Jack Clarke had given the visitors the lead at the break of a dour first half, before the Swans showed signs of initial fight after the break. Goncalo Franco levelling immediately, before Leif Davis deflected effort off Burgess would stun the home crowd as Ipswich would regain the lead.
Ben Cabango would hit the base of the Ipswich post as the Swans would come close to parity once more, but a Ivan Azon close-range header after a set-piece had not been cleared would knock the stuffing out of the home side.
Burgess would then inexplicably put into his own net for a second time, sliding in Leif Davis cross to hammer the final nail into the game’s coffin as the Swans would be well-beaten on the day, leaving boss Sheehan with much to ponder over the international break.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2-1 midweek defeat at Preston North End, 17th-placed Swansea would look to improve on a poor recent home record, which has seen just one win in SA1 in seven outings. That win came against Ipswich’s bitter rivals, Norwich, but was Alan Sheehan’s side’s only Championship win in the last six matches.
Under pressure, head coach Sheehan says he is confident he can turn things around and “shares fans’ frustrations” with the results leading into the contest against the improving East Anglians, who have won five, drawn three, and lost two in recent matches.
The Swans boss would make three changes from the Deepdale defeat, bringing in on-loan Chelsea defender Ishe Samuels-Smith into a back three, whilst further forward, Zeidane Inoussa would return from a knee injury to make the starting XI. Top scorer Zan Vipotnik, who was only fit to take a place on the substitutes bench against the Lilywhites, would be preferred to Adam Idah up front.
Whilst Ipswich’s upturn in form has taken Kieran McKenna’s side three points off the play-off picture in 10th spot in the Championship standings, however, the Tractor Boys have struggled on the road with just one win and five points, the second worst in the division.
That came, however, in the 4-1 victory last weekend against QPR. Looking to make it back-to-back wins away, McKenna shuffled his pack with six changes from the midweek draw with Watford. Davis returning from injury at full back, whilst there would be starts for Jacob Greaves, former Sunderland playmaker Clarke, Jack Taylor, Chilean international Marcelino Nunez, and Kasey McAteer.
After an even first quarter of back-and-forth action, it would be the away side who would look the most likely to break the deadlock. Taylor picking out forward George Hirst with a through ball, but the Ipswich striker would snatch at the opportunity, shooting straight into the grateful hands of Lawrence Vigouroux in the Swansea goal.
It would be the away side who would strike the game’s first blow in the 36th minute of a pretty poor half from both sides. Clarke robbing the ball in the middle of the pitch before driving forward uncontested and picking his spot from 25-yards for his sixth of the season, striking an effort into the bottom right-hand corner past a despairing dive from Vigouroux.
That would be the most either side could muster as the Swans would enter the half-time whistle to a chorus of boo’s from the home faithful, less than satisfied with what they had seen.
With the omens on the Swans to make inroads in the match, Sheehan brought on Liam Cullen and Ronald in the hope of producing a much-needed spark in creativity.
That would come with their first foray into the opposition penalty area as Ipswich’s run of 23 games in a row without a clean sheet continued. Josh Tymon finding room on the left to cut back to Franco to drill the ball into the back of the net.
With the score level and the crowd awoken, the Swans would come close to a complete turnaround moments later, Cullen finding Franco once more his effort this time wide of Christian Walton’s right-hand post.
But the ever-changing momentum in the second half would swing back to the visitors next, who would stun the home faithful by retaking the lead moments later. Full back Davis benefiting from poor defending to find himself alone in the Swans penalty area, before seeing his effort take a massive deflection off Burgess to wrongfoot Vigouroux and hit the back of the Swans net.
Sheehan would look to the bench once more, sending on Eom, and it would be the South Korean who would almost have an instant impact. A right-wing cross picking out captain Cabango, who would head against the base of the far post after a finger tip save by Walton. The Ipswich defence, however, would be on hand to clear the danger.
Whilst the Swans would show more poise going forward, similar problems would stem at the back as they would concede a third, resulting initially from a set-piece. Vigouroux denied Ipswich captain Dara O’Shea’s point-blank header, but standing no chance of keeping out Azon’s close-range finish as the Swans defense would fail to clear their lines.
Things would go from bad to worse for Sheehan’s side then as Ipswich would add a fourth with ten minutes to play. Davis left-wing cross inadvertently diverted into his own net by the unfortunate Burgess.
That would be that as the Swans had no more answers laying the pressure on Sheehan as the Swans drop to 18th in the Championship table, whilst Ipswich rise to seventh.
Swansea City XI
Lawrence Vigouroux, Josh Tymon, Josh Key (Manuel Benson 80), Ben Cabango (captain), Cameron Burgess, Ishe Samuels-Smith (Ronald 45), Ethan Galbraith, Goncalo Franco (Adam Idah 80), Melker Widell (Liam Cullan 45), Zeidane Inoussa (Eom Ji-Sung 64), Zan Vipotnik .
Ipswich Town XI
Christian Walton, Darnell Furlong, Leif Davis, Dara O’Shea (captain), Jacob Greaves, Azor Matusiwa, Jack Taylor (Ivan Azon 70), Kasey McAteer (Jen Cajuste 72), Marcelino Nunez (Chuba Akpom 84), Jack Clarke (Ben Johnson 84), George Hirst (Jayden Philogene 70).
[Lead image: Swansea City FC]
