Ipswich Town Reserves 1 - 4 Chelsea Reserves

Last updated : 21 April 2005 By Stray Shots Team

A rare Dean Smith goal and a delightful lob by captain Danny Hollands added to the Chelsea total in the final away game of the season but most attention was focussed on important match action for Forssell.

Apart from a couple of minutes for the first team a fortnight ago, this was the Finnish international’s first competitive football since going under the surgeon’s knife in September.

Against Ipswich Reserves he was allowed 70 minutes to build up his levels of fitness and sharpness. The early stages of the game largely passed him by but when finally given decent supply on the stroke of half-time, he responded with a piece of devastating finishing.

A simple slot-home in the second-half completed a good night of reserve action for the 24 year-old and provided the basis for one of the best 30 minutes of football from Mick McGiven’s team this season.

Chelsea had fallen behind before Forssell’s opening goal. Just after the half-hour mark, Dean McDonald found space at an Ipswich corner to expertly hook home a volley.

It was not the first time the home side had threatened. Michael Mancienne had to head a goal-bound shot away just ten minutes in after Pidgeley had left his goal to deal with danger down the right.

It took a save by Lewis Price in the Ipswich goal to keep out a Jimmy Smith header after good work by Tillen and Hollands soon after, but when experienced campaigner Jamie Scowcroft headed a free-kick narrowly wide with 30 minutes gone, it heralded the start of a good spell for Ipswich.

They soon took the lead and Danny Haynes and McDonald continued to cause problems to a Chelsea defence tender in years without Steven Watt, away on international duty.

Haynes had a worthy shout for a penalty turned down after tumbling under a Morais challenge and Pidgeley produced two saves to keep them at bay - a block on Scowcroft’s angled drive and a great one-handed stop after McDonald had found a way round the back of Mancienne.

With a minute to go before the break, Forssell levelled the scores. Jimmy Smith lofted a long ball forward for him to chase down the right before he checked back, powered inside two defenders and picked out the bottom corner with a left-foot strike. It was an individual effort of close control, power and precision.

Chelsea were forced into a change at half-time, centre-back Adrian Pettigrew having jarred an ankle just before the break. Nuno Morais, who had taken the place of the suspended Anthony Grant as the midfield anchor, dropped into defence with his attacking namesake Filipe Morais coming on. There was another change soon after the restart, a hobbling Danny Woodards replaced by Joe Tillen.

Forssell was almost in on the act again just seconds after the restart when he got away down the left. The challenge from Diallo that prevented him pulling the trigger looked both illegal and inside the area.

The entire Ipswich left-side seemed to open up for Filipe Oliveira soon after but keeper Price was equal to his angled shot. Chelsea had clearly stepped up a gear for the second-half.

Before three more minutes had gone, Price produced his best save of the night to keep out Filipe Morais after Ipswich had dealt poorly with an Oliveira ball, while at the other end Pidgeley saved from Ainsley.

Then on 62 minutes Chelsea took a 2-1 lead. Forssell was in the right place in front of goal to slide in Joe Tillen’s low cross after it had found a gap between Price and his defence. Hollands had played a good ball in the build-up.

A minute later Forssell turned provider but Oliveira couldn’t make the most of a close-range chance, allowing the Ipswich keeper the opportunity to save.

Forssell was withdrawn with 20 minutes to go but Chelsea continued to look a team with goals in it. Jimmy Smith caught the Ipswich defence square with a ball out to Sam Tillen but the left-back rolled his shot agonisingly wide of the far post.

With eight minutes to go Chelsea did seal the win with a move started and finished by Dean Smith. The right-back continued a run from his own half and latched onto Oliveira’s centre to turn the ball in from close range. It was his first goal in three seasons at this level and reward for a positive display.

Pidgeley completed a good night’s work for the Chelsea keeper, saving low down from Atay before his team-mates added the fourth.

When it came a minute from time it was a goal to easily match Forssell’s first. Tillen looped a ball forward to where Hollands had burst forward from midfield. With his first touch he scooped the ball from the edge of the area into the net with Price grasping at air.

Sixth-placed Chelsea had completed the job well against the bottom-placed team, prompting coach Mick McGiven to declare afterwards: “Our second-half performance was arguably our best of the season so far. We created chances, took a few and missed a few.

“It was nice for Mikael to get us back into the game on half-time with a typical goal, scored out of nothing, and after that we were much more purposeful and created problems every time we attacked them.”

Chelsea:

Lenny Pidgeley; Dean Smith, Michael Mancienne, Adrian Pettigrew (Filipe Morais 45), Sam Tillen; Jimmy Smith, Nuno Morais, Danny Hollands; Filipe Oliveira, Mikael Forssell (Dean Furman 70), Danny Woodards (Joe Tillen 52).

Ipswich:

Lewis Price, Daniel Flack, Matt Richards, Fraser Beveridge, Drissa Diallo, Ben Patten, Danny Haynes (Adem Atay 55), Jimmy Juan, James Scowcroft, Dean McDonald, Stuart Ainsley (Charlie Sheringham 68).

by Paul Mason