Having travelled over 600 miles to the two away games this week, the trip to Ipswich on Saturday is only a meagre 426 round trip so for the second time this season will rack up 1000 miles in a week. Not been to Portman Road so a new ground for yours truly, missed the return fixture in which Town won 2-1 although reports had it that we played well that day but were beaten by class finishing. Town are in 5th place on 44 points ideally placed for the play offs but still on the fringes of being automatic promotion challengers. They have lost three times at home this season to Boro, Derby and Brighton, they won on Tuesday night beating Leeds 2-1 after being 1 down in 15 seconds. As with a McCarthy side they will be well organised and prove very difficult opposition. They have Murphy and Sears to put the ball in the net plus Pitman who has scored two in two against us. Last time we played there we drew in the cup a couple of seasons ago, our record is not bad at Portman Road, just have to sign David Nugent on loan for one game only to frighten the life out of them. Providing we get international clearance for Grimshaw suspect he will be in the squad. Probably change the side having played 352 on Tuesday more likely to play 4411 on Saturday. Anything we get points wise will be a bonus in my view.
A 15 hour round trip to end a marathon week on the road saw North End take a point in a well earned draw against play off hopefuls Ipswich Town. An early blow for North End when skipper Clarke pulled up 10 minutes before the kick off saw the visitors having to make a change with Woods replacing the skipper. The setback didn't phase North End for 25 minutes they played really well penning the home side back, an early Gallagher free kick was punched away by Gerkin in the Town goal as North End camped in the Town half, although Sears broke down the right and fed in a dangerous cross with no home forward able to get on the end of the cross. It was no surprise when North End went in front, the home side failed to clear their lines and eventually the mighty dreadlocks(Johnson) fired the ball home. Doyle was unlucky when clean through not to control the ball and a well worked free kick was fired narrowly wide by Gallagher. Slightly against the run of play Town equalised Murphy picked the ball up 30 yards out evaded a Browne challenge before firing home from 25 yards past Johnstone, the keeper should have done better perhaps but it was a good strike. North End had a chance to regain the lead when Doyle fizzed in a cross for the left but Garner could not divert the ball into the net. The second half was mainly dominated by the home side although in the early stages efforts on goal were rare apart from another Murphy shot which was narrowly wide. North End had a purple patch which led to a Pearson disallowed goal after neat play with Doyle, apparently Doyle was just off side(as if) Town began to force North End back but from a rare venture upfield Wright headed narrowly wide from a corner. Johnstone made a good one handed save to prevent a goal bound home effort, from the resulting play Town probably should have had a penalty after a majestic Huntington save on the floor but it was missed by Mr Hooper who did not have the best of games. So four points out of six in two away games plus the cup defeat. In truth the points are more important, would have been nice to progress in the cup but points are the priority. Ipswich Town 1 Preston North End 1 Att 21100 Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy: "It was a real tough Championship match - they were hard to break down. "You can't win them all and if we can't win matches, then the most important thing is we don't lose them. "We should have had a penalty - it hits his hand and then he grabs the ball under his body "We had to eke out a point - so we will take that. Preston North End manager Simon Grayson: "I thought we performed really well in a different type of game - there were a lot of positives to take from the game. "You have to stand up against Mick McCarthy's teams, but we started the game really well and could have had more than the one goal. "They asked questions of us in the second half but I thought we deserved the point and I am pleased with it."
A good point earned. A better report than the BBC which gave the impression that IPswich were all over NE.
