A Luke Offord own goal and a brilliant Bersant Celina chip saw the Blues to a 2-1 victory over bottom club Crewe Alexandra at Portman Road. Offord turned a Sone Aluko cross past his own keeper in the third minute, then Celina added a fantastic second in first-half injury time. Chris Long’s 73rd minute goal for the Railwaymen made the closing stages more nervy than they ought to have been with Town having missed plenty of chances to put the game out of sight.

Aluko returned to the Blues’ starting line-up in an otherwise unchanged XI. Aluko, who missed the Rotherham game following his father’s death, started on the right with Lee Evans dropping to the bench.

Scott Fraser moved into the middle of midfield alongside skipper Sam Morsy, while Celina was on the left with Conor Chaplin behind lone striker Macauley Bonne.

Former Town academy youngster Ben Knight was among the Crewe Alexandra substitutes.

After the players taking the knee had been warmly applauded by the chilly but expectant Portman Road crowd, the Blues got off to a brilliant start, scoring in only the third minute.

After Janoi Donacien’s first ball across the area had been blocked, but Aluko tricked his way in from the right along the byline beating two men before his low cross was diverted into the net by Alex defender Offord.

Town maintained the early pressure with Aluko continuing to give Crewe left wing-back Rio Adebisi a tough time.

On eight, a free-kick from the right was nodded out for a corner ahead of Bonne. Following the flag-kick, Celina’s cross got caught under Zac Williams before keeper Dave Richards claimed with Town appeals that the defender had handled falling on deaf ears.

There was a scare for the Blues in the 14th minute when Crewe broke quickly from their own area but Long dallied over his pass and Oliver Finney eventually fell over his own feet when he finally received the ball.

On 16 Celina exchanged passes with Chaplin midway inside the Crewe half but the Kosovan’s through ball for Bonne was cut out by a defender.

Two minutes later, there was another shaky moment for the Blues which resulted in Long smashing a shot from the edge of the area which Christian Walton tipped over the bar.

Donacien spent a spell receiving treatment for what looked like a side injury with Kane Vincent-Young preparing to come on before the Town number 44 indicated he was OK to remain on the field.

With Town’s early game intensity having dropped - although with Aluko in particularl still looking dangerous when breaking - Crewe threatened again on 22 when Finney turned a half-volley over from the edge of the box.

Just after the half hour, Celina was clearly angered with Offord after an off-the-ball clash with the visitors’ defender. Referee James Oldham spoke to the pair but without showing any cards.

Town began to restore their earlier dominance, Bailey Clements making a dangerous run down the left before his cross was cut out, then on 36 Chaplin sent over a ball from the same flank which appeared to catch a Crewe player taking it away from Bonne, although the officials awarded the throw-in to the Railwaymen.

Crewe were next to threaten. Following a break down the right, Porter nodded across goal from the far post and Clements did well to get ahead of Finney and then the hastily retreating Celina was able to finally clear.

On 39 Tom Lowery blazed over from the edge of the area with the Blues again looking unconvincing at the back.

In the 43rd minute, with Town looking dominant again, Aluko played in Donacien on the right of the box and the full-back’s dangerous low ball was cleared from inside the six-yard area.

Town should have been two goals in front following the resultant corner. After the ball was cleared, Morsy struck a powerful shot which Richards saved but couldn’t hold. Chaplin dived at the loose ball and seemed certain to score but the ball arced just the wrong side of the post.

With the game in injury time and the half-time whistle only seconds away, Celina brilliantly took down a George Edmundson long ball 25 yards out before spotting Richards off his line and deftly chipping the keeper, the ball irresistibly dropping just under the bar into the top corner of the net to make it 2-0.

It was a goal up there with any the on-loan Dijon man has scored in either of his spells with the Blues and was his fourth of the season.

That was the final action of a half in which the Blues had started like a house on fire before their performance drifted allowing the opposition back into it, , as on a number of other occasions this season, but fortunately without the Railwaymen finding a serious chance from which they might have levelled.

Town got their foot back on the pedal in the latter stages and really ought to have doubled their lead through Chaplin, although it was one of those opportunities where a player throws himself at a loose ball rather than having too much time to think about where it’s going.

But they didn’t have to wait too long for the second via Celina’s moment of brilliance, which should have put the game out of the visitors’ reach.

Three minutes after the restart, Williams was booked for pulling back Aluko with Town having started the second period much as they had ended the first. Fraser’s free-kick looped into the box but just too far in front of Bonne and Richards claimed.

