IPSWICH Town came from behind to draw 1-1 at home to Brentford, in Tuesday’s Championship match at Portman Road.

Reporter Matt Plummer reflects on a stereotypical game of two halves, as Paul Hurst’s men secured a deserved share of the spoils through Kayden Jackson.

WING-BACKS AND A NEW FORMATION

Hurst clearly isn’t afraid to make bold decisions, as he proved by controversially dropping established number one Bartosz Bialkowski and replacing him with Dean Gerken for the recent Norwich City derby.

The Town boss made another big call on Tuesday night, making no less than five changes from the side that slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Hull City on Saturday.

Along with changes in personnel, he also switched to a different formation – 3-5-2.

It was an eye-catching experiment but one that clearly backfired.

Jordan Spence and Janoi Donacien both struggled in their wing-back roles and looked uncomfortable throughout a torrid first half.

Donacien came in from the cold and struggled in an unaccustomed position, while Spence is very much out of form - perhaps fortunate to keep his place after a nightmare display at Hull.

Town got caught out time and again and with the pair also offering little in attack, it was no surprise that the system changed after the break.

Thankfully, the alterations paid handsome dividends.

Town looked a totally different side and the players were far more comfortable and suited to 4-2-3-1.

CLASSY PENNINGTON

Talking of Town’s defence, praise must go to Everton loanee Matthew Pennington.

The youngster looks a real find and was once again calm, unflappable and assured.

He made numerous important tackles and interceptions, is quick and strong in the air.

He’d definitely be a contender for man-of-the-match, although there were other eye-catching displays from Grant Ward – never afraid to run with the ball and capable of picking clever passes – and speedy goal hero Jackson.

The latter led the line well and could have scored more than once.

CONFIDENCE IS KEY

Town were so poor in the first half and one of the reasons was their alarming lack of confidence.

The unforced error count was through the roof and basic, bread-and-butter passes were over-hit and went astray.

It was almost uncomfortable to watch and two such blunders – wayward passes from Spence and Trevoh Chalobah – drew groans from an otherwise patient Portman Road crowd.

Thankfully, as said above, things changed after the break.

The players showed their grit and mental steel to bounce back from a first half in which they had been totally outplayed.

PATIENT SUPPORTERS

The Town fans deserved credit on Tuesday night.

As you’d expect, they gave Kevin Beattie a memorable send-off – joining forces for a rousing and emotional minute’s applause before kick-off and then again in the sixth minute (Beattie’s shirt number).

But they also stuck with their team on what was, at times, a difficult night.

Yes, there were flashes of frustration during that first half – understandably so – and there were boos at half-time.

However, they stuck by the players in the second half, buoying them with their vocal support, and I’m sure that was a key factor in a vastly-improved display.

More of the same will now be needed on Saturday, as Town so desperately hunt their first win of the season, against Phil Parkinson’s Bolton Wanderers.

They are unbeaten in their four home matches (having lost all four away games) but badly need to convert one point into three.

Play like they did in the second half and they’ve got every chance.

But play like they did in the first and it could be another difficult afternoon – one that would set the alarm bells ringing louder than before.