Ipswich v Southampton: FA Cup – as it happened

http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jan/14/ipswich-v-southampton-fa-cup-live

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9.54pm GMT21:54

Southampton go through to the fourth round and have a home tie against Crystal Palace. But, being honest, that was not a game to live long in the memory. Thanks for your company tonight: I’m off.

9.52pm GMT21:52

PEEP PEEP: And that’s that. Southampton deserved to win and, while Ipswich sporadically gave it a go, they didn’t have the quality. Might have been different had Hunt’s goal been allowed in the first half … he was only just offside.

9.52pm GMT21:52

90min+3: Ipswich desperately attempt to work the ball into the Southampton box, but Hyam fouls Davis just outside the D and Saints take their time over the free-kick.

Updated at 9.52pm GMT

9.51pm GMT21:51

90 min+2: A minute to go and Southampton win a free kick just inside the Ipswich half. Fonte hoofs it long into the box for Long, looking for a goal. With a minute left. Odd.

9.50pm GMT21:50

9.49pm GMT21:49

90 min: Davis, Pellè and Long pass the ball about on the edge of the Southampton box but can’t fashion an opening for a goal that would end this tie. Ipswich heave the ball up the other end but can do nothing with it. On the touchline, Mick McCarthy puffs his cheeks in frustration. Three minutes extra time.

9.48pm GMT21:48

89 min: The referee blows for handball against Murphy, who points out that it hit him on the shoulder. But that seems to be it for some Ipswich fans who decided to head for the exits.

9.45pm GMT21:45

87 min: Davis plays a neat ball into the box for Long, whose shot is blocked by Berra who clears.

9.45pm GMT21:45

86 min: Bru catches Ward-Prowse who just about got to the ball first and was through into the box had he not been caught. Ward-Prowse stands over the ball hits the ball at the far post, but doesn’t bend it enough and it sails out for a goal kick. Pellè gives him a filthy look.

9.43pm GMT21:43

84 min: Clyne finds Pellè on the edge of the D. The striker spins, and hits the shot first time. The ball is yet to come down and may never be seen again.

9.42pm GMT21:42

83 min: For a moment, it was all Ipswich. Until Parr ruined it by getting caught offside. He’s a bit unlucky - Bertrand was playing him on.

9.41pm GMT21:41

82 min: Mings gets the better of Clyne again and wins a throw in, from which Bru finds Mings who attempts to take on two players at once and loses out. Southampton clear.

9.40pm GMT21:40

81 min: Stewart comes on for Ambrose while the game takes a short breather while everyone checks with Long is OK. Dr Bryant says he looks fine.

9.39pm GMT21:39

80 min: This game has got 88th minute equaliser written all over it. Cameron Stewart is wamring up for Ipswich, incidentally, while Shane Long has taken a bump to the head.

9.38pm GMT21:38

79 min: Clyne finds himself up against Mings in the box and loses out, the Ipswich man nearly forcing a header on goal. He follows up with a flick at Forster, who gives a steely look.

9.36pm GMT21:36

77 min: The wind is strong enough to blow the ball off the spot that Fraser Forster has put it on for a goal kick. Which means the wind is quite strong.

9.35pm GMT21:35

76 min: Murphy hits in a dangerous low cross from the byline and Clyne clears. Ipswich begin to threaten and the decibel level goes up a notch inside Portman Road. Finally, Bru takes matters into his own hands and blooters a shot high over the bar. A shame: something was building there.

9.33pm GMT21:33

74 min: Southampton play a little possession-ball before Brue gets a boot in and wins the ball back. Berra whacks a ball into the box and Fonte whacks it back out. A moment laterParr throws himself at the ball and, once again, Fonte is there to deal with things. He seems a very in-control sort of a defender.

9.30pm GMT21:30

71 min: This time, Ambrose drifts out left and floats a cross over the top of everybody. Southampton get hold of the ball and rush up the other end, hoofing a great ball into the box for Long. He doesn’t quite have the guts to hit it on the volley and passes back for Davis to blast over the bar.

9.29pm GMT21:29

70 min: Ambrose chases a high ball into the box. He’s been moved into the centre from the flanks but is still struggling to put his stamp on the game.

9.26pm GMT21:26

67 min: Bialkowski rushes off his line to head a backpass clear - and just gets to it ahead of the on-rushing striker. The ball whizzes from one end to the other, before Ward-Prowse carries the ball up the pitch and tries to play in Pellè. Things have livened up a little here - there’s a goal a’comin.

