Luke Woolfenden returned to the Ipswich Town side this afternoon at Highbury, where the home side were unchanged from their last match when they convincingly beat Shrewsbury Town away from home 0-3.
It was the home side who dominated proceedings in the first half, although the best chance probably fell to Luke Garbett, who received a wonderful long ball from Luke Woolfenden and then raced towards the penalty area before unleashing a powerful strike which just went past the far post.
That was about it for a less than eventful first half; although it must be said, it was the home side who generally dictated the play.
The second half, however, was an entirely different story and this was without Kane Vincent-Young, who did not come out for the second half and was replaced by Gwion Edwards. How serious his injury is, remains to be seen, but it appeared to be a groin strain of some sort.
Chances were plentiful for the Tractor Boys in the second half and within the first few minutes, both James Norwood and Kayden Jackson missed relatively easy chances to put the Blues in front. Norwood was the main culprit, missing what can only be described as an easy chance one and one with the keeper, and then Jackson was perhaps too unselfish in trying to feed the onrushing Nolan when really he should have fired home himself.
But it was Kayden Jackson who won the game for Town after another Luke Garbett free-kick forced the keeper to palm into the path of Kayden Jackson, who dispatched the ball home from close range.
Referee Carl Boyeson made some curious decisions throughout and denied Town what appeared to be a stone-wall penalty when Jackson raced into the box only to be felled by a chasing defender. Jon Nolan also went down in the penalty area and there seemed to be no contact made with the ball and yet Boyeson saw nothing wrong! In the end, the pressure told and Town got their deserved penalty when Jackson was taken out in the area but it was a far tamer tackle than the ones that were denied by a fussy referee, who quite frankly had an appalling game.
Jackson’s penalty was a very poor one and yet there was Luke Garbett, standing next to him wishing him all the best. I am convinced however that had Garbett been given the job, then Town we would not have had to succumb to seven minutes of nerve-jangling added time. And central defender James Wilson received his second yellow as the clocked ticked down, but he will only miss the game against Gillingham in the EFLT competition on Tuesday night at Portman Road.
Once again, Town were not at their best, but this win sees the Blues take a four-point lead at the top of the table so no one is complaining!
Fleetwood Town: Cairns, Coyle, Andrew, Souttar, Burns, Dempsey, Evans, Morris, Dunne, Coutts, Rossiter. Substitutes: Gilks, Clarke, Madden, Hunter, Biggins, Sowerby, Sheron.
Ipswich Town: Holy, Vincent-Young, Woolfenden, Chambers, Wilson, Garbutt, Skuse, Downes, Nolan, Jackson, Norwood. Substitutes: Norris, Huws, Edwards, Dozzell, Judge, Rowe, Georgiou.
The Referee was Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire).
