Under 23 Premier League Cup Ipswich Town 3 West Bromwich Albion 2 Aaron Drinan netted twice and Ben Morris continued his impressive run of form with another goal as ten-man Ipswich Town U23’s edged out West Bromwich Albion in their final Under 23’s Premier League Cup group game at a snowy Portman Road this afternoon, writes Kieren Standley.
Sam Field and Jamie Soule had twice pegged Town back, before Drinan sealed the victory in stoppage time.
Town didn’t register a shot on target until just before the half-hour mark when Barry Cotter’s shot from distance forced Albion keeper Alex Palmer into a low diving save.
But Drinan started the goal rush a minute after the break as he fired into the far corner at the second attempt, after the Baggies failed to clear their lines following a quick throw in and delivery from the left hand side.
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Five minutes later, the Blues were reduced to ten men as Chris Goteni clumsily brought down Pierce just inside the area, following a long ball over the top. Field stepped up and sent Crowe the wrong way to bring the Baggies level.
The West-Midlanders weren’t level for long as the Blues responded to going a man down and re-took the lead.
Trialist Ben Stephens won the ball in midfield and ran at the Albion defence before playing a perfectly weighted through-ball to Morris, who showed great composure to smash the ball past the helpless Palmer.
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However Albion drew level 13 minutes from time as they capitalised on the extra-man advantage, with substitute Soule following up at the second attempt after Michael Crowe had denied his initial effort.
The entertaining second-half would produce more drama as Cotter was forced off with injury late on, resulting in Drinan temporarily filling in at centre-half.
Town continued to push for a winner, with Stephens unlucky to see his bullet header denied by a tremendous save from Palmer, five minutes from time.
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The ten man Blues did eventually come up with the winner in stoppage time as Morris’ low driven cross was turned home by what looked like an own-goal from Nathan Ferguson, but Drinan was judged to have got the final touch.
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