Ipswich Town produced a very professional performance to see off Shrewsbury Town on Saturday with Conor Chaplin and Macauley Bonne putting them in front twice on the way to a thoroughly deserved win.

The Tractor Boys closed the gap between themselves and the play-offs as a result of the win giving Paul Cook a bit of relief in the pressurised dugout. Bonne was again instrumental with the first goal coming from the rebound of a thunderous headed attempt and he then went on to nod home brilliantly running away from goal from a vicious in-swinging corner taken by Lee Evans.

The rest of the league will be aware of the firepower Ipswich have in their ranks despite their slow start to the season but probably the most concerning thing they will be worrying about is that Town seem to have addressed their defensive woes. Such that were obviously holding them back at the beginning of the campaign.

Here, then, we take a look at three things we clearly learnt about Ipswich Town after their 2-1 win over Shrewsbury Town...

Defensive improvement

It was a speculative effort that got the Shrews back on level terms with Shaun Whalley netting a strike to remember in the 28th minute.

Outside of that, even when leading for the vast majority of the second half the Tractor Boys only conceded 0.4 expected goals in the match such that with Town's goalscoring form this season will see them rise the table with ease if they can sustain it.

The Shrews are struggling inside the relegation zone so the 2-1 scoreline is not completely convincing from Ipswich but performance wise it was definitely a step in the right direction.

No Celina no problem

Conor Chaplin coming in to replace Bersant Celina, who was on international duty with Kosovo, in a nutshell demonstrates the incredible squad depth Paul Cook has for third tier level.

It was his poacher's instinct that led to Chaplin opening the scoring, following in Bonne's header that Marko Marosi parried straight into his path.

Celina has contributed three assists in four outings and will likely take his place for their trip to Cambridge United next weekend but it was a credit to Town's squad depth that they did not miss his services too sorely.

 

 

Donacien and Burns link-up

Janoi Donacien and Wes Burns are building an understanding down the right hand side that could be one the key areas for Cook to utilise in climbing the table.

The former has always had the ability to contribute in the final third from right back however he has not registered an assist since the 2016/17 season.

Burns clearly trusts Donacien and uses his support down the right flank without hesitating, giving Town another angle of attack. Burns has looked one of the better of Ipswich's 19 summer signings so far this season and his new wave of confidence can bring the best out of Donacien as the season progresses.