Back to back away victories have rejuvenated Town’s season a little and ensured that manager Mick McCarthy remains undefeated in this part of Yorkshire.
His record at Hillsborough was remarkable even before a ball was kicked, and after it, he can still proudly boast he is still undefeated in this neck of the woods!
For a Yorkshireman with Irish allegiances, it probably means quite a lot to him but for the rest of us, the most important thing last night was to get three points from opponents who were seriously low on confidence.
New Sheffield Wednesday boss Jos Luhukay said afterwards that his team lacked self-belief going forward.
‘Over 90 minutes, we have a team with no belief. They have not the confidence to play offensive and create chances. We had maybe only two or three chances and it was not enough to make a result. Ipswich had three chances and scored two times. When you have not a result, you must win games to get confidence back.’
Sheffield Wednesday have now lost five in a row which is their worst showing for more than five years.
As for Town, it seems that the only way is up and if the only thing Blues supporters can brag about this term, then being ahead of those folks from over the border will do for now.
We are three points ahead of them and with a superior goal difference as things stand so it’s looking good!
Martyn Waghorn finally got his goal scoring boots on again last night after a long spell of drawing blanks that had extended to fifteen games.
When Mustapha Carayol was substituted with a groin strain at the halfway point of the first half, things looked ominous and as Alex Mathie alluded to on Radio Suffolk, he could not see where Town were going to get a goal from in the second period?
That all changed however when sub Freddie Sears ran to the byline before sending over an inch perfect cross onto the head of Callum Connolly, and he cleverly headed it across goal, and into the onrushing path of Martyn Waghorn who slotted home for close range.
It was a fine second half finish and in the first, Ipswich had Bartosz Bialkowski to thank for a wonderful point blank save which prevented the Blues from going behind.
Substitute Lucas Joao equalised for the Owls eighteen minutes later with a wonderfully well taken side-footed finish, having had Town defender Adam Webster in knots.
The winner, when it came, was from a free kick on the right of the box with just seven minutes left on the clock. Martyn Waghorn took it and expertly floated it over the goalkeeper and into the top corner of the net.
Manager Mick McCarthy was understandably pleased with the outcome.
He explained afterwards, ‘I think overall we deserved to win. We didn’t allow them to play and I thought we just shaded it. In the second, we were the better team. It was great to see Waggy get two goals – his second was real quality. He’s got a wand of a left foot. For him now to get his goals, he can calm down a bit and play his game and he’ll get more.’
So now it is time for the other side of Sheffield to face the Tractor Boys at Portman Road on Saturday and we can only hope for a similar result.
Frank Weston – Editor of Vital Ipswich
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