The Blues Keep Boro At Bay

Middlesborough played to a full house of 30,000 plus supporters and although they persistently huffed and puffed they could not bring the house down. It was a spirited display by Town and full league debutante Paul Digby did not disappoint.

For the home side, who had expected to be victorious, this was a day of frustration. Bartosz Bialkowski pulled of a string of crucial saves again and they must have wondered what they had to do to beat him?

In fact, the whole defence played well although they were under extreme pressure at times and often had to ride their luck.

David McGoldrick will be pleased to have got 90 minutes under his belt and there are encouraging signs that he is slowly getting back to his best. He will need to if he wants to get into the Irish squad for France in the summer.

Boro remain second behind Burnley and ahead of Brighton on goal difference, with the league’s top three sides now equal on 87 points after 44 games!

It was former Town favourite Jordan Rhodes who came the closest to scoring when he hit the post but the ball rolled back kindly into the arms of Bialkowski and the danger was averted.

For the most part though it was attack against defence with the blues showing little as a force going forward.

Ipswich travelling contingent would have been happy with the result but perhaps not the manner in which they got it? Manager Mick McCarthy was impressed though with this battling performance which he described as a ‘workmanlike display.’

The trouble with Town these days is that under the Yorkshire man workmanlike displays are common place and our style of play has very little to do with the beautiful game.

In fact his mantra seems to be about winning ugly – or grinding out away day draws just like this one. It is not what the paying public want to see and this will be reflected in season ticket sales which are destined to drop dramatically.

What the future holds for Mick McCarthy and Ipswich Town football club depends on what our very own Howard Hughes chooses to do?

If he wants to keep McCarthy in the job then he must give him some financial help – after all, he is one of the richest men in Britain so there really is no excuse anymore.

As for Paul Digby he wants to stick around and after Saturday’s performance there may be a good reason to want to keep him here?

He seemed totally out of his depth when he played in the League Cup but we must not forget that his whole career to date has been as a midfielder and not a defender so he is still learning his trade and this development won’t come overnight.


Frank Weston – editor of Vital Ipswich