Ipswich Vs Preston - Blast From the Past

Last updated : 30 October 2004 By Site Editor

The last time the two sides met at Portman Road was on Saturday 28th February 2004 where the blues kept a rare clean sheet in a 2-0 win.

Kelvin Davis was inbetween the sticks for the match with a back four consisting of Georges Santos, John McGreal, Fabian Wilnis and Matt Richards. Town's midfield was made of Jim Magilton, Jermaine Wright, Ian Westlake and Tommy Miller with Darren Bent partnering Spaniard Pablo Counago upfront.

Ipswich 2-0 Preston NE - Full Match Report
Ipswich Town recorded a rare clean sheet to boost their own play-off push and put a spoke in Preston North End's own top-six ambitions.

Second-half goals from midfielders Tommy Miller and Ian Westlake sealed the win against a disappointing visiting side who rarely threatened the home goal.

Town might have gone ahead after just a minute when Jim Magilton collected a Jermaine Wright pass, held off a defender, but fired his shot narrowly over from 14 yards.

Jonathan Gould tipped over a Matthew Richards curling free-kick from 30 yards, but it was a rare effort on target in a poor first half.

The only other moments of note were an easy catch for Ipswich keeper Kelvin Davis from a tame Tyrone Mears header and then a fine diving save from Gould to keep out a low John McGreal strike.

Thankfully the second half was more lively aided by the introduction of subs Richard Naylor for Ipswich and Preston's David Healy.

Naylor immediately earned a free kick from which Magilton tested Gould, before Davis made a magnificent one-handed save to palm aside Richard Cresswell close-range header from a curling Healy corner.

Ipswich went ahead on 72 minutes when Preston cleared a Magilton corner only as far as Westlake whose low drive was turned in from five yards by Miller.

Darren Bent almost fed Naylor only for his strike colleague to fail to connect six yards out, then Claude Davis robbed Bent after Fabian Wilnis had put him clear.

Ricardo Fuller flashed a drive wide and Davis shot over as they chased an equaliser from a game they had been dormant in for so long.

They always looked vulnerable on the break and so it proved in stoppage time when Bent fed Wilnis who picked out Westlake to calmly find the far corner.

Nationwide League Division One 2003/2004		Historical league standings at 28th Feb 2004
		Pld	Home					Away					Overall					Pts	GD
		Pld	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	GD
1	Norwich City	32	12	2	2	27	12	6	7	3	23	15	18	9	5	50	27	63	23
2	West Bromwich Albion	33	9	5	3	24	13	8	4	4	22	17	17	9	7	46	30	60	16

3	Wigan Athletic	33	9	6	2	21	10	6	6	4	25	22	15	12	6	46	32	57	14
4	Ipswich Town	33	10	2	5	39	26	5	6	5	23	26	15	8	10	62	52	53	10
5	Millwall	33	9	6	2	21	10	5	5	6	19	21	14	11	8	40	31	53	9
6	West Ham United	32	7	5	4	25	17	6	8	2	20	14	13	13	6	45	31	52	14

7	Sheffield United	33	8	4	4	28	18	7	3	7	20	22	15	7	11	48	40	52	8
8	Reading	33	9	4	4	25	21	6	3	7	16	22	15	7	11	41	43	52	-2
9	Crystal Palace	34	6	6	5	25	22	8	2	7	28	26	14	8	12	53	48	50	5
10	Sunderland	30	8	5	1	18	7	5	4	7	20	23	13	9	8	38	30	48	8
11	Cardiff City	33	7	5	4	31	16	5	5	7	22	26	12	10	11	53	42	46	11
12	Coventry City	33	5	8	4	18	17	6	5	5	25	19	11	13	9	43	36	46	7
13	Preston North End	32	9	3	4	32	19	4	4	8	15	22	13	7	12	47	41	46	6
14	Stoke City	32	7	6	3	25	18	5	2	9	19	27	12	8	12	44	45	44	-1
15	Rotherham United	33	6	6	4	22	18	4	5	8	17	27	10	11	12	39	45	41	-6
16	Crewe Alexandra	32	9	2	5	24	16	2	5	9	16	28	11	7	14	40	44	40	-4
17	Watford	33	6	7	4	24	21	4	3	9	15	23	10	10	13	39	44	40	-5
18	Burnley	33	7	4	5	26	20	2	7	8	19	34	9	11	13	45	54	38	-9
19	Walsall	33	6	6	4	22	20	3	4	10	13	24	9	10	14	35	44	37	-9
20	Gillingham	32	7	1	8	17	21	3	6	7	16	24	10	7	15	33	45	37	-12
21	Nottingham Forest	33	5	6	6	24	20	3	5	8	16	23	8	11	14	40	43	35	-3

22	Derby County	33	6	4	6	24	27	2	6	9	11	27	8	10	15	35	54	34	-19
23	Bradford City	34	4	2	11	16	27	3	3	11	11	24	7	5	22	27	51	26	-24
24	Wimbledon	32	2	3	11	14	29	3	0	13	14	36	5	3	24	28	65	18	-37