Paul Cook’s Ipswich Town get into their groove with first win of the season

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Ipswich Town picked up their first win of the season with an impressive 1-0 victory at the LNER Stadium as Lincoln City continued to stutter with their home league form.

Macauley Bonne’s 31st-minute header was enough to seal all three points as he got on the end of Hayden Coulson’s superb delivery to power past Josh Griffiths in the Lincoln goal. Whilst there were suspicions of Bonne fouling TJ Eyoma to get an advantage over his man, it was a well-taken finish as the striker showed great desire to notch his fourth goal of the season.

It was a reward for Paul Cook’s side that had started the brighter of the two teams as the away side looked to make an early mark on proceedings.

Ipswich should have taken the lead moments before their opener, but Cameron Burgess somehow managed to hit the crossbar from just a few yards out after Scott Fraser headed Coulson’s corner back across goal with Lincoln’s defence stood static.

Fraser had narrowly missed picking out Bonne inside the first 10 minutes as his reverse pass caught the Imps backline square, but the striker couldn’t quite stretch enough to make a connection from eight yards. The danger signs had not been heeded as Bonne finally made the breakthrough.

Despite Lincoln having plenty of possession, they ran out of steam as the game went on, and it was the Tractor Boys who looked the most likelier to scoring again.

Only a fine save from Josh Griffiths towards the end prevented Ipswich from putting Lincoln to the sword as Fraser failed to score following a slick move from the away side. Fraser had the goal at his mercy as the ball, fortunately, darted back into his path from Wes Burns’ heavy touch, but he couldn’t apply the killer finish.

Yesterday’s defeat was Lincoln’s fourth in eight games and it was a disappointing end to a week that had seen them demolish Cambridge United and pick up a useful point against promotion fancied Rotherham United.

The Imps have yet to win in the league at home since their opening day victory over Fleetwood Town and are struggling to get up to their more accustomed consistent levels, particularly with final balls into the box. With a bumper crowd once more packed inside the stadium, Lincoln couldn’t generate enough sustained pressure to get them back into the game.

On several occasions yesterday, having worked the ball to create space for good delivery in wide areas, Lincoln all too often could not find the quality to pick out a man in threatening positions. Hakeeb Adelakun and Cohen Bramall were guilty of lacking composure at vital times as Lincoln searched for an equaliser.

The combination of some stubborn Ipswich defending and suspect referring from the man in the middle, Benjamin Speedie, added to Michael Appleton’s frustrations on an afternoon where he was livid with the officials.

Anthony Scully was the subject of two first-half penalty appeals that went unpunished by Speedie. In the first instance, the forward got past his man following a flowing Lincoln move, but as he struggled to carry the ball with him into the box, it appeared that he was being impeded, but Speedie was having none of it. Scully’s honesty didn’t do him any favours as he tried to stay on his feet.

Having been denied by the referee on that occasion, right on half-time, the Imps’ forward once again broke free in the box, and as he looked set to pull the trigger, Janoi Donacien stopped him in his tracks right in front of Speedie. Neither Scully nor the Lincoln fans could believe the referee waved away the appeal, having been more theatrical in his momentum to hit the deck.

The moment left Imps boss Appleton furious as he confronted Speedie on the pitch at half-time for his failure to award the penalty.

“It’s a blatant push and virtually everyone in the stadium saw it. We were just waiting for it to be chalked off so we could get on with the game. Unfortunately, that never happened.”

Just after the break, Lewis Fiorini picked out Regan Poole with a delightful cross-field ball, and as the full-back finished well from a tight angle, the linesman had adjusted that he’d strayed offside, which looked a very marginal call and one that Appleton was not happy with.

“The insult to injury is that we scored a perfectly good goal. We’re talking a yard-and-a-half or even two yards onside. If we score that, I think we go on and win the game.”

Ipswich’s victory has been a long time coming and roared on by over 1,700 travelling fans from Suffolk as they were worthy winners. Full-back Donacien impressed up against the in-form Scully, and despite the debatable penalty decisions, he made some critical interceptions throughout with his reading of the game and positional sense.

Showing a turn of pace and strength to outmuscle the likes of Tom Hopper in one on one duals, Donacien’s performance was full of determination and, at full-time, spoke of how his teammates had rallied around their manager on the back of some disappointing results and recent family bereavement.

“The gaffer needed us to back him. We need to show that we are backing the gaffer and I think we’ve done that. I’m so pleased for him. Today, we got it over the line with some resilient defending. Our positioning was terrific and, as a team, we defended so, so well.”

Ipswich manager Paul Cook was delighted with the win and quickly acknowledged his side’s support.

“I’m so pleased for the fans and I want to give a massive pat on the back to the players. When you get beaten heavily at home, and then have to go to Lincoln – that’s very tough. The fans will go home delighted and I am so pleased for them.”

The relief in picking up their first three points was almost too much for Chief Executive Mark Ashton, who went on to celebrate with nearly every fan at the death as he paraded across the width of the Stacey West Stand punching the air in delight.

There has been massive investment in this Ipswich squad to get them back into the Championship, and their quality was for all to see during proceedings. With Tom Carroll dictating the tempo of their passing rhythm and the quality of balls into the box through the likes of Hayden Coulson and Scott Fraser, Town fans will be hoping that their side has finally found their mojo.

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