Schumacher's Ipswich Reaction

Argyle and Ipswich Town played out an exciting 1-1 draw at Portman Road, with the Greens maintaining their seven-point gap to the third-place Tractor Boys.

It took a late goal to earn the point, with Bali Mumba providing a great finish in more ways than one, scoring in injury time following Wes Burns’ opener for the home side.

Argyle were at least worth their point, though, joining Ipswich in trying to play attacking football in front of a sold-out crowd of over 29,000.

This game followed last week’s 0-0 draw at Bolton Wanderers, in which Argyle played in a different fashion on Bolton’s bobbly, muddy pitch.

Manager Steven Schumacher was not only pleased with how his side played, but enjoyed the game as a spectacle.

“It was great, wasn't it?” he said after the game, speaking to Argyle TV. “I said we were going to come here and try to enjoy the game, which we did. We knew it was going be an open game of football. Two teams who like to play the right way.

“I thought we were excellent, especially in the first half. I thought we took the game to Ipswich. We went and pressed them.  We went high on the front foot to force their goalkeeper into loads of long balls. At half-time we just said we can maybe pass the ball more, make more passes because that'll be our best way to create more chances.

“The tactics today were slightly different to Bolton. We felt that to be expansive and pass the ball on Bolton’s pitch probably wasn't a good idea.

“Here, it's different. It's a lovely football pitch to play on. The systems against Ipswich, the way we play and the way they play, it matches up and lends itself to a good game of football. We felt that we've got players that are as good as theirs, so let's go and take the ball, let's be brave, let's be positive and let's go and take the game to them and see if we can cause them a few problems.

“Anyone who comes here and sits back and defends, gets beat - and we didn't want do that.

“We kept going in the second half, created an unbelievable chance that we should've scored from, and were unfortunate to go behind the way we did, then we showed great character to come back into it and give our fans something to cheer.”

The aforementioned Green Army – over 2,100 of them in a sold-out away end – were clearly delighted following Mumba’s goal, and rightly so. Schumacher had praise for the travelling Argyle fans but also the home supporters, all of whom contributed to a fantastic atmosphere.

“Credit to both clubs who sold out here,” said Schumacher. “Their fans got behind their team really well, but our fans are just incredible. I mean, 600+ mile round trip and it was packed, sold out. I didn't actually realise how far our fans went across [the stand] until we scored the goal and we saw everybody going wild.

“I'm so pleased for them, they got to watch their team today have a right good go. They've seen the team give it their all and show some courage to come to a big place like this in front of packed-out crowd, with huge pressure on us and express themselves and go for it.”

The game saw the return of Finn Azaz following 10 weeks on the sidelines, and it was after the on-loan Aston Villa man came off the bench that he played a beautifully crafted and disguised pass to set Mumba away for the goal.

Schumacher had praise for both men involved in the goal.

“Finn Azaz picks the right pass,” said Schumacher. “It was his pass that gets the ball to Bali who produces another moment of magic that we know he is capable of.

“I'm so pleased for Finn. He’s worked so hard to get back in. He's a week ahead of schedule. It was a tough call to put him on the bench, but I think it was the right call in the end. He just calms everyone down.”

The draw ends a week containing three away games, with last Saturday’s trip to Bolton being followed by a win at Bristol Rovers in the Papa Johns Trophy on Tuesday, which sent Argyle into the semi-finals of the competition.

Seven days following the Ipswich game, Argyle will be back in action at Home Park, against Cheltenham Town, who curiously are the side the Pilgrims have been drawn against in said semi, which will happen in February.  

“If someone would've offered us being unbeaten against Bolton, into the semi-final and unbeaten against, Ipswich, in what was a really tough week, we'd have snapped the hand off for that,” said the manager.

“I felt we probably could have won here today.  Maybe not at Bolton, we probably got a fair point. It's important now that we go and try to beat Cheltenham, because all this hard work this week will go for nothing if we don't recover well then put on a real performance at home next week and take three points off Cheltenham. That's a game we will be expected to win, but the attitude's got to be right.

“If we get our game plan right, then hopefully we can pick up another huge three points.”