On 49 Clements got his name in the book for pulling back Lowery and in the wake of the subsequent free-kick Porter headed weakly towards goal and Walton was able to grab with little fanfare.

Aluko scuffed through to Richards from the edge of the box on 54, then within a minute Bonne curled wide after cutting in from the left.

Crewe swapped Scott Kashkent for Mikael Mandron in the 56th minute, seconds after Toto Nsiala had turned the ball behind with the visitors in a dangerous position in the Blues box.

Aluko went close to making it 3-0 in the 63rd minute when Donacien’s cross from the right was cleared into his path but his volley looped not too far wide. Two minutes later, Nsiala headed over at the back post from Celina’s left-sided corner.

Town immediately made a double change, Kyle Edwards and Evans replacing Chaplin and Aluko, who was given a warm ovation as he left the field after another hugely impressive display.

Celina moved to the right with Edwards on the left and Evans and Fraser ahead of Morsy in the centre.

Bonne should have made it 3-0 in the 68th minute after a superbly crafted Town move. Edwards fed in Celina on the right of the box and the former Manchester City youngster cut across to Bonne, who slammed over as he broke into the box at pace.

Crewe pulled a goal back out of nothing in the 73rd minute, Mandron cutting into the area on the right before hitting a low shot which Long diverted past Walton to his left.

Suddenly the Railwaymen saw a way back into the game and on 77 Mandron shot over. A minute later, Edmundson slipped on halfway and Crewe broke away on goal but Long scraped across the face and well wide.

Town might have done better a minute later when Bonne fed Edwards on the left of the box. The former West Brom man played in Fraser to his left but Richards blocked the Scot’s effort from a very tight angle.

The Blues threatened again on 81 when Edwards teed-up Celina on the edge of the box but his shot bounced wide.

Despite Town having had more than enough opportunities to put the game to bed, Crewe continued to have their moments. On 84 Long was slipped in on goal but Walton did well to divert wide, although the linesman’s flag had been raised. A minute later, ex-Blues youngster Knight was introduced for Regan Griffiths.

In the 86th minute Edwards made a strong run from deep into the area holding off a number of defenders before smashing his strike high and wide. Soon after, Edmundson was booked for impeding Richards as the keeper looked to clear following a Town corner.

Town found themselves under pressure in the closing moments with Fraser making an important challenge to clear the most significant moment of danger.

Seconds before the whistle confirmed Town’s victory, the midfielder played in Bonne but the striker was thwarted by Richards, taking his run of goalless games to five matches.

The Blues had more than enough chances to seal the three points during the second half but once again made the closing stages nervy for themselves. While the sides’ 6-4 from 2004 was never on the cards, the scoreline could easily have been something along the lines of 5-2.

Town once again showed their inconsistency within games, having spells where they were totally dominant, but without taking enough of their chances, then allowing the opposition to get themselves back into the match and have opportunities.

The highlight of the match was undoubtedly Celina’s goal, which is unlikely to be bettered in League One or many other divisions this season.

The win sees the Blues climb to 11th in the table, seven points off the play-offs and 11 from the top two ahead of two home cup ties, the Papa John’s Trophy game with Arsenal’s U21s on Wednesday and League Two Barrow in the FA Cup next Saturday.

Town: Walton, Donacien, Nsiala, Edmundson, Clements, Morsy (c), Fraser, Aluko (Evans 66), Chaplin (Edwards 66), Celina, Bonne. Unused: Hladky, Burgess, Vincent-Young, Evans, Harper, Edwards, Pigott.

Crewe: Richards, Offord, Long, Lowery, Porter (c), Finney, Griffiths (Knight 85), Sass-Davies, Williams, Kashket (Mandron 56). Unused: Jaaskelainen, Thomas, Gomes, Lundstram, Woodthorpe. Referee: James Oldham (Derbyshire). Att: 18,883 (Crewe: 225).

Photo: Matchday Images

Wishing4arightback added 17:46 - Nov 28 That was not worth getting frozen for! Outplayed at home by the bottom club. The system is not working, no plan B and odd substitutions. Bonne 8s out of form and has been for a few games, give Piggott a chance or play him with Bonne to give him support. Very 1 dimensional. Come on Mr Cook, actually try something different when its obvious that what we are doing isn't working!

