Early goals from Mo Besic and Stewart Downing saw Middlesbrough to a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Blues at Portman Road. Besic netted the opener on 12 and Downing added the second four minutes later following an error from Blues skipper Luke Chambers with Town never looking like taking anything from the match.

Janoi Donacien and Jordan Graham returned to the Blues line-up for Matthew Pennington, who was suspended for one game following Saturday’s red card, and Gwion Edwards, who dropped to the bench.

Donacien came into the team at right-back with Graham on the left of midfield, while Grant Ward moved to the right. There was no place in the Middlesbrough 18 for ex-Blues skipper Grant Leadbitter.

Town saw plenty of the ball early on and passed it around but without getting into dangerous areas.

However, the visitors took their lead via their first serious attack in the 12th minute. Besic brought the ball forward from halfway unchallenged and hit a 25-yard strike which cannoned off Toto Nsiala, knocking the defender over.

The loose ball fell kindly for the Bosnian, giving him a free run at goal and he struck a low shot from the edge of the box past Dean Gerken to his right.

Four minutes later it was 2-0. Skipper Chambers played a loose pass from the edge of the box straight to Downing on the Middlesbrough right and the ex-England international cut into the area and hit a low shot which hit the net off Donacien, leading to brief boos from the Blues support.

Town set about trying to get back into a game which already looked lost but without creating anything until the 25th minute when a Ward cross caused brief hesitation in the Teessiders’ defence before the danger was averted.

Daniel Ayala was fortunate referee Andy Madley failed to spot his late, studs-up challenge on Cole Skuse in the 28th minute otherwise the former Canary might well have seen at least a yellow card.

Town failed to make much impression on a Boro side happy to sit back on their two-goal lead until the 42nd minute when Donacien crossed from the right and Jonas Knudsen looped a header over the bar at the far post.

Three minutes later, Trevoh Chalobah sent a low ball into the box from midway inside the Boro half on the right but no Blues player was able to get a touch before Boro keeper Darren Randolph claimed.

Ayala looped a header over the bar just before the whistle which was met by further boos from an understandably frustrated Portman Road crowd.

The Blues had gifted Boro their two-goal and subsequently looked to have little idea of how to break down a visiting team largely happy to sit back and hold on to their lead, presumably well aware of Town’s lack of attacking threat this season.

After such a lacklustre half, Paul Hurst’s side needed to dramatically up their game in the second half to maintain their unbeaten home record let alone end their long winless run.

It was little surprise that Hurst made changes ahead of the second half with Edwards and Freddie Sears replacing Graham and Jackson.

And Town should have pulled a goal back two minutes after the restart. Donacien whipped in a cross from the right and Ayala just did enough to force Jon Nolan to head across the goal and wide rather than into the net.

Two minutes later, Ward won the ball on halfway and fed Sears to his left. The former Colchester man took it on into the area before hitting a shot which flew not too far over with the Portman Road crowd beginning to get behind their side.

Town continued to have most of the ball but without being able to find a way past the Boro backline. However, on 59 Chalobah sent over a dangerous low ball from the right which bounced across the six-yard box but too far in front of Ward.

But it was the Teesiders who came close to scoring the game’s third goal on the hour mark, Skuse heading Ayala’s goal-bound header off the line before one-time Town target Jordan Hugill’s rebound was blocked.

Boro kept up the momentum with Hugill claiming he had been fouled by Donacien as a cross came in from the right, however, the striker looked to have made a lot of little contact as he wasn’t going to reach the ball.

Moments later, George Friend cut in and struck a shot across the face of goal, then soon after Hugill also shot wide.

The on-loan West Ham man was replaced by Britt Assombalonga seconds later, then on 69 Martin Braithwaite was swapped for Paddy McNair.

Town forced Randolph into his first save of the evening in the 72nd minute, and what a save it was. Edwards found his way blocked on the edge of the area and the ball was stabbed out to Chalobah, who struck a powerful low strike through a crowd of players which Randolph somehow got across to and palmed past the post.

With 14 minutes remaining Andre Dozzell was given his first taste of competitive first-team action under manager Hurst, the Portman Road crowd cheering the local boy’s introduction for Nolan.

Dozzell’s tidy passing was evident from the off and soon after his introduction he played a clever reverse ball into the path of Sears, who won a corner which eventually came to nothing.

Five minutes from the scheduled end, Chambers made a superb double challenge on Downing and then sub Sam McQueen as the pair broke into the Town area after the Blues had been dispossessed midway inside their own half.

On 87 Edwards smashed a powerful shot which looked to be on its way into net following a corner but his strike hit Nsiala and deflected harmlessly wide.

Late on, McNair sent over a dangerous ball for Boro which Assombalonga failed to get a touch on, then moments before the end Skuse nodded over.

