CON AIR RAID Chaplin winner gets Tractor Boys back on track
CONOR CHAPLIN, one of the shortest players in the Championship, stood tall to score a bullet header and get Ipswich’s promotion push back on track.
At kick-off Kieran Mckenna’s team – winless in the league since December 12 – found themselves outside the automatic promotion places for the first time in four months because of Southampton’s win against Sheffield Wednesday.
And against a revitalised Sunderland side, the Tractor Boys had to come from behind to prove their mettle. Jack Clarke put the visitors in front with his 13th goal of the campaign midway through the first half before Kayden Jackson levelled.
But with 15 minutes to go the 5ft 6in Chaplin met Leif Davis’ delivery with perfect timing to reinvigorate the Suffolk side ahead of next week’s trip to runaway leaders Leicester.
They had started well despite conceding first and Jackson was desperately close to an opener when sliding on to a low Wes Burns cross, only to miss his connection by a fraction.
Yet their momentum was checked by Clarke’s latest stunner. And there was equally as much to admire about Abdoullah Ba’s slaloming run to set him up.
The forward worked his way from right to left, evading the challenges of four opponents, before feeding Clarke.
But Ipswich’s response was positive and the deficit lasted only seven minutes.
Debutant Lewis Travis, loaned in from Blackburn, passed to Chaplin only for it to ricochet off Pierre Ekwah and between Luke O’nien and Dan Ballard.
Jackson was alert and timed his run well before dispatching clinically.
Then both teams threw caution to the wind. Ba drove well over at one end, before
Ipswich
Sunderland
Chaplin had a goalbound effort cleared by O’nien and Harry Clarke went close at the other end.
Yet substitute Adil Aouchiche spurned a glorious chance to put Sunderland back in front within a minute of coming on when Clarke fed him.
A triple change, including another recent loan acquisition in Jeremy Sarmiento from Brighton, breathed fresh life into Ipswich for the final 20 minutes.
It was Chaplin who made the decisive action when heading home Davis’ cross – even if the final stages should have been more comfortable had Luke Woolfenden’s effort not come back off the woodwork.