Ipswich Town beat AFC Wimbledon 2-0 this evening to close the gap to the League One play-offs. Andy Warren hands out his player ratings.
Christian Walton
Had very little to do in the opening period and, while there was danger in his box on more occasions after the break, he didn’t have an awful lot to deal with in terms of goalmouth action there, either. He did make one good stop, rushing out to thwart Terry Ablade, while catching crosses calmly throughout. He’s a good presence behind the Ipswich defence. 7
Janoi Donacien
Another calm and assured display from the Blues’ consistent performer, as he broke up play well, battled away physically and even threw in the odd piece of skill to bring a cheer from the away end. Didn’t get forward on too many occasions but did everything he needed to do at the back, helping secure another clean sheet. 8
Luke Woolfenden
Just like Donacien, this was another calm display at the heart of the Ipswich defence. Contests with Wimbledon of late have been characterised by physical battles with central defenders but, with Joe Pigott now at Town and Oli Palmer sold to Wrexham, the threat in the final third is a little different these days. Woolfenden coped with the Dons’ varied approach well, with one hearts-in-mouths moment when he thumped the ball off the trailing leg of his goalkeeper, when clearing Ben Heneghan’s header from a corner. Ultimately that goes down as an effective piece of defending... just. 8
George Edmundson
The former Rangers man was Kieran McKenna’s captain in the absence of Sam Morsy and, while having a few difficult moments and some wayward passes, had another solid game as the Ipswich back three got through the contest well. Walked the tightrope a little in the second period, following a quick booking after the interval, but got through the game well. 7
Wes Burns
Looked fired up for this game and showed no shortage of energy as he skuttled and down the right flank throughout the first half, contributing in all three phases. But he took his game up a gear after the break, firing home twice in trademark fashion to secure this win. He’s a big asset to this team. Chances were at a premium this evening and it needed Burns to take his to secure the points. 9
Kane Vincent-Young
Saw a lot of the ball on the left flank, looking to go outside on his left and inside on his favoured right foot in equal measure. Contributed well throughout but faded a little, before picking up to late booking which ultimately saw him sent off. He’ll miss the weekend visit to Hillsborough. 6
Tyreeq Bakinson
In for a first start, in the absence of both Sam Morsy and Lee Evans, and coped well considering how little time he’s had to work with his new colleagues. Sat deeper than Ipswich midfields have of late but broke up play on a few occasions and managed to move it forward on others. Town didn’t control the midfield as much as they might have done had their skipper been in place, but Bakinson deserves credit for a decent display. 7
Tom Carroll
A second-successive start saw the former QPR man keep his side ticking over in the middle of the park, without being able to fully dominate alongside Bakinson. He did enough, though and was a calming presence. 6
Sone Aluko
Back in the side after missing the weekend win having welcomed his new daughter into the world, the attacker had some bright moments on the ball and some clever turns, though his attempts to get his side playing didn’t come off as often as we’ve seen lately. He still helped his side, though. 6
Kayden Jackson
This was the striker’s first league start since the loss at Northampton last April, representing a real opportunity to impress. He spent much of his time out wide to the left, looking to link up with Vincent-Young, but didn’t have too many opportunities to open his legs and run. That was until the Ipswich goal, which saw him make a quick burst up the left flank before feeding inside for James Norwood. He found Burns, who did the rest. 6
James Norwood
Back into the starting line-up and struggled to get going in the opening period, putting in plenty of effort but having little luck when it came to making the ball stick. That changed after the break, though, with the striker playing with more control and ultimately laying off the perfect ball for Burns to convert. 6
Bersant Celina, (for Aluko, 71)
On just after the opening goal and showed some quick feet to pull Wimbledon around, without being able to force any major openings. 6
Conor Chaplin (for Jackson, 71)
Like Celina, Chaplin contributed well once he made it onto the pitch, keeping moving throughout. The pair will hope to start at Hillsborough. 6
Macauley Bonne (for Norwood, 81)
The top scorer’s biggest contribution after coming off the bench was to play a sublime cross-field pass to free Burns for the Welshman’s second. He will surely start on Saturday. n/a
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