Luke Woolfenden has been given some tough assignments in the last few weeks, facing some of the best attackers in world football. However, in Ipswich Town’s 1-1 draw against Fulham, he felt like things were starting to click into place.
The Blues, who were beaten by Liverpool and Manchester City in their first two matches of the Premier League season, were looking to get some points on the board, which they did thanks to Liam Delap’s first-half screamer.
While it wasn’t enough for them to win the game, they looked by far the most likely of the two teams, particularly in the second half, where their strong performance almost saw them retake the lead at Portman Road.
“I think the boys stuck at it the whole way through the game,” Woolfenden said after the match. “We worked really hard and probably feel disappointed that we didn’t come away with three [points].
“At the same time, it was a good performance. There were a lot of new faces out there but a lot of encouraging signs. It’s something to build on.
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“The first two [games] were tough. Even then, it’s obviously difficult for fans to see that, but we still took positives away from the performances.
Woolfenden believed his side could’ve played better in the first half of the match
Woolfenden believed his side could’ve played better in the first half of the match
“Today, it felt like everything really did click into place.
“To be fair, in the first half, we probably weren’t at it 100%, but we still had enough of the ball and encouraged ourselves that we could still get three points on the board.”
Delap’s strike is the obvious highlight of the match. The striker, who picked up Leif Davis’ pass before shrugging off his man and firing a shot into the top left corner from distance, put in a dominant display, which didn’t come as a surprise to Woolfenden.
“He’s been unbelievable since he’s come in,” the defender said about his new team-mate. “He’s shown real quality on the ball, as well as his pace and power up there leading the line.
“When he hits it, it stays hit. I’ve never seen a kid hit a ball that hard.
“He’s got a hell of a strike on him and I’m delighted that he’s scored his first goal.”
The full-time whistle was met with a huge round of applause from the home fans, who were delighted by the performance and believe that it warranted more than a point.
Woolfenden stressed that, while they’ll take the positives of the performance and getting their first point of the campaign, there was a sense of frustration that it wasn’t more.
The defender heaped praise of team-mate Liam Delap
The defender heaped praise of team-mate Liam Delap (Image: Steve Waller)
“I think we all felt that,” he admitted. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re not down in the dumps about it, but I think we felt like we should’ve come away with three points there.
“In the second half, I think we were massively on top. We didn’t really create many clear-cut chances with shots but we had a lot of good opportunities and got into the box. It was just that final ball that was lacking at times.
“Throughout the game we defended very well. It’s something that, as a team, we can take great pride in.
“It’s the way we work for each other when one of us makes a mistake or one of us gives the ball away. It’s unbelievable.”
Asked whether he believes he’s handling the step-up to the top level, the 25-year-old replied: “I think I am! I’m really enjoying it out there.
“In ways, it’s almost easier for me at the back now because we’re spending a lot of the game defending, so you have to be switched on all the time.
“It’s easier to do that when you’re not dominating games and don’t have the ball up in the attacking half for two, three minutes on end.
“In some ways it’s easier, but obvious the quality is higher so you have to be switched on. In some ways, I’m enjoying it a lot more.”
Kalvin Phillips made his league debut for Town against the Cottagers
Kalvin Phillips made his league debut for Town against the Cottagers
Ipswich now have two weeks off to rest and recover. It’ll also be an opportunity to get some of the new signings up to speed as they adapt to life in the Premier League under Kieran McKenna.
“A few of the boys, Chieo (Ogbene) and Dara (O’Shea) are away. A few of the other lads are away as well,” he said.
“It’s still a good time to be on the training pitch, a good time to recover and get some boys back fit.
“We’ve got a really strong squad and it’s going to be difficult to get into the XI. You’ve got to work hard to do that every week.”
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