Ipswich Town 1-1 Plymouth Argyle - Match Report Saturday, 14th Jan 2023 17:10 Bali Mumba’s deflected injury-time goal grabbed a point for leaders Plymouth Argyle as the Blues and Pilgrims drew 1-1 at Portman Road, the on-loan Norwich man's strike levelling Wes Burns’s brilliant opener for Town. Both teams had hit the woodwork, the Blues through Marcus Harness and Argyle via Ryan Hardie, before Burns lashed a strike into the roof of the net from the right of the area from a Luke Woolfenden lay-off and Town looked on their way to three points until Mumba found the top corner to claim a share of the points in front of 29,069 fans, the highest crowd since the Gamechanger takeover. New recruit Nathan Broadhead, who joined from Everton for £1.5 million earlier in the week, was suffering from some muscle tightness and so was left out of the 18 as a precaution. George Hirst, who had made one start in the final three months of his loan at Blackburn prior to parent club Leicester City loaning him to the Blues for the final half of the campaign, was named among the subs. Town made three changes from their last league game, the 1-1 draw at Lincoln, with Leif Davis returning on the left for Greg Leigh, who was absent from the 18, Conor Chaplin in for Sone Aluko, who was also not in the squad and was with the Town analysts at the back of the Magnus Group West Stand, and one-time Argyle striker Freddie Ladapo the number nine with Kayden Jackson on the bench. George Edmundson, Massimo Luongo and Gassan Ahadme also missed out on a place in the 18. Argyle were without skipper Joe Edwards, suspended following his red card in last week’s 0-0 draw at Bolton, with former Town defender James Wilson captaining in his place. On-loan Sunderland midfielder Jay Matete was the only one of the Pilgrims’ five new signings to start, with three, Ben Waine, Saxon Earley and Tyreik Wright, on the bench. Town were first to threaten in the fourth minute when Ladapo chased a lost cause down the left and sent over a looping cross for Wes Burns but the Welshman fouled Macaulay Gillesphey as he looked to get his head on the ball over the top of the Plymouth defender. Portman Road was in good voice early on with the Sir Bobby Robson Stand singing in tribute to guest of honour Marcus Stewart. In the sixth minute, Argyle struck the game’s first serious shot, Ennis striking from the right of the box from a tight angle and Christian Walton, a Plymouth fan growing up who started his career with the Pilgrims, saving down to his right. Burns was quickly onto the loose ball and blocked one-time Town target Danny Mayor’s follow-up. Two minutes later, Matete hit a low effort from outside the box which was little trouble to Walton. On 11 Burns was first to be shown referee Andy Woolmer’s yellow card for a late tackle on Gillesphey on halfway, although there looked to have been little if any contact. As the game passed the quarter hour, the home fans were up in arms as Harness was clearly fouled as he broke towards the area but with referee Woolmer somehow indicating that the ball had been won. Neither side had gained firm control of a frantic game played at a frenetic pace with both having spells on the ball, although with some nervy passing seeing possession surrendered on occasion. The Town support were on their feet berating referee Woolmer again in the 19th minute when Ladapo turned Dan Scarr a third of the way into the Plymouth half and was fouled as he was about to break towards goal. While Woolmer gave the Blues a free-kick, he failed to show a card for a challenge which was significantly more of a booking than the one which led to Burns’s caution. Two minutes later, Chaplin seized on a poor defensive header from Scarr, taking the ball left before finding Ladapo on the edge of the box. The striker worked space but his shot was too weak to trouble Michael Cooper in the Argyle goal. But Town were starting to find one or two chinks in the Plymouth armour and in the 23rd minute a Chaplin cross from the left flashed across the area with Cooper in two minds, however, too far in front of Ladapo and Burns. Four minutes later, the ball broke to Evans 30 yards out but the Welsh midfielder’s shot flew well into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand. In the 29th minute, Wilson slipped on the left gifting Ladapo the ball but the striker scuffed a week shot through to Cooper with Burns in space on the right of the area screaming for the ball. A pass to the Welshman might well have seen the Blues take the lead. Argyle next had a spell of possession and sent a couple of potentially dangerous balls into the box which the Blues dealt with, although not always entirely comfortably. In the 35th minute, Hardie shot towards goal from the edge of the box on the left but Walton claimed comfortably. A minute later, Town were again angered by the lack of a yellow card after Wilson pulled Chaplin back by the chest with the Blues in a promising position in the middle of the Plymouth half. Moments later, Town played themselves into trouble on the edge of their own area with Lee Evans sending the ball straight out of play past Luke Woolfenden on the right. Wilson finally got his name in referee Woolmer’s book for yet another foul on Chaplin in the 38th minute as rain began to fall very heavily. Town won the first corner of the match soon afterwards from which Cameron Burgess rose highest at the far post to head towards goal by his effort was blocked by Hardie. In the final scheduled minute of the half, Town lost possession on their right and then struggled to get the ball out of their area, Evans blocking from Mumba before Matete blazed over. Just before the whistle with rain continuing to fall very heavily, Blues skipper Sam Morsy brought the ball forward to the edge of the box before hitting a low shot which Cooper palmed away to his right. It had been an evenly-balanced, high-tempo half of few chances