ESSEX COUNTY STANDARD TOWN CORRESPONDENT MATT PLUMMER DELIVERS HIS WEEKLY THOUGHTS ON THE NEWS FROM PORTMAN ROAD: APART from the sapping disappointment of defeat, there’s little worse than a footballing damp squib.

We’ve all experienced that feeling.

You look forward to a game and turn up with high hopes – only to have them ripped apart by an overwhelming feeling of anti-climax.

Tuesday’s defeat against Reading definitely fits into that category because it was a deeply depressing night at Portman Road.

I was excited about the prospect of an open, attacking game between two form sides in the division.

I was looking forward to a cracking atmosphere for Paul Jewell’s first match under floodlights (I’m not including the Carling Cup tie against Arsenal) and of course, like everyone, I’d been buoyed by Saturday’s brilliant 2-0 victory at Cardiff.

Sadly, on all counts, the experience fell badly short of expectations.

The crowd was subdued and the players’ performance was flat, jaded and unimaginative.

I lost count of the misplaced passes and Jewell was spot on when he said there was no “zip or zest”.

Quite frankly, Town were soundly and deservedly beaten by far superior opposition.

While it would be wrong to lambaste the players, because recent displays have been much-improved and heartening, a valuable lesson can be learned.

That is that Connor Wickham needs to play up front in a 4-4-2, rather than wasted out wide on the left.

To me, he looked uncomfortable, alienated and frustrated out there during the Royals game.

Yes, he is still learning the game and playing down the flank will add another string to his bow.

And yes, he’s done remarkably well to be so prominent in the position – scoring six goals and winning the Championship Player-of-the-Month award for February – since Jewell’s arrival.

But it’s clearly not where he wants to be and the long-term plan is for him to be a centre-forward, so why waste time? Play him in his favoured position.

Jimmy Bullard was sorely missed because of a hamstring injury and it worries me that our midfield looked so bereft without him – a loanee who, let’s face it, the club are unlikely to be able to keep.

Hopefully it was just a one-off, though. A blip and a freak result.

I sincerely hope that is the case because a repeat tomorrow will almost certainly result in another defeat against another form side, Leeds.