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Ipswich Town column: Boxing Day win against Oxford was one of Town's most impressive displays this term




Boxing Day’s comprehensive 3-0 victory over Oxford United was a positive day all round for Ipswich Town supporters.

The performance itself after adjusting to the game after 15 minutes following a bright start from the visitors, was one of the most pleasing this season.

It also signalled the return of Lee Evans, following his return cameo at Wycombe, it really strengthened his claim that he is as key to the Town midfield as Sam Morsy.

Ipswich Town columnist Nathan Reeve
Ipswich Town columnist Nathan Reeve

Credit must be given to Cameron Humphreys who has stepped in admirably, but Evans’ bite in midfield and passing range was a joy to watch and highlighted what we have been missing in recent weeks.

Also returning to the line-up was attacker Marcus Harness, he was also a standout performer, and it was admirable as to how effective he was in this performance following a period out with injury.

In the past we have been frustrated by Oxford, and failed to fully channel that frustration to a win, this time was different.

The visitors started brightly and threatened to open the scoring before Town took a foothold of the game. It prompted tactics that are a common theme at Portman Road with Oxford slowing the game down and frustrating the crowd.

However, this season feels different, and we managed to take control and our quality really shined through, and it sets us up for a big clash with Portsmouth tomorrow.

With the January window on the horizon, it’s vital that Town learn from mistakes from the past in which I’m confident we have under the current ownership.

We have seen Town get into a good position to only see us fail to strengthen in January and tail off dramatically in the second half of the season.

It will be exciting to see where we go with the recruitment and with players returning from injury to strengthen the numbers and depth that Kieran McKenna has dealt with recently.