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Portsmouth v Wycombe Wanderers Your Report added at 21:48:39
Hello everyone, enjoyed the game today and here is my report. Was a bit indifferent to the whole drumming thing outside the ground. Didn't mind it but it got in the way a bit when I went to grab a bite to eat. Anyway that aside, I thought that the buzz around the ground outside and inside was positive and you can tell that the crowd are happier with this younger, fresher side. Felt rather smug after seeing the team picked was exactly (even subs) the the same as my selection on here a few days ago. Thought the Blackburn fans were loud and proud and I find that our fans respond better to more lively crowds often making the game's atmosphere much better. Anyway onto the game...

The first half saw very little penetration from either team really and their goal was probably the only real chance of a pretty dull 45 minutes. Thought that CKR was very good and beat Tommy for pace a bit too often but credit to Smith he always recovered quite well. The heat was obviously a factor but we really lacked a cutting edge. To be fair, Rovers have kept most of their big players and they look a very physical team and just had a bit too much strength for us at times without possessing much real quality. Martin was our biggest threat and we were fairly comfortable apart from sloppy set-piece where we left their biggest, strongest man unmarked. Rookie mistake, but our young squad will hopefully learn and won't give up.

The second half improved dramatically and Ipswich went for it more as our quality started to show through. JET just wouldn't get anything right, he had a bad day, epitomised by his air pass some way into the half which saw him soon pulled off. When we switched to 4-4-2 we seemed more of a threat. Edwards was a bigger threat and Cresswell was more involved also. We started to pass and move more which overcame the issue with Rovers overwhelming physicality and our goal was deserved. The team pushed forward and at this point I saw the most buzz at a Town game for an awful long time. It was just SBR Lower that were singing, all four corners were making noise and it had a massive effect on our performance. For some the touch just wasn't there, for others (Hyam and Martin) they took control and pressed Rovers.

Overall, we fought hard and with a bit more cutting edge brought in I can see a strong season ahead. The defence was sound and apart from the goal which was a set piece they never really let Rovers do much. Hyam was brilliant in midfield while Luongo wasn't his usual self. Carson and JET didn't have much luck against a strong Rovers defence nor was Chopra and it took the introduction of the stronger Scotland and a reshuffle to start causing them real problems. In the end the point was probably fair but a battling performance in tough conditions leaves me hopeful of a good year for Town.

Quick final note, seeing Ogogo try and hide the fact he is a budgie was very amusing, very amusing indeed.

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Lincoln City v Bristol Rovers Your Report added at 09:15:22
Went to the game last night and enjoyed the experience of another game where Town seemed to gather more confidence and in the end their quality over a League Two side shone through. There was a good buzz about Portman Road even with only a small attendance. I suppose this represented the new season optimism which wasn't disfigured by this game.

Their goal was an odd one and I haven't been able to see it on the box again yet. It was a shot which sort of lobbed Loach even though he wasn't that far out. In the grand scheme of things though I suppose that doesn't really matter that much in the end. Jason Scotland was superb tonight and worked really well. His goal was meticulously accurate but I reckon a better keeper could have saved it. In the second half we used the ball far better and got into far more goal scoring positions. Tommy Smith really is such a powerful player in set-pieces and with him and Chambers in the mixer I think we could prove to be quite a threat from corners and free kicks this term. JET worked hard to get a goal but his shot ultimately led to Cresswell getting on the end of it and by then it was game over. The first half was a bit of a non-event really but the second half livened things up a bit and this kept the intially jubilant Rovers fans (made a good amount of noise for their numbers) quieten down a bit.

In terms of player performances I thought that Scotland was very strong and I'm confident that again he can supplement Chopra this season. Chopra was a bit off key tonight for me, his touch wasn't really there and it was a pretty poor penalty for me akin to Daniel Sturridge in the Olympics. Although a goal did come from it eventually from the corner I'd like to see Martin take them again or Jason Scotland for sure if he's on the pitch. Martin and JET were quite strong out wide and as the Rovers players tired they became too much for them and they started to impact the game more and they got into some dangerous positions. Luongo and Hyam looked fairly comfortable and Luongo is always willing to go and help the wingers and forwards giving them a give and go or another option. Defensively we were good, Bristol did about nothing apart from a brilliant goal which you can forgive. Overall a strong performance and I think that the fact Edwards and Cresswell were acting more like secondary wingers always in the Rovers half tells how dominant we were.

The Blackburn game this weekend should be a more lively affair with hopefully a big crowd and a good away support to drum up an early season atmosphere and hopefully us Town fans can spur us on to go out and get a good result against a fairly strong side. Things are looking positive ahead of the new season. COYB!!!

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