Paul Lambert hails ‘resolute’ Ipswich despite first dropped points

Posted Sunday, October 04, 2020 by PA

Paul Lambert hailed Ipswich’s fighting spirit after they survived an MK Dons onslaught to preserve their unbeaten start to the League One season in a 1-1 draw.

Jon Nolan put the Tractor Boys ahead when he fired in from close range but the Dons fought back in the second half and equalised through Daniel Harvie’s curled finish.

MK Dons were on top for much of the second half but Ipswich worked hard to keep them at bay, their tenacity and resilience pleasing manager Lambert despite losing their 100 per cent start to the campaign.

“I thought we started the game really well and scored a great goal, and we should have really made it 2-0,” he said.

“I thought we lost too much of the ball after that and allowed MK Dons to come onto us too easy. They put us under a lot of pressure in the second half but that was up there for one of the best performances I have seen in terms of desire and being resolute.

“The guys have thrown their bodies on the line and we had to dig in and show real resilience. We are still undefeated and still in good form so I am really pleased with the way they have played today for different reasons.

“That was a really good performance and we still had a number of counter-attack chances so I am really happy with a lot of the stuff I have seen today.”

The draw means Ipswich have dropped behind Lincoln and Hull at the top of League One but 10 points from their first four games is a good return to start the campaign.

Dons remain bottom of the pile with just two points to their name, but boss Russell Martin insists he saw plenty of positives as he continues to bed in 11 new players.

“We played well but have to stop conceding the first goals in games because it just puts us on the back foot and we are then having to fight hard to get ourselves back into the game,” he said.

“We have got new guys in the team who are still settling in.

“Some of them have only been with us and training for a few weeks, so it is going to take a little time to get them playing how we want them to. I have no doubt that things will get better as the weeks go by, and that’s why we bought them here to make a difference.

“We made some changes from the Crewe game and I am really pleased with how the guys have come in and taken their opportunities. I thought all the guys who came into the game today really made a difference and showed why we brought them into the football club.”