Ipswich Town drew 2-2 at Sheffield Wednesday yesterday. STUART WATSON reflects on the action.
A NEW GAME PLAN
Going into this game, Kieran McKenna repeatedly said that while he respected Sheffield Wednesday's strengths he also 'backs what we’re about' and that 'we will look to impose ourselves as a team'.
Perhaps that was meant to be a red herring for Darren Moore because, as it turned out, the Blues actually deviated drastically from their usual possession-based game plan.
Kayden Jackson and Tyreece John-Jules replaced Freddie Ladapo and Marcus Harness in the team that had started the midweek 2-0 home win against Bristol Rovers.
Jackson and Wes Burns operated high and wide, providing pacey outlets for the stretched counter. John-Jules played as the 'false nine', often dropping deep to create the usual box midfield alongside Conor Chaplin just ahead of Sam Morsy and Lee Evans.
"We wanted to defend a little bit more on block, hold our shape and entice them out a little bit to create some space for us," explained the Blues boss afterwards.
We know McKenna likes to come up with bespoke game plans for certain games. Was he guilty of over-thinking this one though? I'll be honest, that was my thought process before kick-off. Shouldn't you play your best players in the biggest games?
Fast forward 71 minutes and such fears had been well and truly quashed. Operation sit deep and catch them on the break had worked a treat.
IN THE BOX SEAT
Amidst an electric atmosphere, it was a frenetic start.
Jackson sped away up the right, cut the ball back and Sam Morsy's shot thundered into a defender.
Barry Bannan saw an attempt on goal from inside his own half bounce just over following Christian Walton's poor kick out.
Then Ipswich took the lead. George Edmundson, who had replaced the injured Cameron Burgess in the team, strode out from the back and, with the space opening up, just kept going. In the end of gaggle of Wednesday players swarmed in, the ball span kindly forwards and Jackson produced a cool one-on-one finish past the advancing David Stockdale.
Wednesday initially wobbled, but then fought back like a wounded animal. From the 10th to the 20th minute, the Blues were very much on the back foot. But they weathered the storm and a Janoi Donacien injury stoppage allowed the men in red and black to regroup.
Town settled. Such was the joy Ipswich were getting from big switch passes out to Burns and Jackson that Wednesday switched from a back four to wing-backs.
Liam Palmer fizzed a dangerous low cross through the Town six-yard box as half-time approached, but Ipswich reached the interval ahead and with Walton having not had to make a single save.
TURNING THE CROWD
The game plan continued to prove effective after the restart. Lee Evans' low shot forced a Stockdale save. Jackson's low cut-back was just behind John-Jules in the box. Jackson fired over, under pressure, following a neat John-Jules touch around the corner.
Wednesday fans, who had seen their team lose 2-0 to Barnsley last time out at Hillsborough, grew increasingly frustrated. A lot of that frustration was directed at the referee after a series of 50/50 calls went in Town's favour. Allowing Ipswich to take a free-kick, given for Michael Smith coming back from an offside position, inside the home half turned that anger up a considerable notch.
And then Ipswich scored again. Peter Wright played an advantage, Town countered and Burns' cross was awkwardly turned in by Dominic Iorfa under pressure from Jackson.
Hillsborough heads had well and truly gone. A significant number of apoplectic Wednesdayites headed straight for the exits. Others threw objects in the direction of the linesman and Town keeper Walton. The game had to briefly stop. The referee informed both managers that if things did not calm down in the stands then he would have to suspend the game.
Ipswich, a team who had kept 19 clean sheets in their previous 33 games, couldn't have wished to be in a better position with less than 20 minutes on the clock.
LOSING DISCIPLINE
Frustratingly, Ipswich allowed the home crowd to turn that rage into motivational fuel within four minutes.
Burns gave away a needless foul, Bannan took the wide free-kick short, Marvin Johnson bent the ball to the far post and George Byers slammed the ball high into the net from close-range. Town sub Freddie Ladapo had switched off and lost his man.
McKenna responded by bringing on defender Richard Keogh for Jackson in an attempt to shut up shop. Ipswich repeatedly gave fouls away. They ended the game with six players having been booked. In the end, that self-created pressure proved too much.
Burns again was a guilty party after he gave the ball away cheaply in midfield. Bannan's cute pass subsequently led to Reece James sweeping in a cross for Michael Smith to head in on the run.
It looked offside in real time. Replays confirmed as much. Maybe the linesman didn't see it. Perhaps he wasn't sure and the tinderbox atmosphere led him to lean the home team's way. Either way, the score was level.
"I guess you can say in the last 20 minutes we managed to give away too many set plays from not getting back into position early enough and being maybe a little bit over-zealous to try and win the ball," admitted McKenna.
"That's something we'll learn from."
PRAISE FOR KAYDEN
McKenna was effusive in his appraisal of Jackson afterwards.
"I thought he was fantastic, I thought he was unplayable, I thought he was the key player on the pitch across both teams," enthused the Blues boss.
"He did everything we asked of him and everything we see from him in training."
On Jackson playing wide left, McKenna said: "I think the position is not so important. It's about him using his attributes. Anywhere on the last line, whether it's centrally, one side or the other side or in a little bit of a half space, where he was today, if you can get him the service then his speed and, more than that, the intelligence of his runs is very, very good.
"We know he can give us a threat. He's a player whose strengths are so outstanding and he gives everything to the team which is so important to the culture of the group."
PERSPECTIVE TIME
After the initial hurt and frustration subsided, a bit of perspective kicked in.
This is a result that the majority of Town fans would have taken before kick-off. Eight games in and the Blues remain both unbeaten and top of the table.
Remember, McKenna's men were comfortably beaten 1-0 at Hillsborough back in January. So this competitive performance was another mark of progress.
Beating a likely promotion rival, however, is still a box to be ticked at the start of this season.
The next two league games - Plymouth (a) and Portsmouth (h) - provide an opportunity to take that next big step.
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