Pablo At The Double

A superb double from Pablo Counago and a third goal in three games for defender Thomas Gaardsoe ensured resurgent Ipswich held off Walsall.

Counago grabbed a poacher's goal in first-half stoppage time and added a smart turn-and-shot with five minutes to go.

But Gaardsoe's well-taken header on the hour proved just as important as Walsall forward Darren Wrack twice cut the deficit to a single goal.

Ipswich enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges with Gaardsoe showing signs of his new confidence in front of goal with a long shot wide of the target.

Counago too needed no second invitation to start finding his range with a header from Fabian Wilnis' cross and curling shot - both just wide of the mark.

When the Saddlers created their first opening of the game defender Zigor Aranalde's 20-yard volley lacked any real power.

But most of the action was at the other end where Jamie Clapham curled a free-kick past the post and a clutch of Ipswich players failed to take advantage of an indirect free-kick after Aranalde's back pass.

Counago was in the right place to punish keeper Gavin Ward for spilling Richard Naylor's cross.

If that failed to knock the stuffing out of the Saddlers then Gaardsoe's header into the top corner 15 minutes after the re-start looked as if it surely would.

But against the run of play Wrack threw the game back into the balance with 22 minutes to go.

Leitao, swung the ball into the danger area and the in-form forward finished crisply for his third goal in five games.

The excellent Counago looked to have finally settled the issue as he turned superbly on the edge of the box before firing into the bottom corner for his 13th goal of the season.

But there was still time for Wrack to show Counago was not the only goalscorer in form with a neat finish from Darren Bazeley's cross.

BBC