LFL: IPSWICH (A)

It was very disappointing to lose to such a late goal after it had seemed like we were going to get a deserved draw. We were sloppy in our tackling at times but there were some bright points with Angulo’s first goal and Meunier making a sound debut.

Before

After a football-filled summer here we are again at the start of another season. I was pleased to see that some pundits are once more writing us off as relegation fodder. As usual there has been a fair bit of moaning online, about the lack of incoming new players but there's plenty of time and I trust Regis and Ghisolfi to take care of business. The signing of Dayann Methalie looks like a very good one, and though he's young and probably one for the future, he's particularly noted for putting in lots of crosses, which is something we could have done more last season. Jack Clarke will probably be starting for Ipswich and I imagine he'll be given a friendly reception from most of our travelling fans. Alderete will likely not be in the squad but I think our starting line-up this afternoon will look very familiar. I'll not be at the game but will be listening in with my Sunderland friends and my match prediction is 1-1.

I got the team-news just after 2.00 and the starting eleven was:- Roefs, Meunier, Ballard, O’Nien, Reinildo, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee, Hume, Angulo and Brobbey. Alderete was among our subs, which was all to the good, and the bench was looking strong. I was surprised that Jack Clarke was only among their subs. My friends’ match predictions were 1-0, 2-1 and 2-1 to us.

The Game

We were wearing our new pink strip, which I’m warming to I must say. We didn’t see much of the ball for the first three minutes but then Brobbey was suddenly put through and he raced goalwards, though his shot was blocked by Davis and we won the first corner of the game. The corner only resulted in a Hume shot that went well wide. Roefs was called into action a few minutes later when an Emersonn header was on target and he coped with it well enough. I thought Angulo looked great in the World Cup and he was starting to sound threatening down our left. In the fourteenth Roefs jumped well to gather a long upfield punt but he went down for a while due to some clash or other, though he was soon back in action. Next thing we were awarded a free-kick to the left of their box following a foul on Angulo but nothing came of it. Right on twenty-two minutes Brobbey again showed his threat as he tried to meet a pass into the box but he was blocked by two defenders.

In the twenty-fourth Ipswich went ahead when Enciso raced down our left, skipped all too easily past O’Nien and Ballard before putting in a low cross for Emersonn to shoot home with Roefs having no chance. A great header from Sadiki almost got us the equaliser but Scherpen in goal turned it out for a corner. The game continued to be played at some pace and it was going from end to end. Emersonn was sounding a right handful as was Enciso, both of whom I think are new signings. Ballard got the first yellow of the game for a foul on Enciso. In the thirty-eighth we were awarded a free-kick in a great spot just outside the centre of their box and after it sounded like Le Fee was going to take it, Angulo lammed it into the left of the net off the underside of the bar and we were level. We soon won another corner and our tails were up. There were two minutes of added-time and it remained 1-1 as the half-time whistle went.

There were no changes as we kicked off again. We started brightly and most of the early action was in the Ipswich half. We were then on the receiving end ourselves and survived a couple of threatening attacks. Next thing Brobbey couldn’t quite turn and get a shot away quickly enough and then Enciso cut through us at the back and almost set up a great chance for Emersonn. It sounded like another goal was on its way but I couldn’t say who was going to get it. Angulo joined Ballard in the book in the fifty-fifth and shortly afterwards he was replaced by Talbi. We soon conceded our first corner and we got it clear. O’Nien became our third player to be yellow-carded after some blatant wrestling with the ever-dangerous Enciso. We survived the resultant free-kick and the corner that quickly followed. I was glad to see Emersonn being subbed in the sixty-sixth as he’d looked  a very good buy. We also brought on Alderete and Isidor for O’Nien and Brobbey and that pleased me.

As we entered the final quarter of the game it still felt that at least another goal was in the offing. In the seventieth I was very pleased to hear Enciso leave the game and he was replaced by Jack Clarke. Ipswich won another corner with fifteen minutes on the clock and we dealt with it effectively. With about ten minutes to go we made a further double switch with Rigg and Diarra coming on for Le Fee and Hume. It’s great to have such quality on the bench. Meunier had sounded like he was a good asset and he had a great snapshot on target that Scherpen managed to hold. Five minutes to go and I was more than happy to settle for a draw but then we won another corner. We couldn’t create anything from it and soon Ipswich had a free-kick. Both sides were going for it and in the final minute Ipswich got what would probably be the winner. Of course Clarke got it, a good effort after we’d lost possession in our own half. Four minutes of added-time were announced and we battled for that equaliser but couldn’t manage it and it ended 2-1.