With Cameron Burgess at the Asian Cup, someone needed to step up at centre-back. Luke Woolfenden and Axel Tuanzebe looked to be the strongest options, but they are both right-sided. Who’d fill the void on the left?
Enter George Edmundson, who came straight in against Stoke City on New Year’s Day, putting in a Man of the Match performance in the 0-0 draw. He didn’t look back from there.
He kept his place, impressing against AFC Wimbledon, Sunderland and Leicester City. It was the first time that we saw him hit his top levels since returning from his ankle injury. He looked confident and physical, and his positioning was excellent.
He didn’t have a standout match, but he managed to maintain his performances throughout the month. Not only was he Town‘s best defender, but I think he has to go down as Town’s best player since the start of the year.
Burgess will have a tough battle to win back his spot in Jeremy Sarmiento has scored as many goals for Town as he did in half a season at West Brom (Image: Stephen Waller)
Surprise package
This should probably be Edmundson’s award too, but I think that Jeremy Sarmiento deserves some recognition.
Fans were happy when he signed, seeing him as a good option to support Nathan Broadhead on the left flank. There were clear concerns voiced by West Brom fans, however, meaning that expectations were tempered ahead of his debut against Wimbledon.
But he looked really sharp, linking up well with the likes of Marcus Harness and Omari Hutchinson. He didn’t look like a new signing at all.
He showed a different side of his game against Sunderland, adding a bit of passion and aggression to his skill and precision on the ball. He went on to bag his first goal against Leicester just over a week later, earning the Blues a point on the road as a packed-out away end belted out his name.
He was Town’s best player against Maidstone and took his goal very well. While that match ended the club’s month on a low note, it also showed just how influential he can be. He deserves to be starting games for Ipswich, especially while Nathan Broadhead is struggling for form. Nobody expected us to be saying that.
Conor Chaplin scored his ninth goal of the season in the win against Sunderland (Image: Stephen Waller)
Goal of the Month
Unlike previous months, we don’t have a lot to choose from. Town scored seven goals in five games in January, but unlike previous months, there’s no trivela from Wes Burns or long-range screamer from Jack Taylor.
That’s why I’ve gone with Conor Chaplin’s goal against Sunderland, which capped off a fantastic night at Portman Road. Ipswich fell behind to a stunning strike from Jack Clarke, but Kayden Jackson’s equaliser sent the sides into half time on level terms.
From there, the match became increasingly scrappy. Sunderland had a golden chance to score through Adil Aouchiche, but the Blues created more and looked the likelier of the two teams.
The winning goal came from a set piece, with Leif Davis delivering a sumptuous curling ball into the box. From there, the smallest man on the pitch managed to leap up and aim a bullet header into the back of the net. IP1 erupted as Chaplin ran towards the fans holding the badge on his shirt.
It was a fantastic strike, taking Davis to 10 assists and Chaplin to nine goals for the season.
Vaclav Hladky was given the Sky Bet Championship Man of the Match award for his performance against the Foxes (Image: Pagepix)
Best individual performance
Funnily enough, I gave Luke Woolfenden my Man of the Match award for Town’s 1-1 draw at Leicester, but when you look at the individual moments, Vaclav Hladky takes it.
The goalkeeper had a tricky start to the game. Not only did the Foxes’ front line put him under a lot of pressure, but the absence of Sam Morsy meant that he was without a key supporting figure while playing out from the back. In the end, the visitors were lucky to only be 1-0 down at the break.
Ipswich improved after the restart and so did Hladky. He looked more confident, and when Leicester came running at him, he stood tall. He made impressive saves to prevent them from extending their lead, and he played one of the passes of the season when slipping the ball over to Harry Clarke on the right flank in an instant.
Across the 90 minutes, was this his best performance? Absolutely not, but he did show how important he can be when Town need him. This game reminded everyone how reliable he is.
Sarmiento’s strike at the King Power earned Ipswich a crucial point (Image: Pagepix)
Standout moment
Sticking with the Leicester game, it surely has to be Sarmiento’s late equaliser at the King Power.
As mentioned, Ipswich had struggled in the first half. There was a clear gap between them and Leicester, and the half-time score wasn’t a reflection of the flow of the game. Town improved in the second half, but not enough to really trouble the Foxes.