9.25pm GMT21:25

66 min: First though, they’ll have to deal with whatever defensively anarchic system they’re playing at the back. Six Ipswich players make of meal of clearing the ball from two Saints players in their own box. They just about manage it, but it’s a scramble. Tadic comes off and Pellè comes on for Southampton.

9.24pm GMT21:24

9.23pm GMT21:23

65 min: Mings gets around the back of the Southampton defenders after a knock down from one of his midfielders. Nothing comes of it, but he’s certainly changed things for the home side. Suddenly an equaliser looks very possible.

“So did Beevers butt heads with someone in Bradford, maybe in a cartoonish manner to earn his red? Eh heh, eh heh, eh heh, heh, heh … etc,” offers Justin Kavanagh.

9.22pm GMT21:22

63 min: Bru hits the corner and Gardos heads it out for Southampton. There’s something about Ipswich at the moment - Southampton won’t want to rest on that 1-0 lead.

9.21pm GMT21:21

62 min: After a period of Southampton possession, Ipswich grasp the nettle and charge forwards. Murphy fizzes in a low cross to McGoldrick, who is limping, and the ball is knocked behind for a corner. McGoldrick is subbed off afterwards, replaced by Bajner.

9.18pm GMT21:18

59 min: Mings is everywhere. He follows in on Forster after a Southampton back pass. All the way from the left back position.

9.16pm GMT21:16

57 min: There’s a definite buzz at Ipswich now, and it’s one largely created by the simple introduction of Tyrone Mings. He has to do some defending first, wellying a ball into the crowd from the left back berth.

9.15pm GMT21:15

56 min: Mings’s first act is whip in a great corner from the left wing which Ambrose nods goalwards. Forster saves quite easily enough but the mood has lifted at Portman Road.

9.14pm GMT21:14

55 min: Tadic whips the ball to Long in the box after a quick free kick and Berra is lucky to clear the ball to Bialkowski. Stephen Hunt is hoiked for the former Southampton player Tyrone Mings, who was let go by the club because he was too small. He is now 6ft 5in. Stuart James did a great interview with him here.

9.12pm GMT21:12

53 min: MccGoldrick surges up the middle of the pitch for Ipswich but can’t quite find a pass. He keeps possession though as Southampton defenders regroup. Ipswich continue to probe but can’t find a way through and, eventually, give the ball away. Tadic breaks but he can’t find a pass either. It’s Tottenham 4-2 Burnley now. Oh well.

9.10pm GMT21:10

51 min: But it need not be. Tadic finds himself in the proverbial acres of space and he drives into the box. Looking up, he sees Targett as the target man across the other side of the box and so dinks the ball to him, a move which comes to nothing. Still, Saints could easily have scored there.

9.09pm GMT21:09

50 min: It’s Tottenham 3-2 Burnley now! Meanwhile, it’s 1-0 here.

9.08pm GMT21:08

49 min: Southampton pass the ball around the pitch, mostly taking a cue from Ipswich and going backwards. For variation, they also pass the ball into touch for no reason. Good, good. Ryan Bertrand is now limping around the pitch having gone down in a heap a moment ago, incidentally.

9.06pm GMT21:06

47 min: Tadic eases into the Ipswich box like a cat playing with its prey. Unfortunately, that’s all he does and a gang of defenders surround him then clear while Southampton players cry out for a pass. A moment later, Tadic is nearly through on goal again but allows himself to be muscled off the ball by Parr before clutching his hip.

9.05pm GMT21:05

46 min: It’s Bradford 4-0 Millwall now. Sigh.

Updated at 9.23pm GMT

9.04pm GMT21:04

Peep peep: we’re under way again. Southampton get things going and whiz it long up to Shane Long. He is penalised for a little nudge into Parr.

9.03pm GMT21:03

Steven Davis will replace the knacked Wanyama as the players trot down the tunnel and out onto the pitch for the second half. Don’t Stop Believing blares the PA. Hmm.

9.02pm GMT21:02

My colleague David Hills has been filling me in on the details from Bradford. After an early red card for Mark Beevers, all manner of handbags have been taking place with managers apparently wading in and the Bradford manager and their assistant coach being sent to the stands. So four goals at White Hart Lane and three goals, a red, six yellows and a fight at Bradford. And we’ve got this.

Updated at 9.27pm GMT

8.50pm GMT20:50

Half time entertainment: I could watch this on a loop. So I will.

