Ipswich were indebted to two moments of class to see off a poor Scunthorpe United side who seem destined to leave the Championship behind at the end of the season.
Just as Paul Jewell began to fear that the match was falling into a familiar pattern, so Carlos Edwards strode forward from his right-back spot to fire home from fully 30 yards and give Portman Road a lift. Jimmy Bullard then took a turn, attempting to upstage Edwards effort with an outstanding curling free kick, the like of which he has built a reputation on.
Jewell acknowledged after the match that the two strikes stood out like beacons, both for their undoubted quality, but also because they lifted his side out of the goalscoring morass they have found themselves in. Speaking to the BBC, the manager said “They were two great goals that would grace any game, it was lovely to see them go in. But, in between, we had lots of opportunities to put the game to bed. Missing chances is our Achilles heel, we should have scored three or four in the first half.”
Having been so resolute in retaining a similar team line up week by week, Jewell took a leaf out of his predecessors book in making three changes to the side, all of them quite unexpected. Perhaps the biggest of these was the appearance of Aaron Lee-Barrett in goal, who had failed to find a place in the starting line-up since February of last year, as first Brian Murphy and then Marton Fulop kept him out. Fulops increasingly erratic performances, particularly in dealing with crosses, perhaps put pressure on his position, however it would have been anticipated that his place was safe until Brian Murphy returned from injury. From that perspective, it was a positive show of faith in Lee-Barrett from his manager.
Elsewhere, David Norris returned to first team action after suspension despite reported injury over recent weeks, taking the place of Andy Drury, the former Luton man again finding himself to be Mr. Unfortunate. The other surprise was the debutant inclusion of academy graduate, Josh Carson. The Irishman took his place on the left of midfield, allowing Connor Wickham to take up the central striking role that will eventually become his permanent role.
Town got off to a brisk start, with Lee Martin going particularly close to his first ever goal at Portman Road. Shortly following this, David Norris found himself through on goal, but shot tamely at the Scunthorpe goalkeeper and the chance was gone.
As Martin in particular enjoyed some freedom down the right-flank, Town were looking buoyant, despite failing to test the Scunthorpe goal. A Martin cross found Wickham in space, but the header flew wide of goal.
As the game threatened to develop into a similar pattern to that of previous matches, Carlos Edward stepped forward to put the blues in front. It marked the third long-range goal of Edwards season and clearly demonstrated an ability less visible last season.
After Bullard added to Towns lead, there was very little of note produced from either side for the rest of the match. Town remained calm in possession without really creating any clear cut chances to threaten further goals.
At the other end, Scunthorpes threat was probably best summarised by the condition of Lee-Barretts jersey on leaving the field. His grey top shined as brightly as when he had walked out in it 90 minutes earlier. The keeper could have hardly wished for a quieter return to first team action, as his defence kept a clean sheet for the first time in five home matches.
However, despite the lack of action, Lee-Barrett nearly blemished his efforts with a reckless sprint from his line and flailing punch towards a Scunthorpe cross late in the match. The lack of any attacking endeavour from Scunthorpe ensured there was no-one available to take advantage and his blushes were spared. It was exactly the kind of poor decision making that had cost Fulop his position in the first place.
With the opposition being so poor, the game became something of a procession for the last half hour, making it a less than perfect barometer of the sides performance level. Certainly Bullard excelled once again in central areas, the fulcrum for all Towns attacking endeavours. Alongside him, Grant Leadbitter continued the subdued performances of late which may threaten his position in the starting eleven, particularly with Colin Healy returning to action as a late substitute.
Lee Martin probably matched Bullards impact on the match, with the former Manchester United winger looking bright and effective, having struggled to make such an impact in recent matches. His continual feed of crosses deserved better reward than it received. Despite his positive impact, the performance was soured by a tenth yellow card for diving, which will rule him out of the next two games in what has become a re-energising spell in the side.
One minor footnote on the proceedings was the non-appearance of Kieron Dyer in the squad. In what is hopefully not a portent towards how the remainder of his loan spell will transpire, the midfielder injured a thigh muscle in training on Friday. A two-week break could not have come at a better time to allow him fitness for the match at Burnley in two weeks time.
As a result of the great run to the League Cup Semi-Finals, Town have the distinction of having played more football than any other Championship side this season. A two week break will probably be welcomed by several others amongst Dyers new teammates at this late stage of a long and, for Town, disjointed season.
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