One Ipswich Town player exit feels inevitable regardless of promotion: View
Dom Ball is out of contract at Portman Road and has struggled for minutes at Championship level, so it won’t be a surprise if he leaves this summer
It’s been a remarkable campaign for Ipswich Town so far, but one player in particular has endured a tough few months with minutes at Championship level not finding him.
Versatile midfielder Dom Ball joined the Tractor Boys in 2022 from Queens Park Rangers and hasn’t quite made the desired impact at Portman Road for a number of reasons.
The 28-year-old suffered a serious injury in November 2022, just months after joining the club, which ensured he missed a large chunk of the club’s promotion-winning campaign.
Despite now being back to full fitness, Ball has struggled to make an impact for Kieron McKenna’s side, with the club flying high in the upper echelons of the Championship table.
The Northern Irish age-grade international signed a two-year deal at Portman Road when he arrived over a year-and-a-half ago, and it looks inevitable that he’ll leave the club in the summer, regardless of what division Ipswich are in next season.
Dom Ball’s time at Ipswich Town
It was seen as a real coup for the Tractor Boys in the summer of 2022 when they announced the signing of Ball.
Ball had played at the top level of Scottish football for both Rangers and Aberdeen and had plenty of EFL experience with clubs such as Rotherham United, Peterborough United and QPR, so he seemed like the perfect player for McKenna’s squad as they looked to win promotion from League One.
However, it didn’t quite work out that way and, thanks to injuries and finding it difficult to break into the club’s starting 11, making just four league starts and playing just 452 minutes of league football last season.
In all competitions, he made 19 appearances, scoring once and registering four assists as the club finished second in the table and won promotion to the Championship.
Things haven’t gotten any better for Ball this season at Championship level, and he’s made just one start in the league this season.
In total, he’s made 14 appearances for the club in all competitions this season, but has been excluded from the club’s matchday squads for their recent league fixtures against Preston North End and West Brom, showing he’s not part of McKenna’s plans anymore.
His last appearance came in an FA Cup tie with Maidstone United, where he started at right-back.
It proved an embarrassing day for the club as they were defeated 2-1 at home by the sixth-tier club and Ball was hauled off after 57 minutes, perhaps putting the final nail in the coffin of his Ipswich career.
It hasn’t worked out for the player at Portman Road, but there’s no reason why he can’t reignite his career elsewhere next season.
