Christian Walton makes a big save to deny Cyle Larin. (Image: Ross Halls)
What a game!
From start to finish this was a breathless, absorbing, tactically fascinating, ding-dong football match that had a bit of everything. Two top teams for the division, despite both being in the thick of relentless schedules, went toe-to-toe and left it all out there. A point wasn’t much use to either, but ultimately they had to shake on a draw.
This reminded me a lot of the thrilling 3-3 draw that Ipswich played out at Hull City in the latter stages of their 2023/24 promotion campaign. Kieran McKenna didn’t thump a dug out in frustration this time, but he was equally as animated during a rollercoaster of emotions evening.
No time wasting. No theatrics. What an advert for the Championship.
Any neutrals watching on will have been left hoping to see this match-up again next month on the Wembley turf.
Dara O’Shea (second right) rallies the troops. (Image: Ross Halls)
Character’s grown
Character and consistency has, quite rightly, been questioned plenty over the course of this season.
From the home collapse against Charlton last October to letting games at Leicester, Sheffield United and Wrexham quickly unravel. This team has never quite been able to fully win over hearts and minds.
Let’s give some credit where it’s due though. Since that 5-3 loss at Wrexham back in late February, the Blues have tasted defeat just once more in 14 outings. And that flat midweek loss at Pompey came with the major caveat of coming hot on the heels of an emotionally sapping long-awaited victory at Norwich.
Controversial late refereeing decisions denied Town comeback wins against Leicester and Stoke. They finally got one against Birmingham. The East Anglian derby win was dripping with spirit and resilience. To recover from conceding inside a minute at Charlton showed bottle. So did an ability to dig in against against a fired up West Brom.
It would have been easy for Ipswich to have felt sorry for themselves after seeing a 1-0 lead turn to a 2-1 deficit in this game. Instead, they threw punches back, got level through sub Jack Clarke and almost landed a knockout blow. Clarke hit the post, was denied by a wonder save and Darnell Furlong put a header narrowly wide during an extraordinary finish.
Some may look at a return of one win in five and suggest the Blues are stumbling towards the line. I’d suggest that the majority of what we’ve seen from seven games in April evidence a team fighting at the finish.
Wes Burns broke the deadlock in the second half. (Image: Ross Halls)
Burns delivers
Wes Burns once again delivered a big moment in a big game.
In the League One promotion campaign he bagged vital goals against Portsmouth, Derby, Plymouth and Peterborough. In the subsequent Championship season, he scored that jaw-dropping trivela against Coventry, levelled against Norwich, got a vital brace against Rotherham and broke the deadlock on the promotion-sealing final day against Huddersfield.
This season, fresh from a near year-long absence with an ACL knee injury, he sealed a 2-0 win at leaders Coventry. And he’s now added a deadlock breaking strike at Southampton to his collection. It was an emphatic drilled finish.
The Welsh winger is due to be out of contract soon. Will his incredible Ipswich journey continue or could Saturday be the big send off? If it’s the latter, you wouldn’t bet against him signing off in style.
Jens Cajuste came on for his first appearance since the 3-3 draw at Stoke on March 10. (Image: Ross Halls)
No.10 issues
I don’t like to single players out, but Marcelino Nunez was a disappointment to me in this game. On the ball he was sloppy. Off it, he didn’t affect the game.
In truth, the Chilean hasn’t been at his energised, creative best for a while. A couple of injury set-backs in 2026 obviously haven’t helped.
Anis Mehmeti’s form has dipped since his impressive early impact after arriving from Bristol City in January, too. It was interesting to see the lesser-spotted Jens Cajuste introduced into the No.10 role for the latter stages of this game given many had assumed we’d seen the last of the Napoli loanee.
Throw in Sammie Szmodics and Chuba Akpom and Ipswich haven’t had huge joy in this position throughout 25/26. For all the talk about striker being a weak area, the output from the man in behind the front man has often been just as big an issue.
Jaden Philogene gets away from Taylor Harwood-Bellis. (Image: Ross Halls)
One last push…
Ipswich certainly had a swing at this free hit. They still remain masters of their own destiny.
Beat mid-table QPR at Portman Road on Saturday lunchtime and an instant return to the Premier League (as well as a third automatic promotion in four years) will be secured. As McKenna says, we’d all have taken this scenario before a ball was kicked.
I don’t think there’s any room for error. You have to expect that Millwall will beat an already relegated Oxford at home to pile the pressure on.
There will be adrenaline and nerves. Nothing can be taken for granted. Town have given themselves a fantastic chance back on Suffolk soil though. One last push required.