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Match Report: Birmingham 2-1 Ipswich | Help spread the word: Share on Facebook 
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Ipswich Town were no match for 2nd placed Birmingham City, with the home side effectively sealing the game in the first 15 minutes. Paul Bloomfield reports.Liam Ridgewell fired Alex McLeish’s men into the lead with a neat volley after 10 minutes. It was former Town man Marcus Bent who had his effort on goal blocked before the ball fell for Ridgewell to blast past Richard Wright. Kevin Phillips got himself on the score sheet almost inevitably 5 minutes later after some fine play down the right-hand side by Sebastian Larsson. The Swede crossed the ball for Phillips to head past Richard Wright from 6 yards out, leaving Town with a mountain to climb with just 15 minutes on the clock. Town should have pulled a goal back just 2 minutes into the second-half when an unmarked Richard Naylor headed wide from Owen Garvan’s corner. However, Ipswich were to make an opportunity from a corner kick count 6 minutes from the end of the match, when Alex Bruce netted his first goal for the club against no other team than his former employers. Darren Ambrose whipped in a corner from the left from which Bruce headed home. The final scoreline of 2-1 didn’t really reflect the superiority of the home side, and Town can consider themselves fortunate that Birmingham perhaps took their foot off the pedal after going two goals up. Birmingham: Taylor, Queudrue (Murphy 68), Jaidi, Hunt, Ridgewell, Larsson, Carsley (Nafti 27), Quashie (Agustien 65), Bent, McFadden, Phillips. Unused: Doyle, Jerome. Ipswich: R.Wright, D.Wright, Bruce, Naylor, Thatcher, Walters, Garvan, Shumulikoski (Haynes 60), Ambrose, Stead (Miller 60), Counago (Lisbie 73). Unused: Supple, Balkestein. Booked: Naylor. Click to view author Paul Bloomfield's profile Fancy writing for LiveFootball? Click here to find out more. |