Ipswich Town v Scunthorpe United

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Football League Championship

Ipswich Town :
Murphy, Wright, Delaney, McAuley, Garvan (Edwards 74), Norris, Colback, O'Connor, Counago (Healy 74), Walters, Murphy (Wickham 50).
Subs not used:
Lee-Barrett, Balkestein, Martin, Peters.

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Williams, Byrne, Mirfin, Raynes, Togwell, Sparrow, McCann (J.Wright 90), Thompson, Woolford, Hayes (Forte 66).
Subs not used:
Lillis, Milne, Jones, A.Wright, McDermott.

SULSESC REPORT

by East Anglian Daily Times at Portman Road

CONNOR Wickham struck in the 92nd minute to earn Ipswich Town their first back-to-back Championships wins of the season.

The 16-year-old set Portman Road alight with his fine solo goal - his first in the league - and put some welcome gloss on an overall pretty ordinary game with Ipswich often looking out of sorts.

Scunthorpe came for a point, and they were left clutching their heads in despair after Wickham's late strike.

Ipswich moved six points off the drop zone - and for those with romance in their hearts eight points off the play-offs.

Both sides had a player sent off by a controversial referee in the second half as Town clocked up their 100th Championship win.

The visitors had Cliff Byrne sent off after 68 minutes for an elbow that connected with Jack Colback and led to a straight red for violent conduct.

He will now sit out a three-match ban and so will Damien Delaney, whose trip on substitute Jonathan Forte on the half-way line was somehow deemed to be violent play by a poor official.

Town made one change from the side that beat Cardiff City comprehensively 2-0 on Tuesday with Spaniard Counago coming in to partner D Murphy up front. Counago had looked sharp when coming on in the previous two matches, and he was given the nod over Healy.

Counago's last start was in the away win at QPR on February 9, and this was only his second start since October.

Home fans breathed a sigh of relief when Garvan's name was on the team sheet with the 22-year-old having stood out against the Bluebirds on his return to the side.

Apart from Healy for Counago, Ipswich had the same seven substitutes as they named against Cardiff.

Scunthorpe had not played for a fortnight as they were due to meet Reading last weekend and the Berkshire side were involved in the FA Cup.

The Iron, who had lost on all four previous league visits to Suffolk, were without leading scorer Hooper with a groin injury and brought in McCann and Thompson from the side that lost at Coventry in their last game on February 27.

Inside the first minute - with Town attacking the Sir Bobby Robson Stand goal - Walters burst through to skim the bar from 20 yards.

Hayes was a lone front man for the visitors, who filled their midfield with five players - asking Ipswich questions if they could break the Iron down.

After the early Walters effort it was a low key, low tempo opening although when Counago and D Murphy combined in the 12th minute, Walters missed the target with a near post flick.

In the 24th minute Scunthorpe missed a great chance to take the lead. Town got caught up field, and Hayes was faced by just McAuley as he ran towards goal. Sparrow took a square pass and had only Murphy to beat. The Town keeper was up to the task and made a fine save beating the shot away. Seconds later, Walters had a free stooping header at the other end following a Town free-kick, but again missed the target - this time from five yards.

Counago livened proceedings with a strong turn and 20 yard shot in the 37th minute that Murphy was able to catch at the far post.

From Garvan's 40th minute corner, Counago headed against the top of the bar from six yards after McAuley had nodded side-wards a Walters head-back into the danger zone.

In the next minute, Town's defending was at fault, and Murphy did well to tip over a fierce 12 yard volley from an unmarked Hayes. Despite Town's extra possession, Scunthorpe had created the two best chances in the counter attacks.

Town's players had a huddle before kick-off and a warm-up before the re-start. D Murphy was replaced by Wickham after 49 minutes, and went straight to the dressing room presumably for treatment on an injury.

From a neat 53rd minute Garvan cross, Walters was denied by a superb save by Murphy, who arched his back and finger tipped over a goal-bound 12 yard header.

As Town upped the tempo, McAuley had a diving header from a 56th minute corner blocked by Togwell standing just in front of the line.

Scunthorpe had set their stall out to come for a point, and it looked as though they were going to get their wish with Town no where near as fluent as they were on Tuesday. Counago engineered a way beyond Murphy in the 63rd minute, but from an angle Williams was able to get across and block the eventual shot.

Five minutes later Scunthorpe had right back Byrne sent off for what looked like an elbow that connected with Colback. The scorer of Scunthorpe's goal in the 1-1 draw at Glanford Park last month protested his innocence but had to walk.

Norris had a free header from an O'Connor cross in the 76th minute that missed the foot of the near post from inside the six-yard box with Scunthorpe still looking unlikely to concede and slowing a pretty dismal game down whenever possible.

Mr Miller then surprised home players and fans alike when he raised a red card to Delaney after he had intentionally tripped Forte on the half-way line in the 79th minute. It was certainly a foul a certainly a yellow card - but highly debateable that any another official would have deemed it violent.

In the second minute of the four minutes of stoppage, Portman Road erupted when 16-year-old Wickham netted his first Town league goal. The visiting defence seemed to open up asa he turned inside the box, and his finish was deadly - low into the corner.