuesday Fri 21st Oct 2016 06:00
Town boss Mick McCarthy expects Saturday's game against Championship leaders Newcastle United at St James' Park to be completely different from Tuesday's 2-0 home victory over Burton Albion which saw the Blues end their five-match goalless and winless run. | McCarthy: Squad Benefited From Break Fri 03rd Apr 2015 06:00
Blues boss Mick McCarthy believes his squad have benefited from being given four days off over the weekend. | Moore: Klug Outstanding Academy Boss Tue 12th Jun 2012 16:24
Retiring Academy recruitment officer Malcolm Moore says his “outstanding” former boss Bryan Klug is just the man to take over at Playford Road as the Blues’ youth set-up goes into the new era of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). We understand Klug’s return to Town as Academy manager may be officially confirmed as soon as tomorrow. | Ipswich Town Reserves 2-1 Arsenal Reserves Tue 13th Nov 2001 23:27
by your Official Reporter, ColdGit@Reserves.
I have promised to be more direct. Here goes:
Darren Bent is an absolute gem. I've been saying all season that he should be in the first team and a really gamey brace tonight, leaving the winning goal till the 90th minute, will surely have clinched that exciting, fully justified reality.
A promising young Arsenal team had led, at the interval, via their dainty young centre-forward, Jermaine Brown, begloved and with corn-row hair (is that what you call it?) who took advantage of the temporary absence upfield of attack-minded Thomas Gaardsoe, to beat man-in-black Andy Marshall with a breakaway goal after 35 mins.
As crowd favourite Darren would have said afterwards, had I been able to speak to him, "I should have had at least a hat-trick, Old Git, with two half-chances just before the half hour mark, the second of which I tapped into the goalie's ample bosom - was it Richard Wright? And then, five minutes into the second half, Brian, I gently, deftly, accurately, oh no, tickled one over the bar. So far, this season, I should have scored an Axeldahl of reserve match goals."
It took an hour for Bent to strike, but it was worth waiting for. In the area, he was moving left, but flicked the ball inside his man, then curled it round the goalie and inside the right post. You beauty. 1-1.
At the death, his second goal was another peachy plum, partly because of the pin-point quality of excellent Darren Ambrose's cross from the right; all Bent had to do was control it and tuck it away, again inside the right post. He looks like Finidi George, but it's time for Finidi to take his hat off to Darren; both Darrens, for that matter: Ambrose is of the same school: eager, direct, a winner. 2-1.
Don't let's get too warmed up, though; it wasn't that sort of night for all of us. The Darrens were beacons in the mist. Urgent Yoof Ambrose replaced anonymous Nicholls after an hour, allowing begloved Nabil Abbadabba to come in from the cold on the wing into central midfield, where he continued to show delightful touch but ineffective overall impact.
Yet, in an uncertain, bump-into-things world, it was re-assuring to lie back and accept the freezing embrace - an average FPR temperature tonight of 7 degrees Celsius, whatever celcius is, but, as your Official Reporter, I have to accept that I have a worldwide audience and mustn't mention good old Fahrenheit. Mother said it was cold in Sydney today but I promise you that a couple of hours at damp Portman Road tonight would have reminded her why she emigrated 36 years ago, (and, with a worldwide audience, it is nice for them that I should make an international reference)...and yet I still cannot say, 'in Sydney' without pangs of Carry On double entendre...whoops, digressionamundo...the freezing embrace of a November evening at the Reserves, with the bizarre guarantee of safety created by a report on the BBC saying that Osama Bin Laden is an Arsenal fan. We're watching Arsenal Reserves (though this is only the official title of this team. The term has come to mean, in general conversation, something quite different: 'the team you put out against teams like Ipswich or Worthington Cup opponents.' I doubt that any of Arsenal's team tonight will ever play in the Premiership for them. Surreal. Their Yoof winger, Jerome Thomas - all their Yoof's forward line has 'J' first names - was their gem. Fabian found him to be 'unstoppable'. Umm, that doesn't make Thomas unique, though, does it? Come on Fab, shave that carpet sample off the top of your head, and play a bit. You're only up against Chris Makin.)
I'm not really digressing. It was a match without passion, without much meaning. Without Bent actually winning the match, it would have been very ho-hum, but he was this week's 'Mumo' Peralta, who was the emerging star of my last Reserves Report, and who, so soon after, is October's Third Best Player Of The Month.
In the absence of Mumo, Tommy Miller was given the opportunity to audition for Jim Magilton's shirt, but he took an early knock and that perhaps stunted his growth. Miller was derisory about Sir George's audacity, in playing 'the best midfielder in the Nationwide' on the wing; it's because Our Tom shares Our Jim's fear of wide open spaces. He feels that that circle around the centre of the pitch is there for a reason, and, tonight, he never left it. In fairness, he can sweep the ball about, though it's a little laboured, as are all his movements, as if he's a middleweight boxer with heavy legs (like Reuser, who we're coming to.)
Our team was:
Marshall
Wilnis — Gaardsoe - Justin Miller (c) - 'Gary'
Abbadabba - Tommy Miller - Ashley Nicholls - REUSER!!!!!!
Bent - 'Log' Logan |
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