There wasn’t an awful lot more to come from them, but there was even less from the Imps in a tepid and unentertaining second period. In fact, my notes for the second half start on 57 minutes, which shows what seemed like a lack of ambition according to Ipswich commentator Mick Mills, but what might have been as much about energy conservation as anything, given that we have played eight more games than the home side.
I felt the referee continued his rather odd interpretation of the rules, but this time favouring us. Edun got away with a couple of ‘fouls’, but then we were punished for far softer challenges. There was nothing game changing, but it felt a little inconsistent at times, for both teams.
Up until the hour mark, the best ‘chance’ of the half fell to Miles Kenlock, and by chance I mean he got free on the left and hit a cross-cum-shot which was neither into the waiting arms of Alex Palmer.
The home side looked to shake it up on 60 minutes with a triple substitution, and that prompted the Imps to have a decent chance. Montsma hit one of his typical Crossfield balls to Bramall, who knocked it into Tom Hopper. He may have lost his bearing a little, because he hit a shot high from the sort of angle Marco Van Basten might have shied away from. A minute later, Montsma introduced himself to sub Troy Parrott with a foul apparently worthy of a booking and to be fair, it was hard to disagree.
I thought Johnson put in a decent shift, he was certainly tracking back into the full back position, and I noticed on the other flank Rogers doing the same. The pair of them have come in for some criticism recently, but they have certainly been working themselves hard in the past couple of weeks.
On 71 minutes, the home side got their only real clear-cut chance of the game, and scored from it. Edun gave away a bit of a silly free kick in the middle of the park after losing possession. A long, straight ball into the area was headed on by Chambers, and typically James Wilson found space to nod past Palmer to level things. It was probably coming and against better opposition, we might have been punished for how much we sat off them, but this isn’t a great Ipswich side. That said, they took a chance and we were back to all square.
After that they didn’t really press on for a winner and we looked happy with a draw too. Callum Morton, Anthony Scully and Regan Poole all came on at different points, but none could really affect the outcome of the game. We had the better chances, two of them, but wasted both. The first saw Nsiala make a mistake (shock), which Johnson looked to seize upon. He took the ball wide of the defender, rather than across him and at goal then fired at Holy from a tight angle when a pass to Morton might have brought a better opportunity.
As we entered injury time the Imps got another half chance, a wicked Crossfield switch from Scully for Rogers, when jinked into the area, but saw Nsiala block his shot at goal. Despite much more possession, even in the final fifteen minutes, Ipswich didn’t threaten at all after their goal.
I have to say, I called a draw before the game and once again, I was spot on. It was a game of tight margins, one I felt we could have killed off in the first half and one I felt we had little desire to finish in the second. I feel if we had doubled our lead, the game would have opened up like a royal couple on patio furniture with Oprah, but instead it remained a closed shop, stuffy, boring and unentertaining. Mind you, this was a free hit in my eyes, and you can only judge a game after 90 minutes, not 70, 45 or 30. Over 90 minutes Mick Mills felt a draw was fair, but personally I think we did enough to win the game, even if we didn’t seem like that was our primary intention in the final 45. Of course, it was what we wanted, but I know Michael won’t be disappointed at going to Portman Road and bagging a point, because a win this weekend will make it seven from three, a good haul indeed.
The second half might draw some comments, but with so many fixtures it really doesn’t surprise me we weren’t able to maintain the high pressing, fast pace of the first half. It was a weak goal we conceded and despite a decent enough showing Edun just doesn’t do the job Liam Bridcutt does. However, the continued emergence of Cohen Bramall is promising and that leaves Edun our only seriously viable option in the defensive midfield role, especially as I noted Max Sanders wasn’t on the bench.
The lads can take a day off tomorrow, nurse a few knocks and strains and hopefully head into the weekend with the firm intention of getting three points and keeping the pressure up on the other three teams I feel we are fighting with for the top two place – Hull City, Peterborough and Sunderland.
My Man of the Match – Cohen Bramall
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