8.49pm GMT20:49

At White Hart Lane, Spurs have pulled the score back to 2-2. At Portman Road an announcement is drowning out whatever it is that Gary Lineker and Terry Butcher are talking about in the BBC pundit’s box.

8.48pm GMT20:48

PEEP PEEP: Southampton are going to wait until half-time before replacing Wanyama, perhaps to work out whether to bring on Cork or Davis. And with that, there’s the half time whistle.

8.47pm GMT20:47

49 min: Ow! Wanyama is chasing a long ball into the Ipswich half and - TWANG! - a hamstring goes. He hits the deck in a heap and that doesn’t bode well for Southampton’s season. There’s not much chance of him playing again for a few weeks, which could be a problem with Schneiderlin also out.

8.46pm GMT20:46

48 min: That’s better from Ipswich. McGoldrick is played in by Murphy and he drives into the box. From an impossible angle, he smashes the ball over the goal … while about three Ipswich players were waiting for him to pass in the middle. Still, at least he was going forwards.

8.44pm GMT20:44

46 min: Ipswich get the ball to within 30 yards of the Southampton goal and decide that, no, no, it’s better to go back to the keeper. So they do that. “The problem with having Targett on the pitch is that it encourages the Long ball,” parps Matt Dony.

Updated at 8.44pm GMT

8.43pm GMT20:43

45 min: Long, whose entire game appears to be about chasing down lost causes, wins a Southampton throw in high up the pitch after chasing down a lost cause. From it, Tadic dribbles into the box. He shifts to his left and attempts to strike the ball at goal but both Smith and Berra are there to block. Four minutes of injury time.

8.40pm GMT20:40

43 min: They’re both OK and the game - such as it is - continues. Ipswich enjoy a rare period of possession but largely find themselves going backwards. Eventually the ball is passed back to the keeper who simply hoofs it forwards and the process of going backwards down the pitch starts over again.

8.38pm GMT20:38

41 min: Oof, that looked painful. Chambers and Targett both go up for the same ball and end up heading each other hard in the face. Targett goes down in a heap, but looks OK. Chambers is in better condition but still feels the need to count his teeth.

8.37pm GMT20:37

40 min: The handball claim from the corner was not handball. Here’s Tony Cowards again, with an utterly unverifiable stat. Still, sounds good. “Here’s a stat for you, this is the third time this season Ipswich have ended up with a player with no number or name on the back of their shirt thanks to blood injuries, along with Darryl Murphy tonight it’s happened to Noel Hunt against Charlton and his brother, Stephen a couple of games ago.”

8.36pm GMT20:36

39 min: Chambers hits a loose backpass to the Ipswich goalkeeper Bialkowski. Long rushes onto it and charges down the keeper’s kick. Ipswich are lucky the ball rebounds to an Ipswich defender and not into the net.

8.35pm GMT20:35

38 min: From the corner, there is a loud claim for handball from a Southampton player - Fonte, I think. Nothing given.

8.35pm GMT20:35

37 min: Gardos fouls McGoldrick just outside the Southampton box. Hunt and McGoldrick stand over it as Forster builds his wall in front of them. McGoldrick hoofs it in low and the ball pings out disappointingly for a corner. Poor free-kick.

8.33pm GMT20:33

36 min: But here’s something for Ipdwich to get cheery about - a corner earned by McGoldrick. Ambrose swipes the ball in, Long clears and Ambrose swipes it in again. Tommy Smith gets on the end of it but not strongly enough.

8.32pm GMT20:32

35 min: The ball has spent the last few minutes pinballing around the midfield. It’s not pretty.

8.31pm GMT20:31

33 min: The roar that greeted the opening few minutes of this match has quietened to a low, disgruntled murmur which is punctuated by howls of outrage from the Ipswich fans. There’s not been a lot of quality for the fans to watch - Southampton are controlling things and Ipswich are struggling to break them down.

8.27pm GMT20:27

30 min: In order to stop his head from bleeding, Murphy has taken his shirt off. Presumably because it is covered in blood. He goes off and comes back on with wearing a numberless shirt. He seems OK. Bradford are now 3-0 up against Millwall - get the latest here.

8.25pm GMT20:25

28 min: Murphy clears Ward-Prowse’s corner and collides with Parr, going down in a heap with blood pouring out of his head. Ipswich charge up the other end and have a crack at goal, but Forster saves. There will now be a short pause while a physio attempts to stem the tide of blood from Murphy’s face.

