On a day when Town stretched their unbeaten League run to four, with a creditable draw away from home to a mid-table side, Ipswich supporters filing out of Oakwell at the final whistle felt as if they had suffered the first set back of the Paul Jewell era.
With eighty minutes of the match completed, a scoreless draw would have been seen as a further indication of progress under the new manager. Having then taken the lead through Jason Scotland, to concede an injury time equaliser left a feeling of frustration as Town evoked memories of their previous trip to Barnsley, to a time where conceding last minute goals was common-place.
Speaking to the BBC after the game, Manager Paul Jewell echoed that frustration “It feels like a defeat when you concede a goal that late, and in the manner that it was conceded; with a deflection. It’s difficult to come out and be positive, because you feel so sick.”
For the third successive match, Paul Jewell named an unchanged starting line-up, aswell as an unchanged bench. It meant a fourth start in four matches for the rejuvenated Lee Martin and another spell on the bench for Jason Scotland who, earlier in the week, had expressed a desire to move, with his first team opportunities appearing limited.
There was a further similarity with the previous match, with conditions again having an impact on the manner in which the game could be played. Whereas last weeks Portman Road breeze presented problems, this week it was the condition of the Oakwell pitch, resembling something more suited to Rugby. Contrary perhaps to Cesc Fabregas opinion, they were conditions which did not suit Town.
There were little in the way of first half chances, with Fulop being required to make smart stops from Nouble and, in particular, Gary O’Connor. At the other end, Priskin headed into the net, only to be denied by a linesmans flag signalling the ball had already left play before Damien Delaney had cut the ball back.
However, the most noteworthy action of the first half, from a Town perspective, occurred away from either goal, as David Norris was forced to leave the pitch with heavy strapping to both his knee and ankle after falling awkwardly following an early challenge. Paul Jewell will be anxiously awaiting the results of what looks likely to keep the captain out of action for the next week or so at the least.
The second half was improved in terms of opportunities, if not the quality of football, with both sides creating chances. The best of them for Ipswich had fallen to Connor Wickham, the starlet miscuing his shot, having been found in space inside the box following a dummy by Colin Healy, on the pitch for the injured Norris.
Barnsley had generally looked the most likely scorers, with Fulop having a dominant performance in Towns goal but, as a draw was seeming increasingly likely, Lee Martin broke away and saw his shot saved by Steele in the Barnsley goal, only for Scotland to follow up and side-foot the rebound into the net.
It was a moment of redemption for the Trinidad and Tobago forward, with his first meaningful contribution under the new manager and his first ever goal for Ipswich away from Portman Road.
However, it was not to be the final act as, after a few late scares, Mellis finally found the back of the net as his powerful drive was deflected past Fulop by Leadbitters boot. It was a disappointing end to the match for Town, but resulted in a scoreline that was perhaps reflective of the overall match.
In a style of game which offered little of real insight into the progress of Paul Jewells Ipswich, the attention perhaps falls onto the Blues goalscorer, Jason Scotland. Having endured a week in the spotlight, when a proposed loan move back to his old club Swansea resulted in much public discussion between both clubs and the player himself, it was perhaps inevitable that the week would end with a positive contribution on the pitch.
Scotland has found himself increasingly withdrawn from the action over a period of months. He had become progressively less involved towards the end of Roy Keanes tenure, and Paul Jewell has thus far offered little improvement on that. The upturn in fortunes under Jewell, without Scotlands involvement, suggests little opportunity for change and, having spent the best part of a season with precious little match action at Wigan, the striker is clearly anxious to avoid a repeat.
Yet, the lone forward, employed in each match by Paul Jewell so far, is clearly a role which Scotland lacks the mobility to perform successfully. His best chance of success at Town would appear to be in cameo roles late in the match, as his ability to find the net when fed the ball to feet is not in question. However, that would seem to be a role which will only please one party, making Scotlands eventual departure, even if not before the end of the season, somewhat inevitable.
Conveniently for travel purposes, Towns re-arranged game against Doncaster falls on Tuesday, just days after this trip to Yorkshire. Unconveniently, with such short recovery time, it would seem extremely unlikely that they will be able to name an unchanged side on that occasion, the skipper likely to be missing.
With Doncaster struggling currently, it would seem a good opportunity to record a second away win under Jewell, although most fans would probably settle for a draw, provided it didn’t arrive in such heart-breaking circumstances as this one.
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