ITFC Data

I think Ben Johnson grew into the game too. Still not completely sold on him defensively but was almost as high up as Leif and got the ball into Clarke loads. Jury still out on Szmods and Hirst. That combo looked better when Szomds was dropping deeper in the second half #ITFC

Top players report from a solid performance to kick of the season at Portman Road. Leif Davis back to his best down the left definitely helped by Philogene's inclusion. Really enjoyed Greaves second half too. Look how high up the pitch he's winning those balls #ITFC

N/A

Didn't really get a chance to exert any influence on the game - 5/10 #ITFC

Didn't really get into the game when he came on. Poor penalty. Would rather he missed that one than the one Friday night mind - 4/10 #ITFC

Did okay when he came on. Had a great chance to win it. Could maybe have taken a touch. Good penalty - 5/10 #ITFC

Following a tough time on Friday Johnson turned into a flying LWB here. Took his goal incredibly well and fizzed another shot off with his left foot that required a good save. Also delivered the great cross to Al Hamadi. Still looked dodgy when we was asked to defend - 6/10 #ITFC

No lack of effort from Ali but finishing was lacking. Should have scored in the first half. Should have scored in the second half. Another poor penalty. He made good runs and got in good positioning but as a striker you've got to be finishing your chances - 3/10 #ITFC

What have we done to Jack Clarke? This game opened up for him but he just seems to be always making the wrong decisions. Just 2/7 take ons completed. Another poor game - 4/10 #ITFC

7 progressive passes, 2 chances created, four shots. Made the team tick going forward. Passing was at times risky and he did give the ball away but those risks created chances. Superb ball in for Al Hamadi and the touch and shot for Johnson's goal was sublime - 7/10 (MoTM) #ITFC

A much better performance than Friday. Should have done better with an early Davis pull back but got in down the right with strong running on a number of occasions. 3/4 successful take ons and some decent end product. Promising - 6/10 #ITFC

I think Humphreys did okay. A couple of nice tackles and looked to receive the ball in the middle but didn't create too much which would have been his role with Barbook being the more defensive - 5/10 #ITFC

Solid debut. Didn't try anything too fancy. Kept the ball well as his 91.84 % pass completion shows. Huge block following a corner recovery run that he celebrated like a goal - 6/10 #ITFC

Looked sharper than Friday night, inverting of the left for the first 45 minutes. Created three chances. Was caught behind his man for the corner but can't place too much blame on him for that. Crossing was wayward a couple of times - 6/10 #ITFC

Solid debut from Kipre. Got into some nice positions and it was his passing that unlocked the left hand side a few times. Didn't have to do too much defending but read the game well to recover the ball 6 times #ITFC

Did his defensive duties relatively well but no idea where he was going for the corner. A bit sloppier on the ball than usual standards - 5/10 #ITFC

Town's top ball progressor. Also made a couple of crucial shot blocks showing all of his experience to position himself in the right place. Smashed in his penalty. Has to start Saturday - 7/10 #ITFC

Player Ratings🧵
Here we go then 😑 Caught under the corner where he should really be stronger and claim through the bodies. Made a good one v one stop and made a good penalty save - 5/10 #ITFC

Top player report from a disappointing evening. Sowunmi was excellent for them throughout. Ashley Young a big positive. Hopefully his knock at the end isn't serious. Chaplin is also crucial to keep hold of. He is the link player that stops gaps between attack and midfield #ITFC

Attention turns to the cup tomorrow night with another potential banana skin in Bromley FC who have flourished in recent years and beat Barnet 2-0 at the weekend. Full preview for @twtdcouk.bsky.social can be found here - www.twtd.co.uk/blogs/22065/... #ITFC N.B. this was written before Akpom signed

Looked calm and composed on the ball in the brief spell he was on and having a left footer on the left side of midfield opened the pitch up and made it harder for Birmingham to press. Definitely has a role to play this season - N/A #ITFC

Sign of our depth issues that Ali came on at RW. Considering the unfamiliar position I think he did okay and actually had a few runs with the ball. Had a big opportunity in the box but slipped as he chopped back onto his left - 6/10 #ITFC

Like Chaplin was also deeper to look to get more possession for Town despite rumours he could be out the door soon - 6/10 #ITFC

Got stuck in, in more ways than one and unlike Szmodics was dropping deeper to play more passes and get on the ball - 6/10 #ITFC

Looked solid on the ball and delivered a couple of wicked crosses. One of which was just over Hirst. Delivered the corner that won the penalty. Has to start against Southampton - 6/10 #ITFC

Had a real physical battle with the Birmingham defenders but never stopped working. Was cool as you like with his pressure penalty - 6/10 #ITFC

Sadly was the Clarke of a lot of last season. Looked lightweight off the ball and was often running into corridors on it. Beaten easily in the air for the Birmingham goal - 4/10 #ITFC

The Szmodics/Hirst combo showed signs of success and he had the best chance of the first half when he excellently won the ball back but was unable to hit the target with his fizzed shot - 6/10 #ITFC

Received the ball 19 times, particularly in the first half but wasn't able to create anything from it. To me he didn't look at full sharpness and probably wouldn't have started if other options were available. Need another option at RW before the end of the window - 5/10 #ITFC

Ended up playing deeper than Matusiwa which was a surprise. Was sloppy on the ball at times but didn't lack effort getting stuck in with a number of tackles - 5/10 #ITFC