West Brom 2-0 Ipswich Town: Terry Hunt says don't panic

Is it time to press the panic button? No, definitely not!

The display at the Hawthorns was undoubtedly terribly disappointing. Shaky at the back, ponderous going forward, absolutely no cutting edge. Not a single shot on target.

West Brom - who will finish in the top six - worked us out, did a good job, and we had no answer. We were out-thought, and out-fought. It’s not often that’s happened in the Kieran McKenna era.

Let’s keep things in perspective. We are going to lose games. It’s only our second defeat of the season, for goodness sake. We’re sitting pretty in second place, seven points ahead of third-placed Leeds.

Kieran McKenna's men produced their worst display of the season at West Brom - but Town are still flying high (Image: Pagepix Ltd)
There is absolutely no reason to panic. What’s really important now is how we respond to that defeat, and to the lacklustre display.

If we win this week’s two home games, against Millwall and Coventry, then we can write this off as a bad day at the office. A mere blip, if you like.

What we need are two convincing performances, and a return to the crisp, purposeful attacking play of a few weeks ago. Somewhere near the outstanding display against Hull would do nicely. We’ve fallen away from those standards in recent weeks.

Most of all, we need a clean sheet. We’ve been conceding two goals a game and the reality is that you’re not going to keep winning games like that.

In particular, we must stop conceding early and giving ourselves a mountain to climb. It’s happened six times in a row.

What’s gone wrong with the defence? I keep hearing people say we need to sign a dominant centre-half. Does that mean Luke Woolfenden and/or Cameron Burgess need replacing?

I’m not sure about that. The two goals at the Hawthorns weren’t down to the central defenders. Apparently Nathan Broadhead lost his man for the first goal, and West Brom stormed up the pitch from our corner for the second. I don’t think you can blame Woolfenden and Burgess for either of them.

Terry's been disappointed with Nathan Broadhead recently (Image: Pagepix Limited)
Talking of Broadhead, he’s been disappointing recently. His impact on games has been minimal, and that means we lose a lot of dynamism going forward. The same, to a lesser extent, applies to Conor Chaplin.

We need at least four points from these two home games - preferably six, obviously! Two convincing, compelling performances will calm nerves.

It’s amazing how expectations can rise so quickly, isn’t it? One below-par display, that’s all it is. I tell you one thing - fans of our fellow promoted teams, Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday, would swap places without hesitation. Especially Wednesday, who look destined for an immediate return to the delights of League One.

Before the season started, I cannot imagine any Town fan truly thought we would be sitting clear in second place at the end of November.

The game at the Hawthorns contained a strong contender for embarrassing miss of the season from the home team’s Matt Phillips. From about two yards out, he managed to essentially clear the ball with the outside of his right foot.

It was obvious he should have tapped home with his left foot. It’s the latest embarrassing example of a professional footballer not trusting his “wrong” foot.

Why don’t these highly-paid athletes spend ten minutes a day sharpening their “wrong foot” skills? Oh, and have a look at some black and white footage of the late, great Sir Bobby Charlton in action, and try to work out which foot he favoured!

So, I look forward to two entertaining home games, two dynamic performances, and two victories to get us back on track. Don’t panic, Captain Mainwaring!

Town fans didn't have a goal to celebrate at West Brom - the first time that's happened since February 14th (Image: Warren Page)
Footnote: The best goal I saw at the weekend was a 30-yard cracker scored by a 45-year-old former Ipswich captain.

Take a bow, Carlos Edwards, whose stunner set Hadleigh United on their way to a 2-0 win at Woodbridge Town. You never lose it.