Rangers collected a creditable point from an entertaining goalless draw with Ipswich Town at Portman Road. The home side were left rueing an awful mistake from referee Armstrong that denied them a late penalty but these things tend to even themselves out and the R’s players will no doubt have thoughts of Sheffield United in their minds. 

De Canio had a selection poser as he was missing three key players through injury and suspension. Delaney was out having amassed ten bookings whilst Buzsaky had a foot injury and Rowlands’ neck nack meant he was only fit enough for the bench. Camp was in goal behind Mancienne, Stewart, Hall and Connolly in an unfamiliar left back role. Vine, Leigertwood, Mahon and Ephraim were in midfield with Agyemang and Blackstock up front. 

It was clear from the off that both of these sides wanted to get the ball down and have a game rather than resort to the turgid aerial bombardment that often passes for football in this decidedly average division. The home side were slightly better off in this department as they had attacking players in the middle of the park against the defensively minded Mahon and Leigertwood.  

Rangers’ first effort of the game came from an unlikely source in Michael Mancienne. He had driven forward from right back and found acres of grass to move into, as nobody seemed interesting in challenging him he decided to have a poke. His shot was well wide of the target, perhaps the Ipswich players had seen him striking at goal before and decided to conserve their energy!  

Danny Haynes was giving Fitz Hall a thorough going over and the big defender had no answer to the blistering pace of the Ipswich youngster. He and Alan Lee were making sure they constantly got Haynes onto Hall rather than having him test the speed of the much quicker Stewart. He had blasted past Hall a couple of times already only to be crowded out but this time he burst into the box and smashed a shot against Camp’s left hand post with the keeper helpless to intervene. 

Both sides were moving the ball well now but the home side were certainly carrying the greater threat. They forced a host of early corners and the delivery from both sides from Quinn and Garvan was excellent. From one Quinn delivery the ever impressive Jason De Vos forced Camp to save. 

At the other end Ephraim should have done much better when an effort from Vine somehow bounced into his path. He dragged his shot wide when he may well have taken a bit more time and picked his spot. On the whole Ephraim had looked lively, and so he should having had three games rest. As usual, there was plenty of switching between Vine and Ephraim and on loan Manchester United right back Danny Simpson went into the book for mowing for former down on halfway.  

Haynes was the star of the show at this point and both Stewart and Camp had to come to the rescue after he had found space. Stewart had to stretch his legs to make up ground on Haynes and block his shot for a corner before minutes later Camp plunged low to his right to get a strong hand to another effort. Hall was still looking shaky and had to be bailed out a couple of times by the excellent Matt Connolly at left back. The young centre back was miles out of position but he was as solid as a rock and tried to get up and support the attack whenever he could. 

Ephraim curled a free kick wide from twenty five yards, in truth it looked as though Bywater would have thrown his cap on it had it found the target. In the final moments of the half Ipswich missed a great chance to take an advantage into the break. A cross from the right seemed destined to find Lee only for Mancienne to give him the slightest of nudges and send him under it. The ball fell to Quinn but he snatched at his effort and failed to test Camp. 

Rangers had seen plenty of the ball but had been struggling to really create much with it. Rowlands was being missed badly in the middle of the park and it seemed a matter of when rather than if he would be sent on. After a cagey opening ten minutes of the second half the change happened and Leigertwood, who wasn’t really at it anyway, was the man replaced. The change pepped Rangers up immediately. 

As he has done consistently in the last two months, Rowlands got himself on the ball and started pulling the strings. A good ball wide sent Vine away and he crossed to the near post where Agyemang met it but could only glance it into the side netting. At the other end Alan Lee committed his first outrageous dive of the game as he went down under the merest touch from Hall to try and con a penalty. He usually spends more time on his back than on his feet so for it to take an hour for him to chuck in a comedy pratfall was surprising.  

Rowlands had a shot at goal but it didn’t carry sufficient power to trouble Bywater. Agyemang then set off on a mazy run from halfway in a show of skill that has been all too rare from the big striker. He breezed past four Town players before seeing his shot blocked away. When he wants to be, Agyemang can be an absolute menace, he showed great close control, good strength and plenty of tricks during the second half. Hopefully he can carry this on for the remaining five games of the campaign. 

Lee Camp got himself into trouble when a ball deflected high into the Suffolk sky and the R’s keeper made a mess of it as he tried to gather. The ball must have been spinning like a top as it flew off his hands to Lee who wasn’t able to take advantage. Camp made amends moments later though as he produced a fine flying save to turn away a well struck free kick from Quinn. 

The game was a real end to end affair now with both sides clearly going for the win. Agyemang was the spearhead for Rangers as De Vos and Bruce struggled to deal with his direct running on the ball. Kieron Lee had come on for Vine by now and was his usual neat and tidy self as he looked to keep the supply to Agyemang and Blackstock going. Ipswich were going for the more intricate approach but it was just as effective. Sub Roberts played Lee in only for the Irishman to shoot at Camp. 

With five minutes of normal time left the games key moment unfolded. Ipswich won a right wing corner and Garvan swung it in. Mancienne rose at the near post to try and cleat but as he stretched out he flicked the ball on and it hit the inside of the far post. The ball dropped to Sumulikoski and he kneed it goalward only for Connolly to blatantly clear with his left arm. From the replays it looked as through Connolly was actually behind the line when he made contact, it was a howler from the referee, and quite how he missed it I don’t know. I was sat at the far end of the stand and must have been 120 yards from the incident and it was as plain as day. These things happen though, the point it earned us makes up for the one we were denied by Matt Kilgallon’s flying save at Sheffield United earlier this season.  

The Ipswich players were apoplectic and chased referee Armstrong up the pitch. Quite how he didn’t whip a couple of yellows out for the prolonged protesting, especially in the wake of Cole-gate was as surprising as his initial faux pass. Indeed, De Vos kept at him for the remaining five minutes of normal time, three minutes of injury time and a good two minutes after the final whistle!

De Canio made a late change, sending Balanta on for Ephraim in injury time. The young Colombian hadn’t even touched the ball when he was booked by referee Armstrong for a genuine attempt to win the ball. In truth it was probably the otherwise mute Portman Road crowd that got him booked as they were beside themselves by this point. 

The final whistle soon followed and Rangers will have left the ground thinking this was a good point well earned. The home side will be aggrieved about the penalty decision but in truth they had created enough chances to have won the game without having to rely on the referee’s benevolence.  

Going into the game without three players as influential Delaney, Rowlands and Buzsaky in the line up meant this would always be a tough ask. Perhaps they weren’t as fluent as they can be but they rolled their sleeves up and worked bloody hard for their point. It is another game that you look at and say, “three months ago we would have lost that”, and that’ll do for me. 

Man of the Match – Matthew Connolly. There were some good showings from the R’s players. Camp and Agyemang both played well, as did Mahon and Rowlands when he came on but, considering he was well out of position, Connolly edges it for me. He certainly didn’t look out of place and he is one hell of a find for the future.