overall but with openings starting to appear at both ends in the closing minutes. Ladapo had spurned Town’s best opportunity by failing to spot Burns, while Walton and Cooper had made one real save each over the 45 minutes, the Blues keeper early on from Ennis and Argyle’s from Morsy close to the break. The Blues won a corner on the left two minutes after the restart and subsequently kept Argyle pinned in the area. And in the 48th minute Town should have gone in front. Davis found Harness in acres of space on the left of the area and the former Portsmouth man struck a powerful shot which beat Cooper but hit the angle of post and bar with much of Portman Road already celebrating. Harness failing to take the chance was a big let-off for the visitors and in the 52nd minute Town could count themselves similarly lucky. Ennis broke away down the right and crossed low for the unmarked Hardie, who somehow smashed against the top of the bar when it looked easier to score. In the aftermath, a long ball was sent forward for Burns to chase but Cooper was quickly off his line to head away from the Welshman. The game had opened up significantly since the break and Argyle had another opportunity in the 55th minute when Matete eventually shot harmlessly to Walton with the Blues having struggled to clear their lines. Two minutes later, Morsy brought the ball forward before playing in Ladapo on the right of the box, the skipper perhaps having delayed his pass too. Ladapo cut inside and shot against a defender but a low ball across the area might have been a better option. Plymouth made their first change in the 59th minute, new signing Wright taking over from Mayor. Three minutes later, Ladapo was found midway inside the Plymouth half by Morsy and turned away before breaking towards goal, however, the ball was deflected over. But from the resultant corner, the Blues took the lead. Evans’s initial ball was headed back out to the right and was played back to the midfielder. His cross found Woolfenden on the nearside of the area and the central defender deftly laid it off to Burns, who smashed a shot into the roof of the net to send Portman Road wild. The Welshman and his teammates celebrated his sixth goal of the season in the corner between the Sir Bobby Robson Stand and the Cobbold Stand as Matete complained to referee Woolmer but in vain. Town swapped Ladapo and Harness for new signing Hirst and Cameron Humphreys, who signed a new extended contract yesterday, the two withdrawn players receiving warm ovations as they left the field, while Argyle switched Matete, who had just suffered a knock, and Hardie for Jordan Houghton and new addition Waine. On 68, Hirst almost created a goal with his first contribution for the club, crossing from the left for Morsy, whose shot from the edge of the box was tipped wide by Cooper. The game was subsequently held up for four minutes as Scarr received treatment for a head injury, the Pilgrims defender eventually continuing wearing a numberless shirt. Hirst had his first chance in a Town shirt in the 75th minute, Evans looping a ball in from the right but the loan striker was unable to direct a difficult ball towards goal. There was a scare for the Blues two minutes later when Walton dallied in possession inside the area and was closed down by Pilgrims sub Waine and the ball ricocheted back past the keeper but five yards wide, adding to the late-game nerves around Portman Road. Plymouth made a double change on 79, Finn Azaz and Sam Cosgrove replacing stand-in captain Wilson and Ennis. Goalscorer Burns picked up a knock, the game having moved into its final 10 minutes, and after receiving treatment on the field was replaced by Kane Vincent-Young. The former Colchester man was soon in the action, finding space on the right of the box and appeared to be clipped but stayed on his feet and his cross was cut out. Soon after, Hirst was booked for a foul on Mumba. Town appeared to be seeing the game out as the match moved into nine minutes of injury time but three minutes into time added-on Plymouth equalised. The Blues left Mumba on his own as they sought to get the ball away from the left of their area and after receiving Aziz's pass, the wing-back cut in and hit a powerful shot which clipped Burgess and looped just inside the post to send the visiting 2,144 into raptures. Mumba had also scored in the Pilgrims’ 2-1 victory over Town at Home Park earlier in the season. Azaz shot well over for Plymouth before Town swapped Morsy for Kyle Edwards for the final minutes. The Blues were unable to carve out another chance before referee Woolmer ended an entertaining but for Town an ultimately frustrating game. Kieran McKenna’s men have now dropped 15 points from winning positions this season, while Argyle have grabbed the same number having been behind, the most in the division. Plymouth are now 12 away league games without defeat, a club record. Town had got the vital first goal and hadn’t seemed under any pressure until the lapse which led to Mumba’s goal. Prior to that, the Blues had had one or two opportunities to add to their lead but nothing really clear-cut. The draw and Sheffield Wednesday’s 1-0 win at Wycombe Wanderers means the Blues remain third in the table, still seven points behind the Pilgrims and now four off the Owls ahead of next week’s trip to Oxford United with Argyle having played a game more than the two clubs chasing them. Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis, Evans, Morsy (c) (Edwards 90), Burns (Vincent-Young 84), Chaplin, Harness (Humphreys 67), Ladapo (Hirst 67). Unused: Hladky, Keogh, Jackson. Plymouth: Cooper, Gillesphey, Wilson (c) (Azaz 79), Scarr, Hardie (Waine 66), Mayor (Wright 59), Ennis (Cosgrove 79), Mumba, Randell, Lonwijk, Matete (Houghton 66). Unused: Burton, Earley. Referee: Andy Woolmer (Northamptonshire). Att: 29,069 (Plymouth: 2,144).
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