Town fell behind to a low strike from Carlos Vicente, but turned the tables thanks to goals from Ben Johnson and Kasey McAteer. The second half was a tough watch, but Kieran McKenna’s side did enough to claim all three points on Suffolk soil.
Marcelino Nunez returned from injury to start (Image: Ross Halls)
TEAM NEWS
McKenna made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Millwall before the international break.
Christian Walton continued in goal, playing behind a back line of Darnell Furlong, Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves and Ben Johnson, with Leif Davis serving the final match of his suspension.
Azor Matusiwa started in midfield, partnering Dan Neil, while Kasey McAteer and Jack Clarke played out wide.
Marcelino Nunez returned from injury to replace Anis Mehmeti in the no.10 role. George Hirst led the line in place of Ivan Azon, who wasn’t in the squad.
Town XI: 4-2-3-1: Walton; Furlong, O’Shea, Greaves, Johnson; Matusiwa (Mehmeti 39’), Neil; McAteer (Kipre 86′), Nunez (Taylor 75′), Clarke (Philogene 75′); Hirst (Akpom 75′)
Birmingham XI: 4-2-3-1: Beadle; Osayi-Samuel, Klarer, Neumann, Panzo (Laird 56′); Solis, Paik (Iwata 46′); Vicente (Roberts 81′), Stansfield (Ducksch 81′), Gray (Osman 56′); Priske
Carlos Vicente opened the scoring for the visitors (Image: Steve Waller)
EARLY FRUSTRATION
Town fans were aware that Millwall had fallen to a home defeat earlier in the day, losing 2-1 at home to Norwich City. The players must have known it too, and Ipswich started fast, with Nunez finding the overlapping run of McAteer, who fired a powerful strike just over the crossbar.
Their early intensity was good. Hirst tried to chase down a pass after good work from Furlong, but was let down by his footwork in the box. Birmingham’s only sniff came from a free-kick in the fifth minute, which Vicente fired out for a corner. Ipswich cleared.
Up the other end, goalkeeper James Beadle was rarely tested.
He did have to make a crucial save on the half-hour mark when McAteer found a gap to attack. His flick opened the space for him to have a shot, but it was tame and easily held.
Birmingham then attacked up the other end. A sweeping cross from Jay Stansfield fell at the feet of Vicente, who fired low and hard into the bottom corner to open the scoring.
Kasey McAteer completed the comeback after Ben Johnson’s equaliser (Image: Steve Waller)
BACK FROM BEHIND
From there, nerves crept in. Ipswich looked uncomfortable on the ball. Their play became increasingly sloppy. Going into the interval trailing would have been really tough to take, with the crowd starting to become frustrated.
To make matters worse, Matusiwa – who had gone down for treatment earlier in the half – was forced off, with Nunez dropping deeper to allow Anis Mehmeti to come on as the no.10.
Town turned the game around in stunning fashion.
First came the equaliser, with 41 minutes on the clock. Birmingham tried to clear the ball down the right as Ipswich hoped to win a corner, but it ended up falling at the feet of Furlong, who crossed up and over Hirst in the box.
Johnson was well placed, however, firing a shot at goal that beat Beadle, with Phil Neumann required to clear it away. However, the referee confirmed that the ball had crossed the line, handing Johnson his first ever Championship goal.
It got better from there, on the stroke of half time. Clarke played the ball up to Hirst, who was in a tough spot, but he released McAteer in the box. That allowed him to roll it into the back of the net in the 45th minute to fire his side ahead.
Town lost momentum in the second half of the game (Image: Steve Waller)
A FAMILIAR PATTERN
It was tough to imagine Birmingham coming from 3-1 down to get a result, given their away form, but a one-goal lead was always going to be tough to manage.
McAteer could easily have had his brace in the 50th minute as he snuck into the box – his strike flashed across the face of goal before bobbling out of play.
It was Town’s best opportunity at the start of the second half, where the visitors had the better of the game despite creating little.
Their best moment was when substitute Ibrahim Osman cut inside and fired a fierce effort into the gloves of Walton.
Ipswich did turn the momentum a bit. Hirst had the best chance, connecting with a Johnson cross that was aimed at Mehmeti, winning a corner with a shot that ultimately led to nothing.
Birmingham had a goal disallowed towards the end of the match (Image: Steve Waller)
SEEING IT OUT
Ipswich had a clear warning shot in the 70th minute as Osman danced in and out down the left. His cross was aimed towards August Priske, but instead bounced off O’Shea and into the net.
The referee, however, said that Osman let the ball run out of play before he could cross it. Replays suggest Town may have been fortunate.
It did nothing to change the flow of the game, however. Ipswich looked like a team who hadn’t played a competitive game in over a fortnight. They looked tired and struggled to assert themselves as the clock ticked towards full time.
Birmingham had chances. Osman struck a low shot from the left in the 85th minute, which Walton tipped onto the post. O’Shea rushed back to deny Ethan Laird from the rebound.
The finale was more comfortable, however, with Ipswich slowing things down to see out a big win in their bid to return to the Premier League.
Attendance: 29,381