since 1878

Ipswich Town (0) 1 - 0 (0) West Ham United

Division 1 Play-Off Semi-Final, 1st Leg 2003-04

Saturday, May 15, 2004

Referee: M Clattenburg

Manager: Joe Royle

Portman Road 12:15

Attendance: 28,435

Manager: Alan Pardew

Match Number: 3058

Goals

Home
 Darren Bent (57)
Away
 

Substitutions

Away
ZamoraMcAnuff (69)
HarewoodDeane (78)
EtheringtonReo-Coker (90)

Cards

Home
 Jim Magilton (36)
 Fabian Wilnis (79)
Away
 

Teams

Away

Bywater

Melville

Repka

Mullins

Dailly

Lomas

Carrick

Etherington

Connolly

Harewood

Zamora

Substitutes

Away

Deane

Ferdinand

McAnuff

Reo-Coker

Srnicek

Match Report

Bent gives Town the edge

Darren Bent ended a turbulent week with the goal which gives Ipswich the edge in this play-off clash. Bent headed home after strike partner Richard Naylor had hit the bar, at the end of a week in which he was questioned by police over an alleged air gun incident.

Ipswich began well and Tomas Repka had to make a good block to deny Bent when a Jim Magilton corner fell to him after six minutes.

Marlon Harewood had the ball in the net on 11 minutes, but the whistle had already blown for a foul, and a minute later, he wasted a good chance, firing into the side-netting.

Magilton had a low drive deflected wide before his cross found Bent whose hooked shot was grabbed by Stephen Bywater at the second attempt.

Bobby Zamora and Bent both struck weak efforts when well-placed, before Bent rounded Bywater and pulled the ball back to Ian Westlake, whose volley was cleared off the line by Andy Melville.

Zamora wasted two more good chances, dragging one effort wide and then tamely shooting straight at Kelvin Davis.

The last good chance of the half saw Jermaine Wright volley just wide from a Magilton corner.

West Ham had the first chance after the break, Harewood heading a Michael Carrick corner on to the roof of the net.

Bent shot over from a Westlake cross before netting his potentially priceless goal, heading home from six yards.

Bent curled an ambitious effort over soon afterwards and that was Town's last real threat.

Both sides seemed happy to take the result, although both Carrick and David Connolly brought saves out of Davis before the end.

Like the other Nationwide Division One play-off semi final, nothing has been resolved, but Ipswich will be the happier of the two teams, knowing just a draw on Tuesday will take them to Cardiff for the final.

Nationwide

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