Leicester 3 ITFC 0

Leicester 3 ITFC 0

Town take a hammering away at high flying Leicester and this is very disappointing but not surprising…

The big news ahead of the game for Town was that David McGoldrick would not play due to injury. So far I have not found out how he became injured and think it must have been a training injury? There was lots of talk on the radio about him not playing but I didn’t hear what happened to injure him! Manager Mick was then asked if he would get a loan striker in but his reply was very true that nowhere are there good players waiting to be loaned out at this point of the season. Teams are trying to avoid relegation or to get in the play-offs and will not be loaning out good strikers to help out other teams at this time! Also as Mick stated it is time for the other Town strikers and attacking players to step up and fill the gap left by McGoldrick.

Well I started listening to the match on Radio Suffolk but it sounded like Town weren’t in it and I went off to watch the TV and see England beat Ireland in the six nations rugby. I don’t think I missed much by not listening to the match commentary. I did watch the highlights on the football league show and saw Jay Tabb’s back pass go straight to a Leicester player who finished well to get the first goal. Then another defensive mess up and not clearing the ball gave David Nugent the chance for yet another goal against Town. At that stage it could have been a goal fest for Leicester but it was late in the second half until they got a third from Chris Wood and again with poor defending!

The highlights showed only 2 Town chances with Skuse having time to shoot from outside the box but not hitting the target and Tommy Smith going close with a header.

After match comment

Town now are slipping down the table with Blackburn, Wigan and others starting to hit form and challenge for the sixth play off position.

There aren’t many matches remaining now till the end of the season and Town players need to vastly improve if they are to challenge for that sixth position play off place.

It appears that my belief in the Town players is misplaced. Jay Tabb has not done as well as I expected and neither has Skuse or Edwards or Nouble. I am very disappointed!

As I have reported throughout the games this season Town need to be gritty and combative and ruthless as manager Mick McCarthy said way back at the Wigan away game, that they crumbled to a soft defeat when they had shown some good signs. I have seen glimmerings of character within the side during the season but it is just not enough!

The only player of real quality in the side has been David McGoldrick and now he is out, the other players are just not stepping up their game and team play. Why is this? Town had put themselves in a good position behind Reading but are not battling hard enough to go for the sixth play off place and the players who are given chances are not taking them! Meanwhile many other teams in the Championship are showing fight and determination eg Barnsley (as always battling against the bottom), Charlton, Yeovil and even Birmingham.

So next up is a home game next Saturday against Birmingham and that will be a tough game for Town but winnable. COME ON YOU TOWN PLAYERS..play for the team and the fans and the manager and finally for your own pride and put the effort in to at least try for a play off place!
LET’S BE HAVING YOU!

Barnsley 2 ITFC 2

Barnsley 2 ITFC 2

WELL PLAYED TOWN!
Town showed lots of good qualities (good determination and character) to get this away draw after trailing 0-2 after 80 minutes. Town then scored 2 in the last 10 minutes of the game and could have scored more to win the game…

Match analysis

Even though Barnsley are near the bottom of the table again this season they are a good side (remember Jim O’Brien’s excellent goal for Barnsley in the 1-1 draw at Portman Road earlier this season?).

They played well in this game and went ahead with a good strike and finish from Chris O’Grady. I was dismayed when they scored again but all Town fans must applaud the Town team for battling back with late goals from Berra and McGoldrick. Stephen Hunt missed an open goal for Town (he’s done that before to….).

Manager Mick felt Town should have won the game but it is was important to get at least a point to keep the chase for the promotion place going (and Reading did us a favour by surprisingly losing). Town remain in seventh place and 3 points behind Reading who are sixth.

Town gave a debut to on loan midfielder Green (from Leeds) and there were good spells from Town with Nouble and Murphy playing well at times but it would be good to get some goals from Nouble…C’mon Frank!

WELL PLAYED ITFC…..

Next game..

The next game is a home game on Saturday 15th February 2014 15:00 against Blackpool. This will be tough but the Town could win it if they play well..so C’MON YOU BLUES…
GO TOWN!!!

Town video highlights 1-0 vs Bolton

ITFC vs Bolton

ITFC vs Bolton

Today is a home game against Bolton and is a good chance for Town to get a home win.

Bolton have been in a poor run of form recently despite having a squad of potentially good players. It is hard to know why Bolton are struggling and it is important Town do not get complacent. Conversely Town have been showing much promise with hopes of maintaining good form this afternoon.

ITFC and teams news..

Yesterday was the closing day of transfer deadlines. Town have had two changes due to this with new loan signing Frazer Richardson as right back (from Middlesborough) arriving at Town.He was on the bench for the away draw at Leeds last Tuesday and is again on the bench today. Ryan Tunnicliffe has gone on to Fulham (an on loan deal from his parent club Man Utd) and it is a shame he has had to leave. Still the Town squad are growing in confidence and his departure gives all other squad members a chance to impress if given a chance. I have high hopes today for Stephen Hunt and Jay Tabb who start today and I feel if they do well Town will have a good chance for a win in this game.
Here is the Town line up:

22 Gerken
04 Chambers
03 Cresswell
08 Skuse
06 Berra
05 Smith
12 Hunt
18 Tabb
09 Murphy
10 McGoldrick
35 Nouble

Substitutes:
01 Loach 07 Edwards 11 Anderson 14 Wordsworth 15 Mings 24 Richardson 26 Taylor

Bolton have signed Town old boy Liam Trotter (from Millwall) and he is on the bench ready to come on for Bolton.

Again I’m listening to live match commentary from BBC Radio Suffolk with Brenner Woolley and Mick Mills. Bolton have just gone close to scoring after an even first 10 minutes…

COME ON YOU BLUES….COME ON TOWN!

I will post updates of how the game develops…..

Half-time..ITFC 0 Bolton 0

Not a classic match at all. The main problem for Town was Cole Skuse going off injured midway through the first half and Antony Wordsworth replacing him. The difficulty for Town is their midfielders now (Hunt,Tabb and Wordsworth) aren’t really balanced with Hunt and Tabb preferring to drift wide and not dominate in the centre. So with the injury to Skuse and with Higham out injured and Tunnicliffe no longer with Town, the midfield balance is disrupted and these 3 players now need to knuckle down to controlling the midfield area. This means especially keeping the Bolton midfield quiet and linking Town defence and attack.

This is a big ask for these three Town players but if Town are to play as a team today this has to happen. Otherwise Town will have to hope for some individual brilliance from any Town player to change the game to Town’s advantage. The second half has just started….

Town play better than Bolton in the second half and go a goal ahead from a penalty scored by David McGoldrick. When Bolton bring on Liam Trotter manager Mick McCarthy takes of Wordsworth and brings on Frazer Richardson just to mark Trotter and the game finishes as a very important win for Town & 3 points. Well played Town!

Post match comment…

ITFC 1 BOLTON 0

This was a good win today even though Bolton were not very good. Town stay in 7th place, four points behind Reading in 6th place and so are still in with a chance of getting into the play off positions.

The balance of the Town midfield has changed now with the injuries to Skuse and Higham but even so Town should be able to sort this problem area out with an understanding from the whole team and especially the remaining fit midfielders along with good tactical substitutions from manager Mick.

Town have a week to plan and train before their next game away next Saturday against Barnsley. Again this should be a winnable game for the Town so I am optimistic and I’m sure the Town players will be too!

COME ON YOU BLUES…