Ipswich saw off Oxford United 2:0 in a Club Friendlies fixture on Friday, the 1st of August. The match was a straightforward affair, with the hosts managing to string together two goals in the second half. Oxford would have been looking for something to take home, but the scoreboard told a different story.
The first half was quiet enough, marked only by a yellow card in the 40th minute. By then, neither side had quite found their rhythm, though Ipswich were the ones who would eventually pull clear. To be fair, it wasn't a game that demanded much from either defence at that stage.
Everything changed around the hour mark when Jack Currie broke the deadlock in the 61st minute. Oxford had to chase the game from that point, which led to Aidomo Emakhu coming on for them in the 66th. The visitors would not get back into the contest, and Ipswich were able to breathe easier.
Stanley Mills doubled the lead in the 71st minute, and that was effectively it. Sam Long and Tyler Goodrham both came off in the 73rd and 76th minutes respectively, but Oxford's task was already done. The old head settled them down, and they carried the side through to the final whistle.
Ipswich had come off a 1:2 loss to Osasuna on the 29th of July, so this win provided a decent response. Oxford, meanwhile, had been on a run of three straight victories before this setback, including a 3:1 win over Crawley Town on the 28th. And here's the thing — friendlies don't shift tables, but they do shift momentum.
The result left Ipswich with a clean sheet and two goals, though the margin means little outside of this window. Oxford will take the points lost and move on, having already beaten Barnet and Aldershot in their own preparations. By then, both managers will be looking at bigger questions.