Ipswich rounded off their scheduled League programme by improving their run
since Boxing Day to just one defeat in 22 games.
There was a carnival atmosphere for a match that meant very little but Crewe
won new friends for their open style of play on their first ever visit to the
Suffolk club.
It took Ipswich 33 minutes to take the lead. Jamie Clapham headed into the
Crewe penalty area, the ball bounced over Lee Unsworth, and fell kindly for
David Johnson to fire home his 30th goal of the season.
Earlier Johnson had missed a far more simple chance in the 19th minute when he
fired against the bar from eight yards after Ademole Bankole had blocked an
angled drive from Bobby Petta.
Crewe had played some tidy passing football and drew level in the 40th minute
with a smart move. Kenny Lunt crossed from the left for Peter Smith to slip a
pass between Jason Cundy and Mauricio Taricco.
And they almost took the lead when Phil Charnock was through with only Richard
Wright to beat and rolled a low shot just inside the far post.
In the 48th minute Town's Alex Mathie provided Kieron Dyer with a glorious
through pass but he was pushed off the ball by Seth Johnson before he could
shoot. Dyer elected to take the penalty kick himself but fired wide.
But two goals in the 53rd and 55th minutes left Crewe with a mountain to
climb. Mick Stockwell scored with a low shot at the far post from a cross by
Petta. Then Mathie cut in from the right and beat Bankole with an angled drive.
On the hour Steve Garvey revived Crewe with a sizzling right-foot shot from 35
yards that curled out of the reach of Wright.
The score stayed that way although Bankole can have done his chances of
breaking into the Nigerian World Cup squad no harm at all with some good work in
the closing stages.
Teams:
Ipswich: Wright, Stockwell (Uhlenbeek 65), Taricco (Sonner 65),
Dyer, Venus, Cundy, Clapham, Holland, Johnson,
Mathie (Scowcroft 84), Petta.
Goals: Johnson 33, Stockwell 53, Mathie 55.
Crewe: Bankole, Bignot (D. Wright 77), S. Smith, Unsworth,
Foran (J. Wright 77), Charnock, Garvey, Johnson, Anthrobus,
P. Smith (Rivers 61), Lunt.
Goals: Charnock 40, Garvey 60.
Att: 19,105
Ref: R D Furnandiz (Doncaster).
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