Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert admitted his team were fortunate to claim all three points following this afternoon’s 1-0 home win against Crewe Alexandra.
The newly-promoted Railwaymen dominated the first period, created several openings and were denied by an outstanding Tomas Holy save. Below-par Ipswich found a breakthrough in the 62nd minute though, Oli Hawkins heading home following a quickly taken short corner, and were able to withstand a late siege.
It means that back-to-back defeats against Doncaster and Lincoln have been followed up by successive 1-0 home wins, today’s victory following on from Teddy Bishop’s late clincher against Gillingham in midweek. The Blues are only being kept off the top of the League One table by Peterborough on goal difference.
“We never turned up first half,” admitted Lambert. “We just expected things to happen, but if you don’t do the basics in football – work hard, run and fight – then the other things don’t follow. We rode our luck to get in at half-time 0-0, because they were the better team.
“Tomas (Holy) made a great save first half and some good ones second half too.”
He continued: “We never played well first half, but there aren’t many times I’ve said that this season.
“I’ve been in the game long enough to know that there will be days you’ll get things when you don’t deserve it and there will be days when you do deserve it but you lose.
“I’ve been here two years and there have been plenty of games I’ve walked away from thinking ‘I can’t believe how we lost that’. There are times when you’re really under the cosh and you win.
“We rode our luck today. We take the three points, but we know we can’t turn up like that again and set a precedent of thinking it’s just going to happen for us.
“We don’t have a divine right. We have to be bang on the money every week. We can’t turn up and be off it in any game of football. You have to respect the opponent, respect what you’re up against and respect that you’re not going to get everything your way.
“Sometimes days like today are a blessing in disguise because you think ‘that’s not going to happen again’.
“It’s 10 games gone, we’ve played really good football and this is more or less one game where I don’t think we deserved to get anything.”
On Hawkins’ winner, the striker netting his first Town goal with a far post header, Lambert said: “It was a great goal. We took the corner really quick and it’s a great ball from Judgey (Alan Judge). I’m delighted for Oli because he’s a really good guy and he’s a lot better than what a lot of people give him credit for.
“Kayden (Jackson) came on for the last half hour and did well too.”
Ipswich now head to Sunderland on Tuesday night, with Portsmouth scheduled for an FA Cup first round tie at Portman Road next Saturday. That’s if Prime Minister Boris Johnson doesn’t call a halt to elite football as part of a second national lockdown.
“I really don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Lambert. “If there is another national lockdown how can we travel? We hardly get tested here. How do you go to the north east or the north west? I really don’t know. I think it’s in a really precarious position.
“Already we’re asking the guys to perform Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday all season – and that’s not right. So how will they fit in the re-arranged games? Will it be play Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? Do you know what, with the way it is, it wouldn’t surprise me if they done something stupid like that. It’s just crazy, absolutely crazy.”
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