Fuller Flavour: Just like Sunderland... A reminder of why we are mid-table

Saturday’s defeat felt like Sunderland away all over again. Plenty of possession, looking as if we would come away with a point and then bang, two late goals from individual errors cost us.

We knew that after two wins and a good start to Kieran McKenna’s reign at Town there would be defeats ahead. Moments where he would be challenged. And he has now come to this juncture after just game three.

Our consistent inconsistency cannot help rearing its ugly head, but no need to panic yet. The sooner McKenna identifies the erring deficiencies of our play, the sooner he can attempt to eradicate such issues and move us forward.

It is a shame though as he could have been the first Ipswich manager to win his first three games since Town entered the Football League. Instead, it’s a stark reminder of just why we are where we are in the table and not already an established top-six side.

I was worried the moment Oladapo Afolayan came off the bench for Bolton. He was a stand-out performer when the Trotters destroyed us at Portman Road in September. I was relieved initially to see him on the bench. Back in that 5-2 defeat, he scored twice and gave our defence a torrid time. It was no surprise that he found his name on the scoresheet again.

There was a surprise in the manner of the assist however. A terrible mistake by George Edmundson gifted the goal, an error totally out of character for the usually much-reliable ‘Fridge’. Put Saturday down as a bad day at the office and move on to Accrington Stanley.

Christian Walton will not enjoy looking back on either of his appearances against Bolton which could sadly book-end his Ipswich career. News of Brighton initiating their release clause comes as no surprise. I was feeling positive at the end of last week at the prospect of an extended stay. But with Luton now apparently sniffing around, I’m not so sure.

One definite departure was that of Toto Nsiala. His move is probably best for both parties. I hear Toto is a smashing bloke and does a lot of good things in the community. But as a player for Town, we saw too many error-strewn performances which, rightly or wrongly, often left confidence levels low for those of us expecting more from him. It was just one of those signings that never took off and I wish him well at Fleetwood.

Sam Morsy is closely marked at Bolton by Ricardo Santos. (Image: PAGEPIX LTD 07976935738)

I’ve had a lot of fun over the past week telling work colleagues and family that I’ve secured tickets for Wimbledon. Their initial amazement as to how I could have possibly obtained them was fun to play on. They thought I had been lucky in some kind of ballot to perhaps find myself heading for centre court at some tennis tournament. Once I declared that they were at home to Ipswich on the last Tuesday in January, I got a few glares and mutterings in my direction.

Although it will be our first trip to their new Plough Lane ground, I remember my first trip to the old Plough Lane back in December 1990. It was for a Full Members cup tie which Town won 2-0 thanks to goals from Ian Redford and Chris Kiwomya. Despite arriving in the vicinity of the ground at around 6pm, our driver simply could not find it. We did not arrive until half-time!

I still managed to get a programme which was a rarity as it was an A4 sized production. The crowd was a paltry 1,787 and most of them were Ipswich fans. I am going on the train this time around and will hopefully have no problem finding the place.

Finally this week, congratulations to James Norwood for winning the PFA Vertu Motors Fans’ Player of the Month for December. He has given our front-line an added dimension and I’m in the camp that had been yearning for his return to the side for several weeks. Along with Macauley Bonne, they can be a real handful for defences. As an attacking unit, we are a better team with him than without in my humble opinion. Hopefully, a few more goals are just around the corner for both.

Sone Aluko goes close with a second half shot at Bolton. (Image: PAGEPIX LTD 07976935738)