19

Saxonblue74 added 17:50 - Nov 28 Arnie, confidence shouldn't be an issue at 1-0 up after 3 mins to the bottom team. We're not creating enough, not seeing enough from our "flair" players and missing the few good chances we do create. Bonne is looking more frustrated by the minute and desperately needs a goal or two, should have had them today. Wes Burns is a big miss right now, we look far more composed and dangerous in attack with him on the pitch. One of our poorer performances, fortunate to take 3 points against a Crewe side that looked better than bottom spot.

8

Blue56 added 17:50 - Nov 28 Game we should comfortably won by 4 or 5, yet looked like we would throw it away in the second half. Paul Cook is not the man to get us out of this league.
15

Bazza8564 added 17:56 - Nov 28 Scored too early and thought we were gonna coast it, Players once against started coasting and allowed Crewe to play. Disappointed with Evans' introduction and Pigott should have played second half with us 2-0 up. Fraser for me made a huge difference first half with his creativity and Aluko was excellent with Janoi until JD got whacked. We got three points but we failed to dominate a side and looked so complacent once ahead. Will need to do better at Charlton

3

DaGremloid added 17:57 - Nov 28 It's a win and for that we must be grateful, but I doubt the other teams we are, or should be, competing with towards the top end of the table will be shaking with fear. It took an own goal and a piece of individual brilliance to beat the bottom team... If we're going to go places we need a manager who can get the best out of this squad and PC ain't him, whether he signed most of them or not. Underwhelmed.

13

bixleyboy added 17:57 - Nov 28 The three points is the most important thing. Wonderful goal by Celina, the lapses of concentration and intensity throughout the game is worrying however.
6

Nobbysnuts added 18:03 - Nov 28 Great goal by Celina...but oh my god what an awful performance just awful. Other than the 3 points and celina's goal it was dreadful. A better team would of knocked us into next week. Cook out now.
10

blues1 added 18:06 - Nov 28 Attached. Goes to show how up to date some of our so called fans are. The member of coaching staff ur going on about was not the kit man at Wigan at all. Iif ud bothered to listen or read cooks interview about 2 months ago when asked about that, he explained that that was the only way he could get him a job at Wigan as the coaching budget was spent. He was however, a coach. They already had a kitman.

1

blueboy1981 added 18:06 - Nov 28 Reality folks is that todays result is what we need to be getting against top six teams - not teams like Crewe already resigned to League 2 in November !! At this rate, just stating fact, we'll be fortunate to finish mid table in May. Much hope - but seriously cannot see where improvement is coming from. In stature the two Clubs today are light years apart - it has to be remembered !! If we cannot improve more in the second half of the season, than we currently do in the second half of games - it will be a pretty fruitless season once again.

7

legoman added 18:13 - Nov 28 In Cooky we trust. Exciting game for the wrong reasons today. We have the flair players in abundance now we need some intelligent grunt, I envisioned Harper to be that grunt and in time he will imo. So, in January we need some stocky individuals with attitude then we will have a team. I was thoroughly entertained today by the way.
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number8 added 18:14 - Nov 28 Just not consistent enough with in games and from one game to the next. At times great; at times dog 💩!! Let's hope consistency is gunna come! Soon!
2

blueboy1981 added 18:15 - Nov 28 Looks to me as if a certain person is missing Richardson more by the week. Are we ever going to see a Plan B ? - or is this something our Club has been forbidden to have ? - it's been a long time since ….. !!!
4

jas0999 added 18:33 - Nov 28 A wins a win. Thought we missed too many chances again and in the end had to hang on against a very poor Crewe who are bottom of the league. Still, three points. Will need to play better against better opposition.
1

fizzyblue added 18:35 - Nov 28 Its always nice to win but not good feeling so deflated at the end of the match due to a lackluster performance. How cook cannot see that Fraser isn't the slowest player in entire football league is beyond me. Just falls over when opposition player catches up with him and fails to cover his designated area. Playing him and evens together is pure suicide, evens dwells on the ball too much when In possession, can't be arsed to check over his shoulder and passes sideways or to an opponent. It's no coincidence that the worst section of our play today came in the last 20 minutes when both were on the pitch. Despite my rant I really want cook to succeed but I can't help thinking that any decent coach/manager would spot this immediately and iron it out. He may be a good man manager but his ability to put the right blend of players together and vary his tactics in order to challenge the opposition are questionable. Thought aluko, donacion, clements, edwards when on (despite the miss) and celina did well. Love Bonne but lashed at two very easy chances. Lucky not to throw the game away at the end and if wasn't for such poorly calculated subs it would have been a lot more comfortable.

