THERE are several
images of George Burley
among the sepia-tinted
newspaper cuttings hung
along Portman Road's
labyrinthine corridors
How he must yearn for those happy
days.
Burley is highly regarded in East
Anglia for his performances as a player
in the late 1970s and early 1980s as well
as his shrewd management from 1994-
2002.
But he has now lost all five of his subsequent
visits as a manager with Derby
and Saints.
Ipswich, meanwhile, now need only
three more successive home wins to
equal the record Burley helped set
under Bobby Robson in 1980-81 after
goals in each half from Jon Walters and
Pablo Counago ensured their 12th on
the bounce.
But it was not a comfortable a win as
was feared.
Saints restored some much-needed
pride in their first away match since
their 5-0 mauling at the hands of
Sheffield Wednesday.
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They were mighty unfortunate to be
behind at the break and could even have
taken a 17th-minute lead when Adam
Hammill's cross just eluded Stern
John's outsretched legs at the far post.
Hammill was only playing because
Nathan Dyer failed a fitness test and,
two minutes later, his clever reverse
pass to Bradley Wright-Phillips was
screwed beyond the far post.
It is hard to understand why the
impressive Hammill was making only
his second start since arriving on loan
from Liverpool, and his first for more
than two months, but Ipswich's own
wide man, the powerful Walters, soon
gave warning of his potent threat down
the right.
After leaving Jhon Viafara standing,
only brilliant covering from Youssef
Safri stopped Walters' cross from being
turned in by Alan Lee at the far post.
Walters and Counago dovetailed to
good effect and minutes later Ipswich
took the lead.
Burley was well aware of the threat
that would be posed by Walters, having
described the forward as "Ipswich's
player of the season so far" during the
pre-match press conference at St
Mary's.
Since switching from a striker's role
to the right flank, Walters has been a
major reason for Ipswich's daunting
home record.
The scorer of a hat-trick in Ipswich's
previous home match, a 6-0 demolition
of Bristol City, he was a little fortunate
to score the first goal last night.
Walters broke the deadlock by deflecting
a Billy Clark drive past Kelvin Davis
in the 32nd minute.
Saints were matching their hosts
until a John Viafara foul 25 yards out
gave Ipswich the chance to take the
lead.
Losing away to Ipswich is no disgrace these days but, until at least one of Saints’ quartet of experienced-but-injured centre halves returns to fitness, they will always be vulnerable to defeat.
Simon Walter
After referee Grant Hegley had
ensured the Saints wall was back the
full ten yards, Billy Clark drove Tommy
Miller's slide-rule pass goalwards - and
Walters opened his right foot to sidefoot
the ball past the wrong-footed Davis
and, agonisingly, just inside the post.
Viafara's night got worse when he
was booked for dissent in first-half
injury time during his fascinating battle
with Counago.
But Saints could easily have equalised
at the bgeinning of the second half.
When Wright-Phillips connected with
Phil Ifil's cross from six yards out, Neil
Alexander reacted by palming the ball
over the bar.
Owen Garvan, a young visonary in
the Ipswich midfield and a graduate
from the team that beat Saints in the
2005 FA Youth Cup final, struck Davis's
bar before Hammill's delicate chip
bounced back off the inside of
Alexander's far post.
Saints' best move of the night was
channelled through Andrew Surman,
Jason Euell and Wright-Phillips before
Hamill dinked the ball over Alexander
but against the woodwork.
It was a moment of rare quality, as
was Ifil's sliding tackle on Walters,
which had the home crowd screaming
in vain for a penalty.
Ipswich were now showing why their
record at home is so good. After Euell
gave the ball away, Davis dived low to
his right to palm away a Counago
effort.
Euell and Counago were both given a
talking to by Hegley during a twominute
delay after the Spaniard had
taken out Viafara.
Walters missed a glorious chance,
driving across the face of goal and
wide, and John headed wide a Hammill
cross before Counago sealed the points.
Counago is in the first season of his
second spell at Portman Road, having
first been signed by Burley six years
ago.
He added to his former manager's
woes by heading in Gavin Williams's
inswinging free-kick from the left
flank.
Like the number on the back of his
replacement shirt, Viafara was
nowhere to be seen when Counago rose
to head home his seventh league goal of
the season.
The otherwise impressive Viafara
gave away the free-kick from which
substitute Williams, who had only
been on the pitch for two minutes,
delivered an inswinging dead ball and
Counago connected in the 69th minute.
An unmarked Andrew Davies headed
straight at Alexander in the 83rd
minute and a Euell cross was beaten
away but Counago had ensured a
fourth defeat in five away games for
Burley's men.
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