Ipswich Town beat Forest Green Rovers 4-0 at Portman Road yesterday. STUART WATSON reflects on the action.
EARLY SETTLER
A midweek goalless draw at Bristol Rovers led to much consternation among Town fans.
There was definitely potential for the atmosphere to get a little edgy inside Portman Road if another team came and frustrated with a low block.
Thankfully, that was nipped in the bud thanks to a fast start.
Conor Chaplin tested the keeper within just 24 seconds on the clock. Not long afterwards, he’d broken the deadlock.
Forest Green's ambitious 4-4-2 system played into Ipswich’s hands. Kieran McKenna, meanwhile, had seemingly instructed his players to play forward a lot quicker in this game.
All of the above set the tone for an utterly one-sided football match.
IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS
Chaplin’s touch and finish for the opener was cool as you like. He was later in the right place at the right time to turn in the third following Leif Davis’ precise cut-back.
It was a pretty good way to move on from the previous weekend’s failure to convert from the spot against Sheffield Wednesday and cap off his birthday week.
The 26-year-old is now on 17 goals for the season. This was his fifth brace. That’s an impressive number for someone not playing as an out-and-out striker.
No-one has scored this many goals in a season for Ipswich since Daryl Murphy (27) in 2014/15.
Freddie Ladapo isn’t far behind either. The front man stepped off the bench in the second half and stooped to nod home the fourth after Cameron Burgess headed a Davis free-kick delivery back across goal.
He’s on 15 goals for the season now (11 in the league). Again, that’s an impressive return for someone who has constantly been in and out of the side.
THE NEW BOYS
It's becoming clear to see why Ipswich paid £1.5m for Nathan Broadhead last month.
Following on from his sublime free-kick goal against Sheffield Wednesday and lively cameo at Bristol Rovers, the Welshman oozed confidence in this game.
There was a gorgeous zipped, first-time pass for Chaplin’s opener, while his deft touch to beat a man before stinging the keeper’s hands with a shot was magic.
The movement and technique for his own volleyed goal just before half-time, after a well-worked short corner routine which led to Cameron Humphreys' teasing cross, was also impressive.
He was involved in the build-up for the third goal too.
Fellow January recruits Harry Clarke and George Hirst also looked more in tune with their team-mates as this game progressed, while Massimo Luongo came on and had a positive impact in what was his long-awaited (second) league debut for the club.
“I thought it was a good step forwards for them all today,” said McKenna.
“It's not easy joining a team in January when you've not been playing regular minutes.
“Harry played good minutes (at Stoke), but was a little bit in and out of the team and playing different positions and systems.
“George hadn't played too much (at Blackburn). Nathan, again, was in and out of a (Wigan) team that was struggling a little bit playing a completely different style.
“So it's not easy to adapt to this club, our style and our intensity straight away. It was always going to take a few weeks minimum.
“I still think they'll improve further over the next couple of months.”
He added: “It was good to get Massimo on the pitch for his first league minutes. He’s got a really good game sense of where the ball’s going to land and what needs to be done in any given moment. That’s why he’s able to get to the speed of the game straight away. It’s good to have that option for us now.”
A LOVELY MOMENT
Yesterday would have been Sir Bobby Robson's 90th birthday.
Town played his favourite song, 'My Way', ahead of kick-off, fans sung his name at various intervals throughout the afternoon and then clapped when the clock hit both 78 and 81 minutes (the years Robson won major silverware at the club).
Ladapo's goal came during that first period of applause. That was a lovely moment.
Davis then thumped the post with a swerving shot at the end of a flowing move during the second moment of celebration.
"I'm sure he (Robson) would have enjoyed that one had it gone in," said McKenna with a smile.
RUTHLESS ENOUGH?
Forest Green barely laid a glove on Town, but it was good to see concentration levels maintained throughout and a clean sheet secured. Incredibly, this is the first time the Blues have kept back-to-back clean sheets in the league since early September.
If there was one small criticism of this Blues performance – and I’m being hyper critical here – it’s that a bigger margin of victory wasn’t secured. There were still some signs of the profligacy which has previously proved costly.
George Hirst and Leif Davis both hit the woodwork. Broadhead, Davis, Wes Burns and Kayden Jackson (who looked really lively when he came on) were among those to fire too close to keeper. Ladapo spurned a gilt-edged chance at the death.
BACK IT UP!
Everton legend Duncan Ferguson has got a major job on his hands at Forest Green. His young side have now taken just two points from their last 12 games and look destined for a return to the fourth-tier.
For Ipswich this was simply a case of job done. It’s now a matter of whether they can go and back it up.
The Blues haven’t won consecutive league games since late October. Can they manage that in front of a big away following at MK Dons next weekend?
After that comes quickfire home games against two more relegation-battling sides in Burton and Accrington.
Plymouth and Bolton both dropping points this weekend has made the table look better.
There's still 42 points to play for.
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