Season: 2021-22. Game: 16.
Date: Saturday 7 August 2021.
Kick Off Time: 3pm.
Fixture: Ipswich Town v Morecambe.
Venue: Portman Road, Ipswich Town FC.
Division: Sky Bet EFL League One.
League Positions (2020-21): 9th (League One) v 4th (League Two - playoff winners).
Two second half equalisers from Ipswich Town debutants earn the Tractor Boys a deserved draw against League One debutants Morecambe.
With Kane Vincent-Young, Luke, Woolfenden and Toto Nsiala the only three players to start who were at Portman Road last season, the very much new look Ipswich side impressed in front of 21,037 (356 travelling Shrimps) to start the club's new owners Gamechangers 20 Limited and Paul Cook's first full season in charge.
Wes Burns, signed from Fleetwood Town, was amongst the standouts alongside last season's top goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky (Salford City), goalscorer Scott Fraser (MK Dons) and new Town skipper Lee Evans (Wigan Athletic), whilst fellow new recruits Matt Penney (Sheffield Wednesday), Joe Pigott (AFC Wimbledon), Conor Chaplin (Barnsley) - who assisted the first Town goal of the new historic campaign - and Rakeem Harper also started their Town careers with fairly solid performances.
Morecambe meanwhile handed O’Connor, Delaney, McLoughlin, McCalmont, Gnahoua and McDonald all competitive debuts in manager Stephen Robinson's first game in charge of the Shrimps.
Both sides walked away from the League One opener with positives, with the visitors feeling they felt their own whilst hosts Ipswich will feel pleased with the performance from their new look side in their first home game without capacity restrictions since March 2020 - earning a deserved point in stoppage time.
It was the home side who made a bright start as Wes Burns pressurised Morecambe goalkeeper Letheren's clearance following a back pass, who just avoided the Town man's attempted jump in the way after 7 minutes.
Town very much looked the better side, in control of possession for large amounts of the game in turn creating the more opportunities to score, an example of which came in just the tenth minute as Lee Evans curled and dipped a dangerous free-kick, from just outside the box, an inch wide of the bottom left-hand corner after a foul on Scott Fraser.
Fraser then looked to find Pigott free from close range seven minutes later, but the visiting defence were alert to intercept and clear.
But the Town number 11 did find Pigott unmarked at the near post with an audacious right wing corner on 19 minutes, though the striker could only glance his header an inch over the top far corner.
Against the run of play though, Morecambe broke the deadlock on 22 minutes with a well taken finish. Whilst Town will rue some poor defending, the away side will view it as a well taken solo goal as Cole Stockton ran through the home defence into the box to beat the onrushing Hladky at his near post with a neat finish into the bottom far left-hand corner, 0-1 Morecambe.
Back at the other end, good defending from Morecambe denied Ipswich from quickly getting back on level terms just three minutes later as Scott Fraser's latest exquisitely floated right wing free-kick was shielded away from Rakheem Harper stood at point blank range behind for a goal kick.
Scott Fraser, Town's star man, continued to test the visiting defence with another dangerous set piece, this time picking out Toto Nsiala two minutes shy off the hour mark, though the centre-back could only glance the corner an inch agonisingly wide from point blank range on 28 minutes.
At the other end, goalscorer Stockton tried his luck at goal once more on the half-hour mark, although on this occasion his low curling strike from just outside the box was deflected an inch wide off the far corner off Toto Nsiala.
Both sides though were forced into fairly early changes due to injury before the break, with Delaney being replaced by captain Lavelle for Morecambe, whilst Toto Nsiala was replaced by Janoi Donacien for Town.
Town however remained on top, constantly looking dangerous going forward with Scott Fraser creating another great chance for the Blues just six minutes before the break. The aforementioned Town Man Of The Match (in my opinion) picked up possession in the Morecambe half before feeding Matt Penney in acres of space down the left wing. The full-back then cut inside into the box before firing low and just wide into the side netting.