1

RobsonWark added 18:39 - Nov 28 Started really well. Donacien and Aluko were excellent working together and got a deserved goal for all their hard work. Walton was MOM for me. He dominated his area and pulled off a great save in the first half. Celina scored a fantastic goal - League 1 contender for Goal of the Season. Clements had a great game - he showed a lot of maturity for a young player. I would be surprised if clubs in the Premier League and Championship don't try and buy him in January or the Summer. Bonne again misses far too many easy opportunities and it might now be worth giving Pigott a run in the team.

0

gosblue added 18:39 - Nov 28 Why does this feel like a defeat. Today was about tactics. Crewe knew that Town play two in midfield and four attacking player so they loaded up midfield. Then they realised they were getting battered down our right so they tried to counter that They were still able to cut through our midfield at will and get at our back line. We failed to react to that and Alex would have deserved a point if they had got one. One tactical switch that did work for us was the introduction of Edwards and it should have produced at least one goal. Taking Aluko off rather than Celina didn't work, It affected the shape, although Aluko's fitness may have been a factor in that decision.

1

ChrisFelix added 18:41 - Nov 28 A game we should easily have win. Although Bonne has been a success earlier this season yet again he misses guilt edge chances. And as a result we have to hang for the win. Piggot has a proven track record in this division & now must be given his chance.
1

dukey44 added 18:43 - Nov 28 May get a lot of downs on this but after 20 games no confidence in Cook staying beyond Xmas.. His tactics have been worked out now.. Perhaps try a different set up...
6

PinstripeBlue added 18:49 - Nov 28 I rarely comment, but, didn't we all give Cookie 10 games to show us what he's got?
5

cat added 18:52 - Nov 28 The big positive today was the 3 points and the odd moment of brilliance, but why we appear to switch off for periods of the game is simply baffling. Worth the trip to Suffolk today but we need an injection of energy from somewhere to lift the crowd. Few boos ringing out from the SBR stand toward the end (when we were winning) have to say that's a first for me and what a bunch of counterproductive clueless muppets, least wait til the end of the match if it's getting to much!

-2

DifferentGravy added 18:57 - Nov 28 First 20 we looked well on top. Aluko and Donacien causing them problems. Walton was commanding on any set pieces. As half wore on Crewe 'cheated' at times and our midfield werent shrewd enough to follow the runners which gave them opportunities. Too many players ball watching and not picking up players. Second half we tried to close them down.... but you cant do that when one or two players dont do it.....and Crewe played between the lines. We had the chances to extend the lead....but Crewe had opportunities to square it up. Macauley did miss chances which was really annoying...but he worked his socks off and cares about the result. Annoyed we made such hard work of it. Still not happy with in game decisions from manager....but overall glad for the win

4

pragmatic added 19:16 - Nov 28 As many have questioned Paul Cook & his “coaches” ability to make the right decisions during games, ie: Gary Roberts flapping around with his I pod, (taking the mickey out of Pigott in 92min he needed to be on earlier ) I think after 20 games they will be given more time But certainly have a long way to go to convince supporters, Need to be in or much closer to top 6 after Jan 1st.

1

BlueRuin69 added 19:20 - Nov 28 Wow. So much negativity after a wonder goal from Celina. Cheer up comrades. Coyb
1

runaround added 19:34 - Nov 28 Blimey it was cold there today! Good to get back to winning ways although it was hardly convincing. At times it felt like we could have scored a hatful but at other times it felt like we were going to throw it away. Celina's goal was one of the best I have seen live in 40 years of going to football. Hoping that confidence will start to return but I must admit I am having real doubts as to whether Cook can get it right here

3

midastouch added 19:48 - Nov 28 We never make it easy do we! Take a bow though Celina! What a goal! https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/12481757/ipswichs-bersant-celina-pu He can be totally anonymous for large periods and then he pops up with a piece of magic! Frustrating but worth enduring the frustration when he pops in an incredible goal like that! Still feel far from convinced about the team as a whole though. Need to see us beat some teams much higher up the league before I start to believe it tis the season to be jolly! Going into December I want to be cheering ho ho ho, but I still feel more no no no about our chances this season!!! Simply put, we need to get a run going now, we can't afford to wait any longer! So over to you Paul Cook, let's get a run going this side of Xmas please if not as the beaver said to the Xmas tree, it was nice gnawing you!

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