Ipswich Town lost 2-1 at Cheltenham Town this evening. Andy Warren hands out some player ratings.
Vaclav Hladky
Started the game with some early nerves once again as a poor clearance saw him kick into touch, before being pinned and completely failing to deal with the game’s first long throw. But he responded well with some brave claims in traffic. He could perhaps have done a little more for the Cheltenham equaliser. It must be said, Callum Wright’s header was perfectly in the top corner as the goalkeeper back-peddled following a deep ball into the box. Made a good save, his first as an Ipswich player, to stop Wright’s effort before Will Boyle’s winner. 6
Janoi Donacien
Shifted over to right-back following his spell in the heart of defence and was solid throughout, though didn’t get as high up the pitch as the Ipswich full-backs have in the first three games. Some of his balls forward were a little loose and he wasn’t able to threaten the box on too many occasions. 6
Luke Woolfenden
A new defensive partner, in the form of Cameron Burgess, seemed to bring something extra out of Woolfenden, who looked calm and composed through much of this contest as he and his fellow centre-back tracked the two Cheltenham centre-backs well. Neither will be happy with the manner of the two goals conceded, though. 7
Cameron Burgess
As promised by Cook, the new signing was immediately thrown into action here and delivered much of what was expected of him, with some excellent headed clearances and some decent moments on the ball. He was superb in the second period, clearing time and again. But, like Woolfenden, players in his position will take the goals conceded personally, even if not directly at fault. 8
Matt Penney
With new signing Hayden Coulson watching from the bench for the first time, Town’s starting left-back let fly with an unstoppable shot which moved through the air before hitting the back of the Cheltenham net after just nine minutes. He backed up Kyle Edwards well throughout, both holding his position and advancing when necessary, while having a solid enough night in a defensive sense. He was sandwiched for the first Cheltenham goal, not dealing with either man at the back post after being left a little exposed. 6
Lee Evans
A scrappy first half from the Town skipper saw him combine some good passing and combative tackling with a few sloppy moments and some cheap fouls, one of which resulted in a booking which left him walking something of a tightrope. He showed more composure after the break. 5
Rekeem Harper
The former West Brom man’s touch was superb throughout this match, making space of himself to play on the front foot and work the ball around the field. But both he and Evans will have wanted to influence play more. 6
Scott Fraser
Was again deployed in a tucked-in role, coming off the right flank, and though he was quiet for long spells of this match, did contribute significantly to Penney’s goal as his shot was blocked away, into the path of the left-back. We’re still not close to seeing the best of the former MK Dons man, who has yet to feature in his favoured central role. 5
Kyle Edwards
Scintillating in the first half, with his exceptional first touch teasing Cheltenham defenders time and time again and threatening the home box on a number of occasions, as he cut in from a narrow starting position on his left foot. Was quiet at the start of the second half, though still effective, with some excellent touches in dangerous areas. Ipswich look to have a real player on their hands. 8
Macauley Bonne
This game will be remembered for the striker’s extraordinary miss, which saw him play the ball over the goalkeeper and fail to apply the finish with an open goal at his mercy. It ultimately proved extremely costly. But his performance away from that incident was good, as he ran in behind and was an outlet for his team-mates. 6
Joe Pigott
The striker is still to get off the mark in an Ipswich shirt but seemed to be enjoying playing with Bonne for much of this game, flicking on for his partner’s missed chance and making space for him to push on and push the Cheltenham defence. His sights of goal were limited before he was replaced. He’s contributing, but would definitely benefit from opening his account sooner rather than later. 6
Kayden Jackson (for Pigott, 77)
Struggled to get into the game after being the first man summoned from the bench. n/a
Louie Barry (for Bonne, 88)
Thrown on to try and grab an equaliser and didn’t get involved. n/a
Tom Carroll (for Harper, 89)
An Ipswich debut for the final couple of minutes of this game. n/a
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