Ipswich Town thrashed Northampton Town 6-0 in the Papa John's Trophy last night. STUART WATSON reflects on the action.
DEPTH CHART
This game was a reminder of just how much strength in depth Ipswich Town have.
Currently, the Blues have Corrie Ndaba, Elkan Baggott, Matt Penney, Rekeem Harper, Idris El Mizouni and Joe Pigott all out on loan.
Even so, Kieran McKenna was able to change the entire XI that started last Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Barnsley and still name a very senior side.
Vaclav Hladky, Kane Vincent-Young, Richard Keogh, Cameron Burgess, Kyle Edwards, Dominic Ball, Cameron Humphreys, Greg Leigh, Sone Aluko, Marcus Harness, Kayden Jackson. Seven of those players have played in the Championship. Two more have played in the Scottish Premier League. Rising academy star Humphreys, at 18, was the only player you could label 'inexperienced'.
Even accounting for a lack of chemistry, this team really should have been beating a much-changed League Two side. And win it they did. Emphatically.
INSTANT KARMA
It's often said that refereeing decisions even themselves out over the course of a season.
Three days on from his controversially disallowed goal against Barnsley, Marcus Harness broke the deadlock for Town with a goal that could easily have been chalked off.
The Blues attacker jumped over the top of teenage full-back Harvey Lintott to head the ball home, via touches off both the crossbar and post, in the 11th minute.
Northampton appeals, however, were ignored.
Obviously, the value of those two moments cannot be compared whatsoever. Nevertheless, it felt like a very small piece of karma. Ipswich had themselves an important early goal that prevented the prospect of another frustrating night like the one suffered against Colchester in the Carabao Cup.
Harness netted again five minutes later, forcing the ball into the net after his initial shot had been saved.
The summer signing from Portsmouth is already on five goals for the season. Impressive.
EDWARDS' JOY
Kyle Edwards could have been forgiven for not feeling on top of the world recently.
When Wes Burns sat out two league games through injury he saw both Jackson and Vincent-Young start ahead of him on the right.
This match provided the livewire winger with the opportunity to remind everyone of his unique skill set though. He took that chance with both hands, leaving the field with three assists to his name.
It was him who crossed for Harness' opener. It was him who provided a dazzling array of stepovers before delivering to the far post for Greg Leigh's headed third goal. And it was him who, perhaps a little inadvertently, laid the ball off for the stoppage-time sixth.
LADAPO'S RELIEF
That final goal was scored by Freddie Ladapo.
With Town 3-0 up at the break, Kieran McKenna decided this was a good opportunity for his new No.9 to come on and get his first goal for the club at the seventh attempt.
For a while it looked like operation confidence-boost might backfire.
Ladapo mis-directed a header at a corner, put a one-on-one chance straight at the keeper's legs and pulled another good opportunity narrowly wide of the post.
His moment, thankfully, did come. After Leigh had done superbly to cross the ball on the run near the byline, the ball hit Edwards and rolled invitingly into the on-rushing Ladapo's path on the edge of the box. The front man crisply finished into the bottom corner, sparking the loudest cheer of the night.
“His performances have been good, but if you’re a striker you want to score goals don't you?" said Blues assistant boss Martyn Pert afterwards.
"It was a nice finish. I’m sure he’s really pleased. We're pleased for him.”
DEFENDERS CHIP IN
For a little while now we've discussed how one area of improvement for Town would be goals from set-pieces and defenders chipping in more.
Well, three of the Blues' goals in this game came from first or second phase dead ball situations. And two defenders got themselves on the scoresheet.
A short corner routine led to the second goal.
The fourth arrived after a free-kick from the right had been half-cleared. Humphreys subsequently sent in a peach of a cross and Cameron Burgess, still in the box, sent a downward header into the bottom corner.
The fifth came from a corner. This time a delivery into the box created a scramble and, eventually, sub George Edmundson headed in. Keeper Jonny Maxted may have clawed the ball away, but the linesman spotted it had already crossed the line.
More of these type of goals please.
THREE DEBUTS
Veteran defender Keogh could have played with a pipe and slippers in this one. It was good to get him up and running.
Midfielder Ball took a kick to the thigh in the second minute and somehow managed to play through to the end with a dead leg. He was limping heavily for the final 25 minutes of this match, but repeatedly waved away Town's staff members when they asked if he needed to come off. That tells you a lot about his character.
Then, with nine minutes to go, Under-21s skipper Fraser Alexander came on for his senior debut. That's a big moment for any young player.
He joined fellow 19-year-old youth teamer Zanda Siziba on the field, the latter having come on for his fifth appearance in this competition.
INJURIES...
The only downside to the evening were some injures.
Siziba started the evening outside of the matchday squad but found himself on the pitch before half-time.
That's because Conor Chaplin had to be replaced on the bench after feeling his groin during the warm-up. Then, as the interval approached, Sone Aluko hurt his knee in a challenge and had to be helped from the field in clear discomfort.
Chaplin's withdrawal has been described as precautionary, but Aluko doesn't look like he'll be back anytime soon.
Might that strengthen McKenna's desire to add to his attacking unit before the transfer window closes at 11pm tomorrow night? We'll see.
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