Ipswich Town let a lead slip once again as they fell to a 2-1 loss in an attritional game at Accrington Stanley.
The Blues, looking to back up Tuesday’s 6-0 demolition of Doncaster, were ahead at the break after Macauley Bonne struck his eighth of the season.
But, in a game where Paul Cook’s men never really got going, the game turned after the break as Colby Bishop struck against Ipswich once again, before Harry Pell fired home the winner for the hosts with a little over 10 minutes remaining.
In truth, Town deserved little from this game as they fell short at Accrington once again, falling to defeat for the third time in the club’s four visits to the Wham Stadium.
Cook’s men never really got their creative players involved on an afternoon where the hosts won the physical battle and ultimately found a way back into the game.
Defeat sees Town remain in 19th, with Tuesday night’s Papa John’s Trophy clash with Gillingham followed by the visit of Gillingham in League One on Saturday.
The Blues are now nine points back from the play-off places and 12 away from the three sides sharing top spot.
As expected, Cook named an unchanged starting XI as he led an Ipswich side at Accrington for the first time, with Toto Nsiala and Kyle Edwards returning to the bench in place of Luke Woolfenden and Idris El Mizouni.
Neither side settled particularly quickly, with the ball regularly bouncing around midfield and Ipswich needing to clear inside the box on a couple of occasions early on.
The first opening of the game fell to Macauley Bonne, though, as a high punt forward from Lee Evans bounced dangerously and saw the Ipswich striker and Stanley keeper Toby Savin challenge for two aerial balls, which ultimately ended with Bonne turning behind for a goal kick.
Sean McConville then drove over the top for the hosts, before a 20-minute spell in which neither side managed to create anything of note at all.
But, as he has so often this season, it was Bonne who provided the breakthrough. Cameron Burgess started the move as he broke up play in the Ipswich half, before Scott Fraser turned the ball through to Celina, who produced a measured pass which allowed Bonne to slot the ball coolly past Toby Savin in the Accrington goal.
And that’s how the score stayed until the interval, with Ipswich ahead after converting their only real chance of the half.
Town came out the blocks quickly at the start of the second period, with Sam Morsy’s excellent switch to Fraser leading to a cross from which Bonne won a corner at the near post. Burns’ delivery came to nothing, though.
And just a few moments later, Town’s lead vanished as a ball into the box was flicked on by former Colchester man Harry Pell, giving Bishop space to finish as he netted against the Blues once again with a shot which flew throughout traffic before finding the target.
Town were on the backfoot for a few minutes after conceding, with the defence tested in the air and Vaclav Hladky needing to react well to tip Bishop’s driven shot over the top of the bar.
That was a warning sign, as a Stanley move from right to left ultimately ended with Pell beating Donacien to the ball and thumping the winner past Hladky in the middle of the goal.
Accrington Stanley: Savin; Sherring, Nottingham, Amankwah; Hamilton, Butcher, Pell, Conneely, McConville, Morgan, Bishop
Subs: Trafford, O'Sullivan, Leigh, Mansell, Nolan, Clark, Malcolm
Ipswich Town: Hladky; Donacien, Edmundson, Burgess, Penney; Morsy, Evans (Norwood, 80); Burns, Celina (Harper, 64), Fraser (Edwards, 64); Bonne
Subs: Holy, Nsiala, Aluko, Chaplin
Attendance: 2,600 (846 Ipswich Town fans)
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