Ipswich Town secured their first win of the season at Forest Green yesterday. Andy Warren has his say on the Blues' performance.
Off and running
Ipswich Town are off and running in 2022/23.
Three points have been secured at just the second attempt, an achievement which took Town until game seven to achieve this time last year.
Maybe Town’s horrible start to last season is still lingering in the minds of many, because there were certainly moments in this game where those inside the ground feared an all-too-familiar story was going to unfold again.
Town, two goals up at the break following excellent strikes from Marcus Harness and Sam Morsy, were fully in control before Josh March dragged Forest Green back into the game. The goal prompted a frenetic spell where the hosts had a goal ruled out for offside and Town needed goalkeeper Christian Walton to be at his best to pull-off a double save to keep the lead intact.
It was at this point wounds of old meant many were fearing the worst. Ipswich gave up four leads during their winless start to last season – it couldn’t happen again, could it?
We needn’t have worried. Ipswich weathered the storm and began to take control again, with boss Kieran McKenna’s substitutes bringing a sense of calm, helping reassert dominance and push Rovers back to arms’ length.
Even when the board went up for nine minutes of added time, Town negotiated the prolonged period professionally and never truly looked like giving up a late leveller.
This is a game Town could certainly have ended up dropping points in last season, when two goal leads were lost at home to Wimbledon and away at Cambridge
The fact they stood firm this time is a real plus.
Broken record
Town’s record against promoted teams was truly awful last season.
No wins, four draws and four losses (quick maths... that’s four points) from eight games is nowhere near good enough for a team hoping to win promotion. Not even close.
But Ipswich are already beginning to put things right. One game, one win is the perfect start from a group of games Ipswich should really be looking at closer to 20 points from, rather than just four.
The Blues were 13 points shy of the play-offs last season and this small corner of the season is an area where drastic improvement is possible.
It’s early days but maybe things are changing.
A cut above
In Morsy and Walton, Ipswich Town possess two players who are surely right up there with the best this league has to offer in their positions.
We’ll start with Morsy who, a week on from missing a late chance to secure victory against Bolton, proved to be the match-winner in this one.
The skipper’s goal was superb, firing home from outside the box with whip and dip just before half-time, putting his side firmly in control.
It took many inside the ground a few seconds to ultimately conclude the ball had found the back of the net, with the Town captain celebrating in a nonchalant manner before then flexing his muscles in the direction of the away support.
The skipper seems in supreme control of all his movements on the pitch at the start of this season, combining aggression with precision and drive.
That drive is both personal and a desire for the collective, with Morsy regularly demanding more from his team-mates on the pitch. He’s leading from the front.
Then there’s Walton, a goalkeeper who is surely the division’s best. It’s easy to take for granted just how good he is in the air, given how regularly he rises to pluck crosses out of danger all around his box. He was nearly perfect in that regard in this game and you have to go back a very, very long time to find a Town stopper so proficient in this area.
But his overall impact on the contest was huge. He reads the game exceptionally and was out quickly to stop Jamille Matt from netting when put through. Within a minute, Harness had put Town ahead.
His double save to stop March and then Sean Robertson, with the score at 2-1, was as vital to the victory as Morsy’s winning goal.
Both men should be playing at a higher level than League One.
Solid base
A word for Morsy’s central midfield partner, Lee Evans.
Sometimes under the radar, the Welshman’s job is to screen in front of the back four, pick up possession and get Town playing.
He did it expertly here. He swept the ball around, won it back and drew the Forest Green press on to him, which allowed him to pop balls off to Morsy in plenty of space.
As the game went on his influence grew. It felt like Evans was landing on every loose ball inside the final 20 minutes of the game.
He’s started the season well.
Some other honourable mentions, starting with Cameron Burgess. He came into the side due to Luke Woolfenden’s illness and was part of a defensive unit which, while still flexible, resembled a flat back four much more regularly than it has during McKenna’s tenure.
He had a tough start and a dangerous end to this game, with penalty appeals waved away early, as Corey O’Keeffe hit the deck, and an escape with a yellow card late when he was turned by March. But in between, and in stoppage time, he won some big headers and helped his side.
The finish for Harness’s goal was superb, as he found the top corner from a move which included a decent advance and cross from Leif Davis. The pair made steps forward for underwhelming debuts a week ago.
The substitutes deserve a mention, too.
A week ago, Tyreece John-Jules, Greg Leigh, Sone Aluko and Kayden Jackson came on to add an attacking spark to a side searching for a winner.
But in this game their introductions, along with Kane Vincent-Young, helped calm things down in a difficult moment as Ipswich took control of the contest once again.
Room to grow
Would we like to see Freddie Ladapo threatening more as Town’s lone striker? Of course we would.
Could the Blues’ No.10s create more? No doubt.
In an ideal world, would new signings Marcus Harness and Leif Davis have slotted into this team seamlessly and instantly hit top gear? Definitely.
Would we like to see Wes Burns pick up where he left off last season and terrorise defences? Too right we would.
But it’s early in the season. Town have four points from two matches, are averaging that magic two points per game and have matches against two pointless sides to come.
It’s a good start with room to improve, which can only be a positive.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here