Tue 17 Mar ITFC 1 Bolton 0

21 March 2015 Watford 0 ITFC 1

WELL PLAYED TOWN!

Jay Tabb actually scored in the Bolton game! Something of a mishit shot but it went in for a vital goal.
I suggest Tabb practises shooting and taking dead ball/set pieces eg free kicks and corners, during the international break before the next game.

Against Watford, Richard Chaplow scored in extra time with an assist from Freddie Sears…sweet!

Town have a few injuries (Parr, McGoldrick) and Mings is suspended so Elliott Hewitt has been brought back from loan at Colchester to help strengthen the side.

Currently the top 2 leagues are on international break and Town’s next match is:
Fri 3 April 2015 Championship vs AFC Bournemouth (Home)
17:15

This starts the Easter holiday and should be a great game as Bournemouth are currently at the top of the league (73 points and Town 67 points). GO TOWN!

Town’s remaining games are crucial and Town must get wins and points if they are to stay in the play off places. They are currently in sixth position.

Fri 3 Apr 5:15pm AFC Bournemouth H
Mon 6 Apr 3:00pm Huddersfield Town A
Sat 11 Apr 3:00pm Blackpool H
Tue 14 Apr 7:45pm Cardiff City H
Sat 18 Apr 12:15pm Wolverhampton Wanderers A
Sat 25 Apr 3:00pm Nottingham Forest H

Sat 2 May 12:15pm Blackburn Rovers A

COME ON YOU BLUES!

A very bad result for Town today away at Middlesborogh.

I listened to some first half commentary on BBC Radio Suffolk and keeper Dean Gerken was taken off injured after the first Middlesborough goal after 5 minutes.
I feared the worst then but Town equalised a few minutes later with a goal from Daryl Murphy.
It sounded like Town played reasonably in the first half.

I was able to watch the second half on Sky tv and Town were awful!
Patrick Bamford played really well for ‘Boro and skinned Tommy Smith a few times.
Town only had one chance in the second half, a header from Luke Varney which missed the target when it was a good opportunity to score.

All the Town players had poor to average second half performances and the only one who looked to have any energy and drive was Johnny Parr.

As I said before (2 posts previously), with Town on this awful run of form it will be a MIRACLE if Town get a play off place.
It is all very disappointing, as the team seem to have folded and thrown away opportunity after opportunity since after Christmas. When Mick McCarthy came to Town, the defence has improved but recently even they have given away soft goals and Town have missed the Hunt brothers and Didzy sorely.

As Town’s form has continued to be poor, many people (fans and even the manager) have said Town were still in a good position, but that was meaningless when Town’s bad form has continued for so long. They will have to play much better to get results again, as the end of the season is fast approaching. A footbal game lasts 90 minutes (or more) and any winning team has to play well for the whole time and likewise the team have to play well for the whole season to get a reward at the end.

It is so hard to stay positive for me, as a Town fan, when the team have been performing poorly.I had really hoped these last 10 or so games would hve been an exciting time as a Town fan, but without a miracle, this season is heading for mid table mediocrity for Town!

Can you tell I’m very disappointed!? COME ON ITFC….I’d love you to prove me wrong and finish the season with a fighting flourish! So give me something to shout about Town please…COME ON YOU BLUES!!

Town drew 1-1 with Brentford last Saturday.

I didn’t see the game live but saw the highlights on tv (Football League show) and listened to parts on BBC Radio Suffolk. From that it seemed like a good game. The two Town highlights seem to have been one really good finish for a goal for Daryl Murphy and one shockingly bad finish to miss an almost certain goal by Daryl Murphy. Murphy was easily inside the 6 yard box (2m or such?!) and his contact with the outside of his boot took the ball way over the bar! Really one of the worst misses you could ever see at scoring a goal and from an “on-fire” striker! Oh well….

Anyway Town could have and should have won the game but didn’t. At least it was a draw. Now Town have dropped outside the play off places and there are only ten more games to go. The remaining games for Town are pretty tough:

Sat 14 Mar 12:15pm Middlesbrough A
Tue 17 Mar 7:45pm Bolton Wanderers H
Sat 21 Mar 3:00pm Watford A

Fri 3 Apr 5:15pm AFC Bournemouth H
Mon 6 Apr 3:00pm Huddersfield Town A
Sat 11 Apr 3:00pm Blackpool H
Tue 14 Apr 7:45pm Cardiff City H
Sat 18 Apr 12:15pm Wolverhampton Wanderers A
Sat 25 Apr 3:00pm Nottingham Forest H

Sat 2 May 12:15pm Blackburn Rovers A

Mick McCarthy thinks 5 more wins might be enough for Town. On current form, I don’t see 5 wins there for Town. It is clear Town are going to have to improve and get results from these games and winning results. Draws will not be enough.

The old cliche is very true that Town have to do well game by game, taking and focussing on each game one at a time and every game will have to be like a final if Town are to have any hope of getting a play off promotion place.

I hope Town can do this and I feel they have the potential to do it, but it is going to be a huge challenge for them to actually do it. So it is going to be a very interesting and exciting end to the season.

Next game is away against Middlesborough.

COME ON YOU BLUES…..

Town lost away at Leeds tonight. Town’s poor recent results continue.

I listened to the game on Radio Suffolk and Town appear to have given away one soft goal and Murphy who came on as a substitute missed a penalty! Billy Sharpe (of course..) scores again against Town with Freddie Sears getting the Town goal. Overall a draw would have been a fair result but frustratingly Town seem to only have themselves to blame for the loss and not really good play from Leeds. Town cannot keep making major mistakes without consequences.

Town now remain out of the promotion play off places, with another missed opportunity to get some points again tonight.

I really despair at Town presently. They were in a great position at the start of the year but their form has been poor since. There are various factors for this (especially with injuries to key players and most especially to McGoldrick who is badly missed from the team) but Town have made the finish to the season so hard for themselves. If Town do not start getting results they will not get to the play offs. Although it has been a good season for Town, it would be bad for Town not to make the play offs, when at one stage they were in second place and trying for automatic promotion.

I have previously on my blog posts called for Town to dig deep and grind out the results and show the character needed to do this but this hasn’t happened.

I now think it will be a miracle if Town get promotion.
Getting into the play offs is going to be hard now with so many other teams in better form than Town and the dream of winning the play offs and gettting promotion is fading for me. It is such a shame. I’m listening to another fan on the Radio Suffolk saying that the team are a shadow of what they were earlier in the season.

I’ve just heard manager Mick McCarthy on the radio and he is obviously very disappointed also (especially with the defensive errors).

The next two games for Town are tough. First home against Brentford on Saturday and then away at Middlesborough. Really Town have to win both to get back on track. The Town team have the potential to win these games but I’m no longer optimistic. I predicted Town to beat Norwich 3-0 last Saturday, but the nature of the game (with the lack of both quality and character, determination and resolve) and the result shocked me.

Nonetheless I will keep supporting the Town and hope they can stop this bad run of form and get that team character and spirit going, that is needed to get results and a good finish to the season.

COME ON YOU BLUES….