Jewell needs to play a complete blinder in this transfer window if Town’s season is ever to show an improvement

There’s supposed to be nasty whiff that emanates from deep underground at the Madjeski Stadium.

Built on the site of an old household waste dump, the ground is surrounded by handy vents which pump the pong upwards and into the noses of the locals.

Well, whatever the local environmental issues, Town fans left with a nasty smell up their nostrils having come away pointless from a lacklustre game; they at least deserved a share of the spoils.

With another impressive away following, for an underperforming side sitting just above the trap-door, it beggars belief what sort of travelling support Town would have if they were bordering on the successful?

As befitting their current places, Alf’s boys stood in awe of Waitrose’s finest for the first ten minutes and let the hosts play the football, whilst Town waited for one of their midst to step up to the plate.

The unlikely suspect was one Jay Emmanuel-Thomas – gifted yes, but yet to set his Ipswich Town career alight.

Returned to the side in place of the injured and much-missed Jason Scotland, Jet unleashed a wonderfully strike from 30 yards which skimmed the top of the Reading crossbar.

That moment of inspiration woke Town up and finally gave the home side something to worry about.

Next Cresswell had a pop from a similar distance, but with the impressive Church giving new-pairing of Sonko and Delaney a hard time, even a below-par Reading side the greater firepower with Town’s Michael Chopra playing second fiddle in danger stakes.

Out wide the square peg in a wide circular hole that is Murphy was the pick, whilst Lee Martin drifted in and out of game despite Emmanuel-Thomas doing his best to wake him up with passes drilled in his direction.

But with neither side pulling up trees, both sides cancelled each other out as the half ended with few real chances created.

Come the second-half and Town grew in confidence, which wasn’t difficult with the home sides out of sorts and with the locals starting to get annoyed in a ‘We shop at Waitrose’ kind of way.

With Lee Bowyer doing his best to pull a few strings and Grant Leadbitter returning from injury to put in a steady rather than spectacular shift, Town looked and indeed deserved a point from a fairly stale end of year fare.

With chances few and far between it seemed Town only had to stay on the pitch to earn a useful point. That was at least until Bowyer was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball.

Once again a fairly innocuous set-play was all too much for Town to deal with. With ‘After you Claude…’ on the mind of the defence, Pearce took the soft option and scored.

Josh Carson came on to try and make amends in the fairness department, but with Nathan Ellington again failing to impress, it was all too much for Town, who now stare down the ‘must win’ barrel at home to Nottingham Forest if the knife sharpening for Paul Jewell’s head is to be put to bed again.

As things stand, Town are a side of parts. Yes all can play, but like the Eric Morcambe joke, not necessarily at the same time.

With Andrew’s future up in the air and Collins gone, Jewell needs to play a blinder of a hand in the transfer window if this season is to be rescued.

With the likes of Bullard looking an expensive bench option, it’s young and hungry blood that’s needed for a tour of duty.

Like, say, a Jordan Rhodes. Oh… We did what?