Rose Rescues Point
Ipswich Town 1 (Chambers 56)
Barnsley 1 (Rose 89)
When it seemed the Reds’ luck was out, trailing a match for more than half-an-hour that they had dominated, Danny Rose popped up with a late header to notch his first senior league goal – his second goal for the Reds in two weeks.
Carlos Edwards tried his luck for the first effort of the match and his 25 yarder stung the palms of Luke Steele, who had to turn the ball away for a corner on four minutes. Cresswell then attempted a long-distance strike of his own but Foster got in a good block to divert for another corner on seven minutes.
There were worrying scenes as on 10 minutes Stephen Dawson must have trodden awkwardly as he was in a crumpled heap on the deck. As the Irishman went off on a stretcher, on came Kelvin Etuhu.
The Reds recorded their first attempt through David Perkins as he latched onto Chris Dagnall’s lay-off with 16 gone but he blazed wide from the edge of the box.
With 20 gone Harewood worked some magic down the right but his cross was cleared at the last minute by Smith, from the resulting corner Stephen Foster skied his header over the bar.
On 24 minutes the Reds should have taken the lead when Marlon Harewood was put in one-on-one with Loach by Mellis. With Dagnall away to his left, the big striker opted to shoot but the angle was slightly against him and Loach gathered comfortably.
At the other end moments later, Ipswich should have broken the net when the ball fell kindly to Chambers six yards out but thumped clear of the crossbar.
Barnsley were controlling the match with frustration growing amongst the home faithful.
Marlon was at it again when he flashed just wide from an acute angle after cutting in smartly from the left. It was Mellis who was pulling the strings for the Reds as he sat alongside Perkins in the middle of the park.
There was a bizarre incident when Steele sliced a clearance from Cranie’s backpass and had to catch his own slice. The referee gave an indirect free-kick to Ipswich with 32 minutes gone, but Martin’s strike was deflected wide.
It has to be said that Barnsley were all over Ipswich, with McCarthy’s men struggling to contain the Reds who attacked with incisive one-touch passes.
Just as the board went up with five minutes indicated, Mellis put Harewood through again with an incredible pass down the centre. Harewood picked his spot, but it hit the right-hand post of Loach from just inside the area. How Barnsley weren’t in the lead, heaven knows.
Ipswich then came unstuck thanks to Martin Cranie’s neat defending. Edwards delivered for McLean but his header cannoned off the bar and Cranie duly cleared in a calm manner under pressure.
Second half
With the Reds looking to pick up where they left off, Ipswich came out a little brighter in the second period and took the lead on 56 minutes. The Reds failed to clear a deep free-kick into the area, and the ball fell kindly for Cambers who turned and hammered into the corner from 10 yards. Barnsley didn’t deserve to be behind, but now had a hill to climb.
Martin then had a pop from distance as suddenly the home fans had something to shout about.
Ipswich had some wind in their sales, helped by the introduction of Frank Nouble who was looking hungry for a goal against his former club. David McGoldrick thumped a foot wide of Steele’s left-hand upright after shrugging off the attention of Foster on the edge of the box.
Just after the introduction of Done on 68 minutes, Harewood could only scuff wide when Dagnall squirmed the ball into his path down the left-hand side of the box.
Everybody in the stadium waited for the Ipswich net to bulge on 75 minutes when Chris Dagnall met Tom Kennedy’s incredible delivery with a looping header. The ball, though, drifted agonisingly wide by a matter of inches past Loach’s right-hand post.
It just wasn’t Barnsley’s day when David Perkins blasted in a cross that struck the chest of Harewood who was virtually on the goal-line but the ball ricocheted wide.
Barnsley’s last throw of the dice was the introduction of Danny Rose who replaced the magnificent Mellis with four minutes to play.
Into the last couple of minutes saw Scott Loach tip over Marlon Harewood’s header but from the resulting corner when it seemed the Reds would never find the net Danny Rose popped up with a powerful header from eight yards to level the tie.
It was no less than Barnsley deserved and they were thankful of Carlos Edwards as he shanked a stoppage-time strike high into the stand.
Full time
Teams
Ipswich Town: Loach, Cresswell, Chambers, Edwards, N’Daw, Martin (Murphy 67), McGoldrick (Chopra 75), Hyam, Smith, Orr, McLean (Nouble 60).
Subs: Lee-Barrett, Hewitt, Kisnorbo, Drury.
Steele, Stones, Kennedy, Golbourne (Golbourne 68), Cranie, Foster, Dawson (Etuhu 13), Perkins, Mellis (Rose 85), Harewood, Dagnall.
Subs: Alnwick, Hassell, Wiseman, Cywka, Rose.
Referee: Nigel Miller
