Analysis: Tough week takes its toll on Shrewsbury in Ipswich defeat
It was one game too far for Shrewsbury Town as they were put to the sword by a very impressive Ipswich Town side when they visited Montgomery Waters Meadow.
When the fixtures were announced Town supporters would have looked at this week and struggled to see where Salop would get their points from.
But Steve Cotterill’s side put in a gritty and determined display against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park in 35-degree heat which saw them get their first league win of the season.
They then backed up against recently relegated Derby County with a 0-0 draw.
Salop saw very little of the ball when The Rams visited the Meadow but they were organised and defiant, preventing Derby from creating anything clear-cut from open play – and they even had chances to win it themselves at the end.
But the visit of The Tractor Boys was one step too far for Cotterill’s men, who had put in two enormous performances requiring effort and energy already this week.
Keiran Mckenna’s men arrived at the Meadow unbeaten in their first four games, having won three and drawn one.
It was another side who were going to have the majority of the ball, meaning Town spent a lot of time chasing.
And as they had named the same starting XI that played all 90 minutes in the week, it always looked like an uphill battle.
And Town struggled to match the intensity they showed against Derby.
When they did win the ball back, they were sloppy and careless in possession which meant they could not get any respite from the constant Ipswich probing.
Town really did struggle to make an impact on the game, not really creating a chance of note. The opposite was true for Ipswich.
They could have taken the lead early when Vincent-Young was played through.
The forward rounded keeper Marko Marosi, and if it had not been for a brilliant tackle from Tom Flanagan, they would have taken the lead inside five minutes.
Former Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough midfielder Sam Morsy ran the game in midfield for the visitors, and his side put in the most impressive team performance out of anyone who has visited the Meadow so far this season.
They took the lead midway through the first half with a brilliant individual goal from Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules.
But Town would have been desperately disappointed with the way in which they conceded.
Firstly, Luke Leahy, who has a had a great start to the season, was caught in possession midway through his own half by John-Jules.
The striker carried the ball to the edge of the Town penalty area where Chey Dunkley committed too early and went to ground, giving him chance to slot the ball past Marosi.
It was an avoidable goal for Town to concede, and when they are playing opposition with the quality Ipswich have, Salop cannot afford to give them a head start.
In the second half, Town started with more intensity.
They were trying to get on the front foot to get back in the game.
But any chances of that were short-lived as the visitors doubled their lead seven minutes into the second half.
Cotterill said his side needed a goal during that period, but it was not to be.
Leif Davis found Conor Chaplin on the edge of the Town penalty area.
The number 10 had acres of space and time to pick his spot, and his left-footed shot beat the diving Marosi.
The Tractor Boys did get a third in injury time through Kayden Jackson, but the game was already over by this point.
And the goals were not great from Salop’s point of view.
Cotterill said they all came from areas of the pitch they defended so well against Derby in midweek, but for whatever reason, they could not match that against the league leaders.
One of the biggest problems for Cotterill is the lack of experience he has available on the bench.
They were able to name seven substitutes again, they only named six in midweek, with Ryan Bowman having recovered from a back problem in time for this game.
But senior players Aiden O’Brien and Elliot Bennett remain out with injury, and so the Town boss is limited with what changes he can make.
Cotterill said post-match that he would have liked to have made a couple of changes for this game to freshen things up, but simply, he does not have that luxury.
Most Town fans would have been delighted to take four points out of this week’s fixtures so it has not been a bad week for Town, even though it has ended with a loss.
They will now move on to a difficult Carabao Cup tie against Burnley in midweek.
And they are next in league action at Bristol Rovers, a game in which Town will set their sights on producing a positive performance and getting back to winning ways.
