Ipswich U17s 0 Charlton U17s 2: IPSWICH Town's kids produced a lacklustre performance against a fired-up Addicks side and lost by two soft goals – a penalty and a deflected own goal.

Ipswich U17s 0 Charlton U17s 2

IPSWICH Town's kids produced a lacklustre performance against a fired-up Addicks side and lost by two soft goals – a penalty and a deflected own goal.

It was a game of few clear chances and Town keeper Floyd Croll was mostly troubled when the ball was bombed into the area from corners and free kicks and Charlton crowded the penalty area.

Charlton keeper Rob Elliott had to produce the save of the game to deny Liam Hunn with a point-blank save in the second half. The Ipswich players involved in the mid-week FA Youth Cup defeat to Notts County looked tired mentally and physically and rarely got their passing game going.

Even so it was a surprise when the visitors took the lead after 12 minutes. Alistair John took a tumble in the penalty box as he tried to turn on the ball and was lucky to win a spot kick. Wayne Wilson converted it. After 20 minutes a great period of possession, involving a dozen passes, ended with a cross whipped in the from the right by Adem Atay and the keeper had to dive to claim it.

Town were more creative in the second half, at the end of one move Aidan Collins passed to Henry Sobolewski and his deep cross from the left wing almost deceived Elliott, who could only palm it up and then had to turn and catch it before it crossed the line.

At every free kick and corner centre half Collins was singled out for special shirt-pulling treatment when he went forward. Substitutes Liam Hunn and Blair Hammond freshened it up for Town and it was Hunn who arrived at the far post to blast a cross goalwards, after 85 minutes, which Elliott pushed behind.

Gradually referee Mr Snell was losing patience with Charlton's spoiling tactics and he booked several, for fouls, for dissent and for failing to allow a free kick to be taken.

Craig Reid saw one strong shot deflected and drop just over the bar, a dangerous Daniel Flack free-kick was headed down and kicked clear and then Ipswich thought they had a penalty of their own when Reid turned on the ball in the box and was tripped. Gerard Nash saw another shot blocked and the game seemed over as it was well into time added on.

There was a nasty twist still for Town.

A quick break saw a left-wing cross cleared from the Ipswich goal but it was knocked back in and booted clear from on the goal line. The linesman some distance away flagged and the referee awarded the goal.

Ipswich: Croll, Atay, Sobolewski, Nash, Manning, Collins, Flack, Mitchell, Musson, Reid, Barron, subs used Hammond, Hunn, Pickford.

Charlton: Elliott, Cottrell, Ashton, Harringan, Shadende, Wilson, Brown, Evans, Ndamber, John Weston, subs used Phillips, Walker, Sodje.

Charlton U19s 2 Ipswich U19s 1

IPSWICH Town dominated this game for 80 of the 90 minutes and were bemused how they came away pointless.

They should have gone on to win comfortably after Matt Robinson had headed home Stuart Boardley's cross.

But Charlton equalised just before half-time and, despite Town's possession, grabbed the winner in the second half.

Coach Ian Smith said afterwards: "We created plenty but missed too many chances.

"If you don't score goals you don't win games."

Robinson might have had a hat-trick, missing another couple of good opportunities and rounding the goalkeeper only to be pulled back by him. No penalty was awarded.

Worse was to follow when Robinson's goalbound shot was "saved" by a defender's hand but the referee didn't think it was deliberate.

Steve Burton was also denied one-on-one by the home keeper and there were countless other opportunities spurned.

Ipswich: Price, O'Connor, Boardley, Hogg, Chaffey, Beevers, Okay, Murray, Burton, Robinson, Dickinson, subs used Morrow, Bowditch, Hill.