Ipswich Town 3 (Waghorn, McGoldrick,Celina) Preston North End 0
Ipswich: Bialowski, Spence, Chambers, Webster, Jonas, Skuse (Bru 31), Connolly (Kenlock 66), Waghorn (Nydam 77), McGoldrick, Celina, Garner. Subs (not used): Iorfa, Ward, Sears, Gerken.
PNE: Maxwell, Fisher (Vermijl 37), Huntington, Boyle, O'Connor, Welsh (Gallagher 70), Barkhuizen, Pearson, Browne, Johnson (Harrop 63), Hugill. Subs (not used): Horgan, Mavididi, Robinson, Hudson.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire) Attendance: 14,390 (435 PNE)
The key to this game was whoever scored first would win the game and so it proved has to be said North End were probably the better side until Town scored. We had had the only chances and seemed just to be more positive than the home side. Pearson should have done better when well placed, scuffed his shot when well placed. Chances though were few and far between in a dire first half were the whistle was blown on a regular basis and the flow of the game was disrupted by a stream of injuries, which led to Cole of Town and Fisher of North End being replaced.
There was just the first inkling of unrest with the home faithful just before Town scored from a Waghorn free kick. Firstly didn't think it was a foul certainly not a yellow card for Welsh. As for the goal, wall lined up to protect left side of goal, Maxwell looking after right side of goal. Ball goes to the right easy for Maxwell, well it would have been if he had not gone left. Browne and Welsh less than impressed with the keeper and a heated debate took place on the edge of the box afterwards. Nearly level on the stroke of half time when Johnson's curling effort clipped the top of the bar and that was about as close as we would get for the remainder of the match.
Within four minutes of the restart it was two, some woeful defending on the edge of the ball, cross to the far side of the box McGoldrick easily out jumped Vermijl who seem to have his feet buried into the ground, should have done better. Good powerful header though. Folding pack of cards time, O'Connor cleared off the line and Knudsen fired narrowly over the top, but wasn't long before number three arrived Cellina had the freedom of half of Portman Road to advance down the right hand side and beat Maxwell at his near post, maybe the keeper should havev done better but the shot went in like a rocket. Game well and truly over Town sat back for the remainder of the match and with North End's pedestrian build up were rarely troubled.
Not a great day however it did emphaise the lack of depth's in the squad.
Finally one irrelevant point on the A14 to and from Ipswich there are 110 road junctions, that is all.
Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy:
"It was what was required. There are all sorts of different ways to win a football match.
"I have been in the Championship long enough to know that there's a team coming to play against us that's going to be pretty tough and resolute.
"It wasn't going to be pretty - the one bit of quality was the move before the goal.
"The second half we played well and it always looks better when you score three goals."
Preston boss Alex Neil:
"The first half was scrappy. There was a five-to-10-minute spell where we put four or five good crosses into the box and looked threatening.
"From that point it was really disappointing to go a goal down.
"We don't need to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves but our last two performances have been very disappointing.
"We have a smallish squad and now have nine players missing through injury, and we are being stretched to the limit."
Ipswich: Bialowski, Spence, Chambers, Webster, Jonas, Skuse (Bru 31), Connolly (Kenlock 66), Waghorn (Nydam 77), McGoldrick, Celina, Garner. Subs (not used): Iorfa, Ward, Sears, Gerken.
PNE: Maxwell, Fisher (Vermijl 37), Huntington, Boyle, O'Connor, Welsh (Gallagher 70), Barkhuizen, Pearson, Browne, Johnson (Harrop 63), Hugill. Subs (not used): Horgan, Mavididi, Robinson, Hudson.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire) Attendance: 14,390 (435 PNE)
The key to this game was whoever scored first would win the game and so it proved has to be said North End were probably the better side until Town scored. We had had the only chances and seemed just to be more positive than the home side. Pearson should have done better when well placed, scuffed his shot when well placed. Chances though were few and far between in a dire first half were the whistle was blown on a regular basis and the flow of the game was disrupted by a stream of injuries, which led to Cole of Town and Fisher of North End being replaced.
There was just the first inkling of unrest with the home faithful just before Town scored from a Waghorn free kick. Firstly didn't think it was a foul certainly not a yellow card for Welsh. As for the goal, wall lined up to protect left side of goal, Maxwell looking after right side of goal. Ball goes to the right easy for Maxwell, well it would have been if he had not gone left. Browne and Welsh less than impressed with the keeper and a heated debate took place on the edge of the box afterwards. Nearly level on the stroke of half time when Johnson's curling effort clipped the top of the bar and that was about as close as we would get for the remainder of the match.
Within four minutes of the restart it was two, some woeful defending on the edge of the ball, cross to the far side of the box McGoldrick easily out jumped Vermijl who seem to have his feet buried into the ground, should have done better. Good powerful header though. Folding pack of cards time, O'Connor cleared off the line and Knudsen fired narrowly over the top, but wasn't long before number three arrived Cellina had the freedom of half of Portman Road to advance down the right hand side and beat Maxwell at his near post, maybe the keeper should havev done better but the shot went in like a rocket. Game well and truly over Town sat back for the remainder of the match and with North End's pedestrian build up were rarely troubled.
Not a great day however it did emphaise the lack of depth's in the squad.
Finally one irrelevant point on the A14 to and from Ipswich there are 110 road junctions, that is all.
Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy:
"It was what was required. There are all sorts of different ways to win a football match.
"I have been in the Championship long enough to know that there's a team coming to play against us that's going to be pretty tough and resolute.
"It wasn't going to be pretty - the one bit of quality was the move before the goal.
"The second half we played well and it always looks better when you score three goals."
Preston boss Alex Neil:
"The first half was scrappy. There was a five-to-10-minute spell where we put four or five good crosses into the box and looked threatening.
"From that point it was really disappointing to go a goal down.
"We don't need to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves but our last two performances have been very disappointing.
"We have a smallish squad and now have nine players missing through injury, and we are being stretched to the limit."
Why should a man go to work, if he has the health and strength to stay in bed?