ROVERS 2

(Graham, pen 63) (Nuttall, 73)

IPSWICH 0

Rovers made it a hat-trick of league wins at the start of 2019 after a 2-0 home win over Ipswich Town.

Both goals came in the second half courtesy of a Danny Graham penalty, his 10th of the season, before Joe Nuttall came off the bench to score with his first touch 10 minutes later.

Rovers could have had more, as Jack Rodwell and Joe Rothwell were denied by the post, while Bradley Dack twice went close late on.

But a second consecutive clean sheet will have also pleased boss Tony Mowbray as Rovers continued their winning start to the calendar year.

Rovers showed three changes from the side which was beaten by Newcastle United in midweek.

They had a golden chance just six minutes in to take the lead. Rovers pressed Ipswich high up the pitch, taking the ball off Cole Skuse before Lewis Travis worked the ball to Danny Graham. He was forced to take a touch, with the ball slightly behind him, allowing the Ipswich defenders to get back and deflectpswich managing to get themselves back to deflect his effort behind for a corner.

The visitors, to their credit, were giving it a go with two out-and-out strikers in a 4-4-2 formation.

Rovers had to wait 15 minutes for their next clear opening, coming courtesy of good play from Bradley Dack. He turned his marker before sliding the ball in to the path of the on-running Elliott Bennett, but forward from right back, he fired over on the stretch.

That would signal the start of a good period for Rovers. Dack’s free kick was deflected just wide, while from the resulting corner, the ball was cleared as far as Corry Evans whose scuffed shot took a touch off Jack Rodwell, only to come back off the post in to the grateful arms of Dean Gerken.
The ‘keeper was beaten 60 seconds later, when beaten to a ball over the top by Dack, but the lofted effort lacked any real power allowing Collins to get back and clear.

The opportunities were coming though. Adam Armstrong had run down some blind alleys from promising positions earlier in the half, but had the freedom of the box to line up a shot when found by Travis, but shot too closely to Gerken who parried it away.

While not able to test David Raya, the visitors were certainly getting men forward, and looked to carry a threat from set plays.

But it was a simple ball over the top which brought them their clearest opening of the half. A static Rovers defence allowed Will Keane to run in behind and he poked the ball beyond Raya but stayed on his feet. From a tight angle, he was eventually crowded out, as Rovers scrambled back to clear.

A change at the break saw Joe Rothwell replace Harrison Reed, and the winger was quickly in to the action as Rovers tried to get back on the front foot.

James Collins was proving a nemesis for Rovers, regularly well placed to deal with a string of balls in to the box as the hour mark was reached.

Rovers were readying Joe Nuttall for their second change when Dack sent Armstrong in behind, and a tangle of legs saw him go down under the challenge of Callum Elder. Up stepped Graham to slot home his 10th of the season, only after Ipswich defender Luke Chambers took a chunk out of the penalty spot from which he was booked.

It was almost two soon after. Rothwell drove in to the box, with his sweet left foot shot cannoning back off the post.

Ipswich’s set piece threat remained though, and after Rodwell had done well to clear two balls in to the box, a third was met by the head of Chambers, but too close to Raya.

Nuttall had been waiting to come on moments before Graham stepped up for the penalty. Was eventually on nine minutes later, and would make it 2-0 with his first touch.

It owed much to the defence-splitting pass of Bennett through to Armstrong, who free from his marker, square for Nuttall to tap home with his first touch.

Rovers were beginning to play their best football of the match as they went in search of a possible third. Dack exchanged passes with Armstrong, only for his shot to drift narrowly wide of the far post, with Gerken beaten.

They will have been eyeing another clean sheet though, which looked in danger when Judge found room at the far post from a left wing cross. He was slightly stretching when making the contact which allowed Bell to stop it reaching any further.

There was an even better chance for the visitors to reduce the arrears with six minutes to play as Bennett and Raya got themselves in to all kinds of trouble. The ball eventually fell to substitute Jack Lankester who looked set to turn the ball in, only  for Bennett to block the effort, with his chest in the eyes of the referee, despite the Ipswich appeals.

Dack, as ever, was looking for a goal, and almost found it with three minutes to. After collecting the loose ball he opted not to play in Nuttall, but shoot for goal, as he ball drifted narrowly over.

Rovers: Raya, Bennett, Rodwell, Lenihan, Bell, Evans (Smallwood, 81), Travis, Reed (Rothwell, 46), Dack, Armstrong, Graham (Nuttall, 73)

Subs: Leutwiler, Nyambe, Conway, Brereton

Ipswich: Gerken, Pennington, Chambers, Collins, Elder, Chalobah, Skuse, Judge, Sears (Bishop, 81), Keane, Quaner (Lankester, 67)

Subs: Bialkowski, Downes, Nsiala, Kenlock, Dawkins