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Ipswich Town 1-4 Peterborough United - Match Report
Saturday, 1st Feb 2020 17:07

Town dropped to fourth in League One after a disastrous 4-1 home defeat to Peterborough United. Ivan Toney netted a penalty on 23, Sammie Szmodics made it 2-0 10 minutes later after dispossessing keeper Will Norris, then in the second half Siriki Dembele and Szmodics again scored on 50 and 74 to secure Posh their first ever league win at Portman Road and their first in all competitions since January 1960. Sub James Norwood netted a 79th minute consolation from the spot for the Blues.

Cole Skuse returned to the midfield for Emyr Huws in an otherwise unchanged Town side, the Welshman having suffered an ankle injury at Rotherham in the week.

Norris continued in goal behind a back three of skipper Luke Chambers, James Wilson and Luke Woolfenden. Luke Garbutt and Gwion Edwards were the wing-backs.

In midfield, Skuse joined Flynn Downes with Alan Judge ahead of them behind front pair Will Keane and Kayden Jackson.

Teddy Bishop was missing from the bench having suffered a knee problem in training, while Peterborough were unchanged for the fourth successive match.

The visitors struck the game’s first shot in the fourth minute but Posh skipper Mark Beevers’s well-struck volley from a half-cleared corner from the left was, rather fortunately for the Blues, hit straight at Norris in the Town goal.

But Town soon began to get on top. However, their first effort at goal didn’t come until the 13th minute when ex-Posh wideman Edwards cut in and hit a left-foot strike over.

The Blues were forced into a change in the 16th minute when Garbutt, who had undergone treatment a few moments earlier, was forced off and was replaced by Myles Kenlock.

Peterborough started to look the greater threat, winning a number of corners, and on 19 Siriki Dembele hit a shot from the edge of the box which was easily snaffled by Norris.

In the 22nd minute Peterborough took the lead from the penalty spot. Dembele was played in on goal on the right of the area by Toney and Wilson slid in, catching the striker. Dembele managed an effort at goal as he fell which was stopped by Norris and then cleared by Chambers.

The Peterborough players protested but referee Andy Woolmer wasn’t interested until he spoke to his assistant and pointed to the spot. Under the old rules Wilson would have been red-carded for a professional foul but given that he made a genuine attempt to play the ball the defender rightly stayed on.

League One top scorer Toney took the kick and rolled his 21st in all competitions to Norris’s left and into the corner of the net.

On 32 Edwards crossed from the right and Kenlock headed well wide as Town looked for an equaliser but two minutes later they conceded a disastrous second.


Skuse played the ball back to Norris under no pressure and the keeper tried to take it past Szmodics just to the right of his goal but was dispossessed and the former Colchester man was able to tap the easiest goal he will ever score into an empty net.

Town looked to hit back in the 37th minute when Edwards made a mazy run down the right. The Welshman’s cross fell to Judge on the edge of the six-yard box but the Irishman was only able to stab into Posh keeper Christy Pym’s arms.

Norris had another shaky moment on 39, failing to hold on to a cross when under pressure on the edge of the box but fortunately the ball fell safely. At the other end, Jackson was hauled to the ground by his neck by Beevers but with referee Woolmer not spotting a foul.

Neither side were able to seriously threaten in four minutes of additional time and the half-time whistle was greeted by muted boos from the frustrated Town support.

Having conceded the opener via the penalty - which looked a correct decision - the Blues had started to show signs of pushing for an equaliser when Norris was undone by overconfidence inside his own six-yard box, not the on-loan Wolves keeper’s first error in recent games.

As half-time approached Town had begun to control the game against a Peterborough side content to sit in their half but without creating a significant opportunity.

Norwood replaced Judge ahead of the second half with the Blues desperately needing more of a goal threat if they were to get back into the game.

Norris was forced into an early save when Toney’s shot was deflected towards his left post, but the keeper got down to his left to save leading to a smattering of sarcastic cheers.

A minute later, the keeper did superbly to tip a Toney header wide but with referee Woolmer having awarded a foul against the Posh frontman.

In the 51st minute Posh made it 3-0. Keane’s knockback inside just inside the Town half fell to Jack Taylor and his well-weighted ball forward found Dembele, who cut inside Wilson before shooting beyond Norris.

There was controversy two minutes later when Jackson again looked to be hauled down, this time when away on goal. However, referee Woolmer gave a freekick to the visitors.

Wilson claimed he was pulled over as a corner came in from the right on the hour mark with referee Woolmer again not interested, then Peterborough swapped Reece Brown for Josh Knight.

On 65 Dan Butler was yellow-carded for a foul on Downes, then two minutes later sub Knight joined him for a scuffle with Woolfenden.

Shell-shocked Town had failed to get going in the second half after the blow of the third Peterborough goal. But as the 70-minute mark approached they began to seriously press for the first time, Jackson sending a ball across the box from the right but too far in front of Keane at the far post. Moments later, the former Hull City man was replaced by Freddie Sears.