8.24pm GMT20:24

27 min: Wanyama twists and turns near the centre spot, holding off three Ipswich players who fling themselves at him from all angles. Incredible strength. He passes to Ward Prowse, who is in the thick of the action at the moment, who smashes a good shot at goal from outside the box. A deflection takes it just over for a corner.

8.22pm GMT20:22

24 min: Chambers concedes a corner as Southampton pile on the pressure. Ipswich have not regrouped since the goal and and each time they clear Ward-Prowse’s corner, it falls to a Southampton player who hits it back in the box. Finally Hunt relieves the pressure and heaves the ball upfield and McGoldrick goes on a run. He looks for Hunt on the edge of the visitors’ box but Ward–Prowse is there to clear. Bad luck.

Updated at 8.22pm GMT

8.18pm GMT20:18

21 min: Southampton have a little momentum and Ipswich survive a handball claim in their own box. A moment late, Wanyama lines up a shot from the corner of the box but slices it to wildly it goes out for a throw. Ipswich look a little ragged right now.

8.17pm GMT20:17

20 min: An excellent stepover from Tadic wrongfooted the Ipswich defence and allowed Ward-Prowse clear on goal. He’s tackled, and the ball breaks to Long who swipes an excellent finish into the net. Such is the sweetness of the strike that nobody in the ground and few of the people in the Southampton team even realised it had gone in.

Updated at 8.36pm GMT

8.16pm GMT20:16

GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 Southampton (Long, 18)

Well, that came from nowhere.

Updated at 9.02pm GMT

8.15pm GMT20:15

18 min: Chambers hurls a long throw into the Southampton box and, after some messing about, Targett heads it out for a corner. Ambrose clips the ball in, Long clears, Ambrose hoofs back in and eventually Wanyama thwacks it clear. A bit nervy from Southampton at the moment.

8.14pm GMT20:14

16 min: Tadic up and unders one into the box. Bialkowski performs the full back role and catches easily. There is a bit of a wind about at Portman Road so it’s worth the odd high ball in.

8.12pm GMT20:12

15 min: Tadic gets a hearty shove in the back from Bru, who looks thoroughly confused at a foul being given against him for blatantly pushing a man down. Ward-Prowse and Tadic stand over the free-kick, which is a good way out. Ward-Prowse hits it, attempting to bend it in and hoping someone might get on the end of it. Bialkowski claims with ease.

8.11pm GMT20:11

12 min: It’s now Spurs 1-2 Burnley. Blimey. Southampton are passing the ball around the back of the strangely widely split back three. But that’s about the sum total of it at the moment.

“We used to come onto the field to Entrance of the Gladiators,” emails Tony Cowards, who is presumably an Ipswich fan. “It sounds great until you realise it’s the music traditionally associated with clowns at the circus ...”

8.07pm GMT20:07

9 min: Ipswich go on the charge again and Parr floats a cross in that he should have hammered in. Forster claims. In other news, Burnley are a goal up at White Hart Lane and Bradford are beating Millwall 2-0. Follow those games here.

Updated at 8.14pm GMT

8.04pm GMT20:04

6 min: Shane Long puts in a shift up front, charging down Bialkowski and then Chambers. The goalkeeper fluffs a clearance to Wanyama - who is 40 yards out in midfield. He sees the goal is empty, though, and blooters one. No luck though.

8.03pm GMT20:03

5 min: Ambrose eyes up a shot from a good 40 yards and heaves it some way over the bar. Still, can’t fault the ambition. Moments later, Hunt is played in by Hyam, who flicks the ball over the Southampton back three, and the winger sweeps the ball into the net. He’s offside, much to the home fans’ disappointment.

Updated at 8.33pm GMT

8.01pm GMT20:01

3 min: Ipswich dink a ball into the area looking for McGoldrick and the home side briefly threaten. But Forster is in control and he clears to Targett, who hoofs the ball out of play for a goal kick from a long way out. Think he was looking for Long but the crowd thought it was a shot.

8.00pm GMT20:00

2 min: Reed and Long attempt to combine outside the Ipswich box, by can’t get anything going. Ipswich have had the majority of possession in the opening minutes and Reed back header into the Southampton area is almost pounced on but Fonte is aware.

7.58pm GMT19:58

We’re off: Ipswich in blue kick off to a defeaning roar from their fans. Talking of which, here’s an email from Jonny Mac who writes simply: “Ipswich fans: up for it ...”

7.54pm GMT19:54

And now the players are on the pitch to the strains of Carmina Burana. Which is a bit over the top, if we’re honest. It’s just a game of football.