Ipswich meanwhile then went close twice in the five added minutes before the break, after Vincent-Young's close range shot was well blocked two minutes into stoppage time, before Wes Burns' dangerously inviting cutback on the right-hand byline just didn't fall to a Blue shirt to direct goalwards a minute later
The second half meanwhile saw Town continue to probe for a much deserved equaliser, as the hosts went close to doing so on 48 minutes. Joe Pigott ran through in space to bend a great strike towards the bottom right-hand corner only to be denied by the diving Letheren, who got down well to palm it behind for a corner after Wes Burns won back possession deep in Morecambe's half.
From the resulting corner however, Janoi Donacien could only head narrowly over the crossbar from close range.
Shortly after, Anthony O'Connor became the name in the referee's notebook of the season at Portman Road after catching Conor Chaplin late.
After Shane McLoughlin's, dangerous low cross passed across Town box, the home side saw Penney do likewise, which fell to Vincent-Young, whose shot was diverted narrowly behind by Gibson at the near post.
The breakthrough though arrived soon after the hour mark for Ipswich in deserved fashion courtesy of a well worked goal. Scott Fraser benefiting from a clever one-two with Chaplin as the former ran through inside the box to fire home past Letheren and into the bottom right-hand corner, 1-1.
Whilst Woolfenden headed Evans' free-kick comfortably wide off the target, Town goalkeeper Hladky was alert to get down to his left and gather dangerous low cross into his six yard box on 70 minutes in a rare opportunity for Morecambe.
But two minutes later, Morecambe struck again against the run of play as Cole Stockton picked up his second of the afternoon after a defensive mistake in the Town backline. Penney's pass back to Woolfenden was pick-pocketed by Stockton who then drove into the box before rounding the already committed Hladky to pass home into the empty net, low down the middle, 1-2 Morecambe.
At the other end, Gibson became the second man to be cautioned for pulling back Wes Burns just outside the box, starting a spree of bookings in the following eight minutes with Evans, Penney and Norwood also entering the book, all for fouls but the latter of which a result of frustration from the Ipswich substitute forward.
Though that frustration soon subsided for Ipswich, who regained their composure to earn a point a minute into stoppage time - as on-loan Queens Park Rangers striker Macauley Bonne benefited from a clever flick on from fellow substitute James Norwood to score on his debut for his hometown club - poking home through the onrushing goalkeeper's legs and into the bottom left-hand corner to pick up a deserved point on the board for Town.
With the last action four minutes into stoppage time, James, Norwood almost gave Town a last second heading an inch over from a late Town corner.
Overall, a point was the least Town deserved, denying newly promoted Morecambe a win on their first League One outing in the process.
Town return to Portman Road again on Tuesday when they host League Two Newport County on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup First Round (South).
Ipswich Town:-
31 Vaclav Hladky
24 Kane Vincent-Young
6 Luke Woolfenden
22 Toto Nsiala (38' Donacien)
3 Matt Penney
4 Rakeem Harper
21 Scott Chaplin (78' Bonne)
7 Wes Burns
8 Lee Evans (c)
11 Scott Fraser
9 Joe Pigott (78' Norwood)
Subs:
1 Tomas Holy
10 James Norwood
12 Louie Barry
14 Armando Dobra
16 Idris El Mizouni
18 Macauley Bonne
44 Janoi Donacien
Morecambe:-
1 Kyle Letheren
4 Anthony O'Connor (c)
7 Wes McDonald (62' Ayunga)
8 Toumani Diagouraga
9 Cole Stockton
15 Ryan Delaney (34' Lavelle)
19 Shane McLoughlin
21 Ryan Cooney
22 Liam Gibson
24 Arthur Gnahoua (75' Mellor)
25 Alfie McCalmont
Subs:
20 Jokull Andresson
2 Kelvin Mellor
3 Greg Mellor
5 Sam Lavelle
6 Callum Jones
17 Jonah Ayunga
18 Adam Phillips
Booked: O'Connor (49'), Gibson (75'), Evans (77'), Penney (79'), Norwood (83').
Goals: Fraser (61'), Bonne (90'+1'); Stockton (22', 72').
Att 21,037.
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