Ipswich Town 1-0 Preston North End
Portman Road, 27 August 2016
Some games are easily forgotten and others lodge in the memory, for ever. Apart from a stunning goal, overall this game was one of the former: and by the time the second period was half way through I had almost started writing this match report, just to dare something different to happen. Perhaps the game’s tautness was predictable, given the significance of events off the pitch at Portman Road just before kick-off. Daryl Murphy, who for 6 years had grafted his way to becoming an Ipswich legend, had been left out of the line-up: he was off to Newcastle for at least £3 million.
All those pound coins piled up in the centre of the pitch couldn’t quite fill the gap though, and this was a hybrid performance from Ipswich as mentally they struggled to imagine how to play without Murphy. That’s not a counsel of despair for Ipswich supporters, it’s just a reflection of their team being in transition. And once again Grant Ward showed what a part he can play in that journey, with an astonishing goal in the 15th minute. After a free kick on the right wing,
Kévin Bru crossed and the Preston defence forcefully cleared to beyond the edge of their area. Ward took a single touch and then hit the ball just a fraction later with a deft, almost casual volleyed chip. The rest of the 21 players on the pitch, especially Preston’s excellent keeper Lindegaard, were transfixed; staring as though time had stopped, whilst the ball slowly but surely looped into the corner of the net.
Six minutes later Lindegaard did manage a vital touch, deflecting a short-range Sears effort: Sears having been played in by a beautiful long ball over the top from Pitman. Preston’s Robinson, who was persistently their most incisive threat, also shot fiercely from range in the 30th minute, only for Bialkowski’s strong hand to palm the ball over the bar. And that was about it. Despite a decent half played in speedy fashion, there had been no sustained periods of genuine quality, from either side. Preston had started 3-5-2 and it soon became clear that Ipswich, with Pitman up front in Murphy’s place, were playing a flexible 4-3-3 or 4-5-1 to counter that. The outcome from both teams was pretty, sporadic triangles in midfield, plenty of movement and occasional threats from a midfield runner arriving late into an attacking position; yet it had been hard for either side to find space.
Despite the relatively early Ipswich goal Preston seemed content to keep to that shape in the second half, only taking a more attacking stance after Doyle replaced Spurr on 55 minutes. The result was much increased Preston pressure in the last half hour but still no clear chances created. It hadn’t helped their cause to lose Jermain Beckford to injury in the first quarter of an hour. Tough stuff for 297 stalwarts who had made the trip from Lancashire. Judging from their persistent silence, most probably wished they hadn’t.
After the game Preston’s manager Simon Grayson commented “I am hoping to strengthen. I have given a list of names to the owner and I am hoping to tick some people off. It is going to be a crazy three or four days through all the divisions.” A crazy few days perhaps but without reinforcements, this could be a long season for Preston.
Meanwhile Mick McCarthy could not have been happier. In classic style he prioritised the result achieved, over the football played: “We played really well in the first half and then we stood up to a right scrap in the second half – it was a real bloke’s performance.” Epitomised perhaps by the fact that for Ipswich in the second half, it was their left back Knudsen who stood out as the persistent attacker. Having lobbed none of his Howitzer long throws at the Preston trenches in the first half, he bombarded them with six in the second half. One hundred years on Knudsen’s salvoes made that second half resemble a footballing ‘Somme’, though thankfully without the mud, blood and tragedy.
Ipswich’s next game is at Reading, on the evening of Friday 9th September. Given Town’s abysmal track record there, and the fact that several new signings have been promised, Coral’s current odds of 13/2 for Ipswich to win and both teams to score looks attractive. Preston meanwhile are at home to Barnsley on Saturday 10 September. Anything could happen including, one can only hope for their fans, more than the two accurate shots on goal they managed at Ipswich. How about at 0-0 draw at 15/2?
Match review by Grant Bage