The whistle was greeted by muted applause from the Blues support, Town having been better in the second half and having kept going throughout, despite it looking unlikely that they would get anything out of the game.

The Blues huffed and puffed but but lacked confidence and quality, only rarely - Nolan’s early header, Sears’s strike over soon afterwards and Chalobah’s effort saved by Randolph - looking like they might pull a goal back against a well-organised Boro team, who came closer to adding to their lead when Skuse nodded Ayala’s header off the line.

The match was effectively won in the first 16 minutes with the two poor goals which were gifted to the visitors with individual mistakes again playing a large part in the Blues’ downfall. Against a side with the quality and nous of Boro Town were never going to have a chance having given them a two-goal start.

The Blues’ winless run from the start of the season is now up to 11 in the Championship - plus the defeat at Exeter in the Carabao Cup - in addition to the final day of last campaign draw with Boro.

Town’s first home defeat of the season sees them drop back to 23rd in the table ahead of Saturday’s tough trip to Swansea ahead of the international break with the pressure increasing on manager Hurst.

Town: Gerken, Donacien, Nsiala, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Skuse, Chalobah, Ward, Nolan (Dozzell 76), Graham (Edwards 46), Jackson (Sears 46). Unused: Bialkowski, Spence, Downes, Edun.

Middlesbrough: Randolph, Shotton, Ayala, Flint, Friend (c), Besic (McQueen 82), Howson, Saville, Downing, Braithwaite (McNair 69), Hugill (Assombalonga 65). Unused: Lonergan, Batth, Fry, Gestede. Ref: Andy Madley (West Yorkshire). Att: 13,612 (Boro: 438).

Photo: TWTD

BrettenhamBlue added 10:35 - Oct 3 Plenty of effort in the second half but that's about it. Too angry to write a detailed post. This team has League 1 written all over it. Predict we will finish mid-table in league 1 next season. Don't think we will flirt with relegation but think that's about our standard. We have to somehow hope that there are three teams worse than us in this division but I can't see it. How many goals can you see coming from our strikers?

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NewGenTractorBoy added 11:18 - Oct 3 First half, Jackson is not getting enough service on his own up front, we need two up front, preferably a player like Waggy last season, who can create chances but take them aswell, you cannot just loft balls up to one player and hope he will make something of it. Second half, some beautiful balls were played in but you can't use that approach when you have just one player in the box at any one time, keep Kayden on as he is tall and put 2 other players in the box as support, that way if the ball does fall down more players are there to attack it, but there is no point playing good crosses in when the only player in there is sears, we need more then one striker on at any one time and if we are gonna attack with crosses the team needs to leave less players outside and pack the middle with the biggest player around the penalty spot and have players just wide of the loan striker on each post so that whole six yard box is vulnerable but unless we do that crosses are going to be useless. SORT out which tactic the team will use and EVERYONE play the same game !!!!!!!!!!!!

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blueboy1981 added 11:19 - Oct 3 Dozzell is a class act in the making - he will never be someone to play for PH, as his vision and thinking is far superior to the Managers already ...... !! PH knows it - reason for him not being keen to play him ?? ....... maybe, just maybe .... this Manager has to fall on his sword I'm afraid.
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blueboy1981 added 11:30 - Oct 3 ........ most 'lone' Strikers without any service would prefer not to play - given the choice. The times it is ever successful is minimal to say the least. Jackson is getting no support, no service - no chance of making the step up and impressing, a serious managerial fault in expecting him to. Given both service, and support up front, I have seen enough to indicate he is capable of making the step up - I genuinely feel sorry for him. Freddie Sears is a goalscorer, Hurst has him at his disposal in the squad - why not play a proven goalscorer in his rightful position ? - again, he needs support to do so. This all leads me to unfortunately, but realistically, agree that Paul Hurst hasn't a clue at Championship level, and hasn't even got enough about him to realise / accept help in his learning process. He has to go at some point soon - unless he's a magician and pulls the rabbit from the hat - real soon.