On 73 Jackson flicked a header wide from a Woolfenden cross from the left, then Posh switched Joe Ward for Niall Mason.

Moments later, Town’s disastrous afternoon got even worse. Toney flicked on a long Pym kick, Dembele played it over the backline and Szmodics confidently beat Norris to make it 4-0.

Streams of Blues supporters immediately decided they had seen enough and departed Portman Road.

Edwards was booked for a foul in the 77th minute, his 10th yellow card of the season meaning the Welshman will miss the next two matches.

Town pulled one back two minutes later from the game’s second penalty. Norwood ran round the outside of Beevers on the right and the defender slid in taking both ball and player. Referee Woolmer again looked to his assistant before pointing to the spot. Norwood himself took the kick and beat Pym to his left to claim his 11th of the campaign.

Posh replaced Nathan Thompson with Rhys Bennett in the 83rd minute before Toney stung Norris’s hands with a 20-yard strike.

The latter stages of the game - including five additional minutes - were played out with the result settled.

Close to the end Skuse was booked for a frustrated foul before the whistle confirmed the end of an awful afternoon for Town.

The Blues were very much the architects of their own downfall in the first half, allowing the visitors two soft goals. The third and fourth in the second half were little better and aside from Norwood’s penalty Town never looked like a goal.

Town’s decent run from the start of the year which took them to the top of the table has been brought to an abrupt halt with the defeats at Rotherham and now at home to Posh, a slide which has to be arrested far more quickly than the downturn prior to Christmas.

The Blues are next in action at Sunderland, who were beaten 2-0 at Portsmouth today, next Saturday.

Town: Norris, Chambers (c), Woolfenden, Wilson, Edwards, Downes, Skuse, Judge (Norwood 46), Garbutt (Kenlock 16), Keane (Sears 70), Jackson. Unused: Holy, Donacien, Nolan, Dozzell, Sears.

Peterborough: Pym, Thompson (Bennett 83), Beevers (c), Kent, Ward (Mason 74), Taylor, Brown (Knight 61), Butler, Szmodics, Toney, Siriki, Dembele. Unused: Chapman, Eisa, Boyd, Mason, Jade-Jones. Referee: Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire). Att: 21,351 (Peterborough: 1,908).


Photo: TWTD



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midastouch added 17:08 - Feb 1
Totally exposed! And most of our players look totally expendable!
22

midastouch added 17:10 - Feb 1
And just in case you forgot, as we were reminded all through the week by players and management, home form is key! What a farce!
24

Welshblue72 added 17:10 - Feb 1
Kiss goodbye to automatic promotion the way we're playing and not scoring I fear we're gonna drop out of play off places soon with most teams behind us with games in hand. Sad times ☹️
13

DurhamTownFan added 17:12 - Feb 1
I don't care how much it costs us: Holy in goal next game, please. This is getting stupid. Norris has been ok for a few games, but time to earn your pay, PL and grow some
22

TimmyH added 17:12 - Feb 1
In my opinion this is a psychologically damaging defeat, I think we can forget about automatic promotion as our form against the current top 8 has been poor: W: 0 D: 6 L:4 and really shows where we are since we've been relegated.

As mentioned in an earlier post in relation to not getting anyone in the transfer window other than Earl once we get injuries to certain key players we really are not at the races...have we improved that much from last season? I don't think so.
19

Westy added 17:12 - Feb 1
Will Norris should go back to Wolves. He is a liability to this football club. I am furious with Lambert that he continues to pick a goalkeeper that is not as good as our own.
17

martin587 added 17:13 - Feb 1
I'm lost for words.If I put into print what I thought of the performance today I'd get locked up.Enough said.
15

mow_the_lawn added 17:14 - Feb 1
If there's any truth in the rumours of Norris's loan deal (where we have to pay a fee in the region of £100k if he doesn't play 20 league games, or that we get £100k for playing him in 20 league games), the best bit of January transfer business Evans could've done is pay that fee and put Holy back in the team. He's costing us points regularly now, not just today. He's been directly at fault for goals against 4 of the top 6 teams and at the end of the season we could be rueing that decision (regardless of whether there's any loan penalty or not). He's a decent shot stopper, but no better than Holy in that respect, and his decision making and concentration just isn't there demonstrating his inexperience. He'll want to keep playing but Lambert and co should be recognising this and dropping him. Plus, if we are going to play long ball, Holy's kicking is better than Norris's.
18

