Ipswich Town 0 Hull City 0

Last updated : 22 August 2006 By Footymad Previewer
Neither side fashioned much in the way of openings, with Dean Marney's low drive which went straight at Lewis Price in the Ipswich goal probably the best opportunity for either side.

These two came into this game bidding to avoid a club record of four straight defeats at the start of the season, and to improve on shaky defensive records, and they managed to achieve both aims.

Ipswich included loan pairing Mark Noble, from West Ham, and Charlton's Simon Walton, while Hull's own loan capture, Mark Yeates of Tottenham, was not in their 16.

Hull caused a flutter in the home box inside 20 seconds when Craig Fagan's goalbound stabbed effort from a Ryan France cross was blocked and cleared away.

Ipswich then fashioned a decent chance on three minutes as Nicky Forster robbed Michael Turner and crossed for strike partner Alan Lee to glance a header over.

Gavin Williams fired a cross-shot well over before Forster did well on the right again to cross for Jaime Peters, coming in off the flank, to fire a firm shot over at full stretch.

Marney sent a 25-yarder tamely at Price, making his season debut in place of Shane Supple, before Hull skipper Andy Dawson was booked for blocking a quickly-taken free-kick.

Hull created a good chance on 26 minutes as France evaded Dan Harding to beat the offside trap and flashed a dangerous cross right across the face of goal, but former England forward Nicky Barmby was at full-stretch and could only lift the ball over from close range.

Fagan tried an outrageous lob from 45 yards after a poor touch from Williams gifted him the ball, but although Price was off his line the shot posed no threat as it floated way over.

Richard Naylor charged down a Jon Parkin effort from the edge of the box, and then Naylor made another good challenge to deny Parkin a shooting opportunity as he chased a Barmby flick.

Ipswich finished the half strongly, and could have taken the lead with one of two opportunities involving Forster.

First, he got to the byline and crossed low across goal. Williams, charging in, couldn't reach it and Walton lifted his shot over at the far post.

Next, Peters fed Forster who rode a challenge from Sam Collins, when he could have gone down in the box, but disappointingly shot over.

The second half began quietly and it was ten minutes before a chance at either end, with Peters crossing low for Forster to try a snapshot which was blocked as it headed goalwards.

Peters then fed Noble who tried to float a clever chip from the angle of the penalty area, but although the idea was good the effort drifted over.

Williams and Fagan followed Dawson into referee Dermot Gallagher's notebook as the game entered a scrappy period, before the chance of the match for Hull on 66 minutes.

France got away down the right and crossed to Marney whose first-time effort was firm but straight at Price, who gathered at the second attempt. A yard either side and he would have struggled.

A dangerous Peters cross flashed across goal with no team-mate on hand to turn it home, before Lee shot into the side-netting from a tight angle after being slid in by Noble.

Jason De Vos almost got his head on a Darren Currie corner, taking a whack in the face for his efforts, and then both he and Forster flicked on a ball in the box, but Walton suffered an airshot.

Town pressed hard in the final minutes, as well as the four added on for stoppages, and Boaz Myhill had to tip one Currie curler away for a corner, before, right at the death, Williams miskicked from the edge of the box as a loose ball dropped to him, but 0-0 was about right.