Magilton hits out at 'poor' Ipswich

12 April 2009 07:31
The Blues have seen their Championship play-off dream end, largely because they have only managed one win in 10 home games. This was the latest in a shocking sequence of results and enraged the home crowd. Seething boss Magilton said: "I feel let down because we downed tools. We capitulated. "Doncaster showed more desire. We were at home but some of the players felt sorry for themselves. "I'm not going to offer any excuses. It was poor. "I wasn't surprised by the crowd reaction. I expected it and probably deserved it. "One or two of them - more than one or two - will have to have a look in the mirror." Magilton was given some cheer by the performance of teenage substitute Connor Wickham. He said: "The only plus was the kid. In 20 minutes, he showed more desire than some seasoned pros. "Doncaster came and bossed it. "We never controlled possession and there were too many individuals and not enough collective team spirit. "We played with a bit more purpose after going behind and then, after that, we should have got on the front foot, but it didn't happen. "The summer holidays are looming and perhaps one or two have seen the finishing line. "I never doubt the lads' effort but when it really got tough we didn't have enough." Doncaster took the lead when Gareth Roberts' ninth-minute cross from deep on the left dropped into the far corner, deceiving goalkeeper Richard Wright. Ipswich were level soon afterwards when Owen Garvan fired a low shot into the net from the edge of the box, after being teed up by Pablo Counago. But the visitors edged in front again when Paul Heffernan slammed the ball home from close range, after having his initial shot blocked by Wright. And substitute James Hayter confirmed the victory with a cool finish, after good work from James Chambers and Martin Woods. The only real bright spot for Ipswich was when schoolboy substitute Wickham made history by becoming their youngest ever first-team player, aged 16 years and 11 days. He beat Jason Dozzell's record, set 25 years ago, by 46 days. Jubilant Rovers now look to have secured their status in the Championship. But when asked about his side's chances of avoiding the drop, boss Sean O'Driscoll said: "What's safe? "We haven't looked at the table all season and we're not about to start now. "All we have tried to do is maintain a level of performance and that's not going to change. "Every point is precious in this division so to get three away from home was a very good result. "The first goal was a bit of a fluke. These things can go for you sometimes and not at others. "We started really well. "Ipswich came right back into it and caused us major problems, but half-time came at just the right time for us. It was a massive help. "We were quite pleased when they went a bit more direct because that made it a bit easier for us."

Source: Team_Talk