EssexTractor added 17:15 - Feb 1
In every department we were outclassed
Irrespective of officials poor displays today was as bad as we dreaded it might be , given our ineptitude to compete against good THIRD DIVISION teams
I like Downes he looks like a footballer
I like Wolfenden , he will get even better but probably with another team
As for the rest , it is kinder to remain silent
Except to ask what did Lambert and Taylor actually do after the lamentable display against Rotherham?
14

dukey44 added 17:16 - Feb 1
Lambert.. Grow some balls and admit you haven't got a clue...
7

runningout added 17:19 - Feb 1
The time of season when you know there are teams playing better together than we do. There are at least three of them in Portsmouth, Rotherham and Peterborough. We don't realise how far off the pace we are. Players are good enough, those that are not showing it need to prove they are professional.... Our Manager needs to look at his recent record and convince us he and team can make the playoffs. At the least
11

delias_cheesy_flaps added 17:19 - Feb 1
It's not rocket science, Evans out and Agent Lambert out!
0

delias_cheesy_flaps added 17:19 - Feb 1
It's not rocket science, Evans out and Agent Lambert out!
-1

iaintaylorx added 17:20 - Feb 1
Let's all play ‘never have I ever', and I'll start...

Never have I ever seen a worse referee performance in my life!
4

TimmyH added 17:20 - Feb 1
The biggest farce surrounds PL and how he has managed a 3 1/2 year extension to his contact!...Big question marks if we've improved under him since Paul Hurst left as we're still failing to beat clubs at the higher end of this division but this was Evans making and shouldn't surprise anybody...forget about the financial side of things he's been a serial poor decision maker since his reign here.
9

blue75 added 17:20 - Feb 1
I'm struggling after that really crap. I'm guessing Norris has got a guaranteed amount of playing time in his loan deal otherwise why is he playing? Skuse was sitting so deep how did he stay on? Why did we keep hoofing the ball we've played some much better football recently. Peterborough deserved to win but we're they really tested I think not. Lambert needs to decide if he's up to the job after today!
8

algarvefan added 17:21 - Feb 1
You can't blame Norris for the defeat! For one of the goals yes but for the defeat, no.

We still have a problem being a goal threat, cannot defend at times and have a real confidence problem, when the chips are down. All these things can be sorted by coaching and the buck must stop at the managers door. I'm no great fan of Nolan but to replace Will Keane with Freddie, when he had Nolan on the bench was madness.

I am very worried that this heavy defeat at home with damage confidence and future performances, it's going to take a good management team to prepare us for the trip to Sunderland, I think it's also time we had a look at a few more youngsters getting a game.
7

dirtydingusmagee added 17:22 - Feb 1
said this would happen in a number of posts wishing I would be proved wrong. We are not promotion material. People thought if we could hang on to our players from last season we would walk it back to Championship. We were dire last season and we are at best an average Lg1 team. Lambert has a five year contract now and nothing to spend , dosnt bode well. The exodus of fans from Portman Rd when 4th goal was scored should indicate the prospect of hanging on to fans for further year /years in Lge1 is not going to happen . We are going nowhere except backwards.
12

midastouch added 17:22 - Feb 1
Alan Judge was a quality player...
BUT...
Then he met Luke Hyam!
And sadly he has never been the same since.
Alan is the Judge, Hyam was the executioner. And the jury is no longer out, it's plain for all to see.
Brentford knew it (shrewd lot they are!), now we know it too!
7

Reecec196 added 17:24 - Feb 1
Dear oh dear
2

BlueParadigm added 17:25 - Feb 1
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, about two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that they say is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent — while in reality, they make no clothes at all, making everyone believe the clothes are invisible to them. When the emperor parades before his subjects in his new "clothes", no one dares to say that they do not see any suit of clothes on him for fear that they will be seen as stupid. Finally a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" Time to call out the “Portman Road Emperor”!
11

therein61 added 17:27 - Feb 1
Totally and utterly clueless performance we were weak!!!!! over powered in midfield a shambles at the back and inept up front if we couldn't be fired up for this after Tuesday then what the hell is going on off the park!!!??? the guys on the bench(Nolan) must be wondering what they are doing here when a finger pointing error ridden snail gets the nod ahead of you!! this performance Mr Lambert is not what you are paid for as is the fact that we cannot beat any of the top 6 so stop talking the talk and boot some bums before it's too late and for gods sake don't even put skuse anywhere near pitch I have never seen such a liability in a Town shirt(he's coasting on big gobs premiership class comment).
6

blue86 added 17:27 - Feb 1
Really cant see us getting automatically promoted now! Everytime we come against a promotion rival we come out second best. Think playoffs will be all we can hope for, would love to be proved wrong though. One thing I will never understand though is how we cant even compete financially with "smaller" league one clubs in regards to player fees? Baffles me. Decent winger with pace would have been ideal, on to the next game I guess. Coyb
5

TimmyH added 17:29 - Feb 1
@Midas - I said that last season about Judge (as I saw him play as a Bee before he signed here and looked well off the pace) and had my concerns before he came here, for a few games he proved me wrong but thereafter proved correct.
5

19781981twtd added 17:29 - Feb 1
Disgrace to a once reveered football club too many has beens willing to take a pay check for very little effort mid table again if we are lucky i am so piss** off its unreal get shot of that excuse of a goal keeper he couldnt catch a cold nothing else to say utter dross !
3


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