Town Back To Winning Ways At Home

Ipswich Town made two changes for this home encounter with struggling Bolton Wanderers and they turned out to be good ones for a change it must be said.

In came Jonas Knudsen who, returned to his left back birth after injury and he replaced Jonathan Parr.

Brett Pitman got the call ahead of out of sorts David McGoldrick up to partner Freddie Sears up front.

Home form has been a major obstacle to progress for some time and with four draws and a defeat in their last five matches at Portman Road, the blues were in desperate need of all three points and apart from an initial scare or two they largely coasted to victory here in the floodlights at Portman Road.

Interestingly, at night Town seem to do alright, having won an extraordinary fourteen consecutive games on home turf!

As Freddie Sears alluded to in his post-match interview on Ipswich Player, it was not just the result that was satisfying but the performance too and everyone played their part.

Against Cardiff Town played well but could not break the deadlock and so it was an enormous relief to all concerned when Ainsley Maitland-Jones got us of to a flying start with a well struck shot from the edge of the box after 13 minutes.

It was his first senior goal for Ipswich and how we needed it!

This seemed to settle the nerves a bit although midway through the first half it was Bolton who were dominating possession for long periods but without seriously threatening Dean Gerken in goal.

The second goal when it came on 70 minutes was sublime.

It began with a headed clearance that found Freddie Sears in space in his own half and after a delightfully mazy run; full of invention and pace down the right, he fed the onrushing Pitman who took the ball in his stride, before unleashing a thunderbolt that gave keeper Amos no chance as it nestled into the roof of the net!

They were the goals but on the night the Tractor Boys could and perhaps should have buried their Lancashire counterparts.

In the first half, Brett Pitman looked like he has scored, only for the ball to have been adjudged to have not crossed the line and a Jonathan Douglas exocet hit a defender before the bar and there were a host of other chances for Brett Pitman, Freddie Sears and even no-goals Murphy but it was not to be.

I put my money where my mouth was and enjoyed this victory without the need to need to break into a sweat and Dean Gerken was also untroubled throughout a thoroughly impressive Town display.

There is every hope that this win might kick-start our season again and with Rotherham United away on Saturday, I hope that Mick McCarthy sticks with Pitman and Sears up front, as they were the catalyst for this vital win that puts Town just four points off those play-off places once again.


Frank Weston Editor of Vital Ipswich