7.52pm GMT19:52

The winner of this tie will go on to face Crystal Palace: the players are in the tunnel, the mascots are looking nervous and the PA is booming out Feeder. It’s the FA Cup … and it’s live!

7.50pm GMT19:50

Here’s Ronald Koeman: On the first tie – “I was expecting a difficult beginning of the game [against Ipswich]. We didn’t start well but we deserved to win the game.”

He says Southampton have taken confidence from beating Manchester United but that it will be tough tonight and a different sort of game. He says the formation change was prompted by the first game where he says they lacked control over the Ipswich front two.

7.46pm GMT19:46

The pitch

7.40pm GMT19:40

Here’s Mick on that sick bug. He says he’s only got 16 players. “That’s all we need!” he reckons. By that logic, it means two of the players in the squad aren’t well. Or he’s forgotten how many he’s named.

7.38pm GMT19:38

Ronald Koeman will be playing with five at the back tonight in order to counteract Ipswich’s two up front - McGoldrick and Murphy. It’s a formation that hasn’t much worked for anyone this season in England, so that doesn’t bode terribly well for the visitors. Still, worth a go.

“I think if we play with three centre-backs against two attackers then we have more control and more ball possession,” said Koeman. “We realise that it will be tough tonight, but we are prepared for that.”

7.09pm GMT19:09

So, that’s five changes for the Southampton team that beat Manchester United at the weekend, with Harrison Reed, Florin Gardos, Matt Targett, Shane Long and abdominals’ Dusan Tadic coming into the side. Still, though, it’s a strong team given that the club have a lot of matches in far flung places over the next few days. Schneiderlin is missing with an abductor injury, which should prevent anyone signing him for a little while.

Mick McCarthy makes four changes from the weekend, with former Southampton players Bartosz Bialkowski and David McGoldrick in the starting lineup.

Updated at 7.27pm GMT

7.02pm GMT19:02

Team news

Ipswich: Bialkowski, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Parr, Ambrose, Hyam, Bru, Stephen Hunt, McGoldrick, Murphy.

Subs: Mings, Stewart, Anderson, Bajner, McQueen, Clarke, Crowe.

Southampton: Forster, Fonte, Gardos, Bertrand, Clyne, Reed, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Targett, Tadic, Long.

Subs: Kelvin Davis, Steven Davis, Cork, Pellè, Isgrove, McCarthy, Hesketh.

Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire)

Updated at 7.28pm GMT

7.00pm GMT19:00

A brief shout out for the Ipswich Town instagram feed: worth a follow if only for thrills like this …

6.55pm GMT18:55

Preamble

Ipswich have the sniffles. Cole Skuse, Teddy Bishop and Jay Tubb are all tucked up at home in bed, thermometers poking out of the corners of their mouths, wearied looks upon their faces. We know this because Mick McCarthy has told us. He went down with the bug too but, he’s Hard Mick and he didn’t take any time off.

“There’s a virus going around the place that is laying one or two of them low,” the manager said of his squad. “I’m actually quite pleased because it knocked me low for about a week and I thought I was getting soft. It’s made me realise I’m not as soft as I thought I was [since] younger, fitter people have been affected.”

Was he making a point to the three players in their beds, or making a point to everyone else about how tough he is? Who knows? But his Ipswich side welcome Southampton this evening for a second go at getting a result out of their third round FA Cup after the Suffolk team dealt with a barrage of Southampton attacks admirably during the initial match (and even launch a few swashbuckling thrusts of their own). “I didn’t want to lose, that’s for sure,” said Hard Mick, surprising absolutely nobody. You could forgive Ipswich for not much caring about the Cup as they battle for automatic promotion from the Championship (they’re third currently) but that does not appear to be McCarthy’s style: “Why can’t we have a Cup run as well,” he said after their 1-1 draw on the south coast.

But for Southampton, it’s a different story - they need this replay like a hole in the head. They’ll be rueing their sloppiness in the first 20 minutes against Ipswich when they were hassled off the ball by street wise side. It now means they are midway through an unenviable run in which they will be forced to travel far and wide across the country and, after beating Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday, now wend their way to Ipswich, before travelling to Newcastle on Saturday and then Swansea the following Sunday. Still, that 1-0 win over Manchester United, a win that put them third in the Premier League table, will have put some fire in their bellies for the battle ahead. But, as they vie for a Champions League berth, will they really be that bothered about a run in the FA Cup. Is this competition really a priority for them? We’ll find out in the next hour or so.

Kick off: 7.55pm for third in the Championship v third in the Premier League.