EN-GB"> Town 0 Bristol City

0

Bristol City grabbed a desperately hard-fought

point at Portman Road.

Both sides

hit the frame of the goal but it was Ipswich

who dominated possession and chances and should have taken the victory.

But the

Robins will return west with a draw that extends their unbeaten run to three

games, even if it does little for their hopes of making the play-offs.

Ipswich have been hard to beat at home since the autumn and they always looked

much the more likely winners but they found City keeper Dean Gerken in prime

form.

City had

been dealt a pre-match blow when a knee injury ruled out Marvin Elliott and he

was replaced by Paul Hartley.

And their

goalkeeper was tested in the eighth minute when Lee Johnson was robbed in front

of his own box and Daryl Murphy’s angled drive was fumbled by Gerken, who was

glad to see the ball fall to safety.

That was

the one chance Ipswich created in the early

stages but City were distinctly second best, an approach that caused Gary

Johnson to furiously berate his side from the touchline on several occasions.

City’s

first effort of any note saw a tame David Clarkson shot bobble into Murphy’s

arms.

Liam

Fontaine’s cross then found Danny Haynes but the former Ipswich

man’s shot was mis-hit and again Murphy was untroubled.

Haynes had

another shot a minute later but so badly sliced was his 20-yarder that it went

for a throw-in, to ironic cheers from the home fans.

City

stepped it up and Lewin Nyatanga’s header glanced wide from Hartley’s corner.

Ipswich threatened again when Colback’s short free kick teed up Grant

Leadbitter but his 20-yarder was saved by Gerken at the second attempt.

At the

other end Hartley’s volley again proved only to be catching practice for home

debutant Murphy.

Chris Iwelumo

then hit the woodwork from a left-wing cross and also volleyed a corner wide in

stoppage time.

After the

break, the Blues were first to offer a threat with Daryl Murphy jabbing just

over before Bradley Orr was robbed of possession inside his own box and he

needed Gerken to dive at Jon Walters’ feet to save him.

And Ipswich came closer still when a pass from Leadbitter

sent full-back Colback through on goal. He prodded the ball past Gerken but it

rebounded off the inside of the post and back into the keeper’s hands.

Then Gerken

had to dive to his left to hold a David Norris header from Colback’s cross and

his opposite number Murphy was almost immediately in action at the other end.

Iwelumo

headed the ball down and Clarkson’s powerful, first-time shot was palmed away

by a full stretch Murphy.

Gerken’s

next saves saw him deny Damien Delaney’s header at the far post and a pile-driver

from Walters as the Ipswich chances began to

mount up.

Johnson

tried all three substitutions in a bid to wrestle back the advantage with Gavin

Williams, Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Ivan Sproule all brought on.

There was

real drama in stoppage time when Gerken missed an Ipswich throw and the ball

sailed into the net but the ‘goal’ was disallowed, possibly because it went

straight  in and you cannot score direct

from a throw-in.

Ipswich: Murphy (4-4-2); Rosenior, Delaney, McAuley, Colback; C Edwards (Garvan

82), Leadbitter, Norris, Walters, Murphy (Wickham 68), Healy (Counago 68).

Subs: Lee-Barrett, Peters, Balkestein, O’Connor.

Bristol City (4-3-3): Gerken; Orr, Carey,

Nyatanga, Fontaine; Skuse, Johnson (Williams 61), Hartley (Campbell-Ryce 66) Haynes

(Sproule 74), Iwelumo, Clarkson. Subs: Collis, Maynard, Wilson, J Edwards.