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blueboy1981 added 11:33 - Oct 3 A Great Club - unfortunately a history of duff Managers under Evans ownership. We want the real IPSWICH TOWN FC back.
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Seri added 13:14 - Oct 3 I woke up this morning still disgusted after watching that dross on the telly yesterday night. A creeping thought rendered from sleep; we were victims of match-fixing!! How else is it possible to explain the captain's unexplainable pass ? Jeez magical vegas.
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Dissboyitfc added 14:42 - Oct 3 Steelemonkey.... we looked better in the second half because the changes helped. I personally don't think bol....g the players before the start will help, they are clearly trying but just not good enough, sadly!
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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 16:28 - Oct 3 @blueboy Usually don't disagree with you @blueboy, but ehhh with regard to your 11.30 description above of Mr. Sears ... Well it's a cliché I know but basically if not seriously hampered by injuries "NOBODY is really better than their latest season", and yes granted he has unlike his current striker colleagues in the ITFC squad, proven that he at least *once-upon-a-time* he could score with some form of regularity at this level (although since his 1st season here in 2014/2015 nevermore than AT BEST one goal per 392 minutes!) and while we all know MM seriously foo@@ked Freddie up! by predominantly using him wrongly, playing him on the wide etc. -- lets call these "Mitigating Circumstances" -- there is even with said "Mitigating Circumstances" taken into consideration still absolutely NOOOOO overall excuse for not scoring for about a whole year worth of matches or somewhere around 1700 minutes!!!!!!!!!! (From his goal on SBR Day against the Magpies in April of 2017 to his next one against Reading in April 2018)... and oh this wasn't exactly his first goal-drought streak here either btw. A 38 games drought between December 2015 and October 2016 spring s to mind). However, used in a more natural position I do agree with you & others that currently, now soon to turn age 29, he by no means looks anymore anemic than a "Lone" Jackson or previously a "Lone" Harrison up front, might even say on the contrary actually! Based of course on the granted 'small-sample-size' that was last night very *decent* performance, and as pretty customary with Sears, almost always at the very least a very energetic type of performance whenever he is called upon. Bottomline is this though: Cannot see Sears of 2018+ as thriving (or scoring frequently enough) if also used in a "Lone" striker role, he needs ANOTHER solid & proven compadre up there! DARNIT Hurst! --- And in this current sorry & mismanaged Hurst mess i.e. with no real alternatives, this can only be Jackson, until January at least I'm afraid. But I'm all for bringing back Drinan from his loan spell and might give him a 1st team look since Morris apparently can't be recalled --- and only THEN we might talk Freddie, as well as this dysfunctional teams's offense as a whole for that matter, being truly successful again.

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Ipswichbusiness added 16:40 - Oct 3 I was in favour of MM being replaced. I was in favour of PH's appointment. I accept that we have had a poor start to the season and some selection decisions look strange. However, it is only a poor start. With a couple of wins confidence will return. I wonder how much influence the present Director of Football, Dave Bowman exerts? The reason that I ask is that the plethora of loan signings looks very much like the plan under MM. In my view Bowman should go to be replaced by Burley.

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NoelTheDub added 16:55 - Oct 3 I for one wanted change and didn't mind getting in a young hungry manager who might try prove himself at this level or higher also getting players from lower leagues but it hasn't worked big time.Once again the club turns a profit from this deal buy selling our two main strikers this must have been going on while Hurst was trying to build a team.Having state of the art training or academy facility is one thing but having a shocking first team who cant pass a bloody ball to each other is unthinkable.Our academy it producing good players this get sold to early or loaned out for sale signs stuck to them awful state of affairs at our club.League 1 here we come unless Mr Hurst can do a Houdini dont think Warburton or Burley can do anything with this group its so poor damage is done long before this.IMO Skuse, Chambo, Knudsen need dropping to comfortable,slow, and very poor on the ball. Go down fighting Mr Hurst with our so called million pound academy its worth a look if thers any lads there.

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martin587 added 17:05 - Oct 3 I'm on holiday in Ibiza and I managed to watch the match in my hotel with six Boro supporters.They could not believe just how bad we have become this season.I must confess I had to agree with them as the first half was dire,with very little conviction,passion or anything else that could resemble a championship football team. The second half was marginally better due to the substitutions but little else.I just cannot understand what PH is trying to do.He just looks totally lost and shows know passion or commitment in the technical area. I hate to criticise our or any manager but I do now seriously wonder if Paul is way out of his depth. I will bite my tongue until the end of the year but if there is not a sign of improvement by then and we are out of the bottom three I will become seriously worried for the future of our great club. I notice the crowd was only just over 13k.Worring times. Must get a result Saturday.

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warktheline added 17:33 - Oct 3 Already 7 points of 17th placed QPR! Thus if we were playing the already mentioned on Saturday and 'surprise surprise lost', that's a whopping 10 points! More games and let's see ( as some have suggested ) you got to be 'ruddy joking'! .....hook Hurst NOW, I can only see Burley/Butcher stepping straight into the fire, our hapless owner hasn't the 'carrot' to entice the likes of Steve Clarke from Kilmarnock.....for those who said Clarke doesn't 'convince as a No1', go check his latest track record at Rugby Park!

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warktheline added 17:47 - Oct 3 ....how our club has fallen 'under Evans', Ipswich didn't 'interest' the Cowley's due to 'plans and financial backing' from the owners in Lincolnshire!....yeah that team plying its trade 'currently' in DIVISION 2!!!!!!!
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Razor added 11:22 - Oct 4 This is the worst group of players ever assembled on my watch (over 50 years). How long will it take Evans to realise that he has made ANOTHER duff appointment---he is the real liability at the club but how do we get rid of him?
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