WHY can’t Ipswich Town perform in the first half?

WHY can’t Ipswich Town perform in the first half?

It’s the burning question that neither manager Roy Keane, nor his keeper Marton Fulop, can answer.

Just as a film buff wouldn’t contemplate rolling up to the cinema, in the middle of a movie, so footballers cannot just start finding their feet in the second-half of games.

Town have mustered a miserable one first-half goal in their last 14 league appearances, the latest dismal blank recorded at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, where Keane’s men slumped to a 2-0 defeat.

Fulop was beaten by first-half strikes from David McGoldrick and Lewis McGugan, the latter a spectacular 25-yard free-kick, before the half-time was sounded at the City Ground.

After the match, Hungarian keeper Fulop confessed: “We really didn’t perform in the first half. We were slow to start again, and I have no reason why.

“It was the same scenario as last week.

“We need to play well in the first half as well, rather than only get going in the second half when we are 2-0 down. It’s easier to play when the pressure is off.

“But we’re all sticking together, of course we are,” added Fulop.

Returning to the side after a recent back injury, Fulop was powerless to prevent Town from suffering their third league defeat on the bounce, for the first time since February, 2007.

They have nose-dived into the lower half of the table.

“It’s not great to lose three on the bounce, but at least we have two games coming up next week,” continued Fulop, with reference to tomorrow’s Carling Cup tie at home to Northampton, and then another home match against Millwall in the Championship next Saturday.

“We need to get back to winning ways as soon as possible. But anything can happen in the Championship. It will be hard to judge anything before Christmas.

“It’s not the end of the world. The fans are staying behind us and the great thing about football is that the games come around so quickly,

“It’s not like a swimmer, who has just missed out on a medal by one tenth of a second at the Olympics, and has the next four years to prepare for the next one,” reflected Fulop.