Uptown Top Ranking: Cocaine In My Brain

ITFC 2-2 Huddersfield September 1st 2012

They say that a week is along time in politics, well that saying could easily describe what has happened to Ipswich in the last seven days. Last Friday we signed midfielder Guirane N’Daw from St Etienne on loan for the season, too late for the alarming 6-0 reverse at Blackpool. The team stayed up north and regrouped for the midweek "Capital One" cup game at League One side Carlisle three days later only to throw away a one nil lead away in the 90th minute and then go on to lose the tie in extra time. All of my early season belief was wiped away and a feeling of déjà vu returned!

On Wednesday after agreeing a fee with Peterborough we had Paul Taylor and George Byod down at Portman Road for a look round and medical only to learn later they had both turned the move down.

The next day we learnt that the club had agreed to release both Damian Delaney and Ryan Stephenson from their contract's and later on that night we found out that Paul Taylor had signed a deal to join us and that Daryl Murphy was on his way down from Celtic to sign another season long loan.

Friday, deadline day Cheick Kourouma signed a one year deal having made a trip back to France to sort out existing paperwork thus ensuring that's he was a free agent. Alarmingly there were no centre half signings although PJ has intimated more signings will follow next week - loan deals leading to permanent contracts when the window reopens in January.

Bikes should be safe!

So there was renewed enthusiasm for Saturday's match v Huddersfield especially when I learnt that Jordan Rhodes had been sold to Blackburn for £8,000,000 (which means a nice little sell on fee coming our way) and so therefore wouldn't be facing us!

It was quite a warm day so we decided to be good and cycle to the match, locking our bikes up outside the Police Station in Civic Drive. Murphy and Taylor were both named in a different looking lineup along with Jack Ainsley, stepping in for the injured Carlos Edwards at right back, N'Daw was named on the bench.

There was another good atmosphere and decent game at Portman Road against the division one playoff winners who took the lead through Adam Clayton in the first half. Ipswich hit back after the break, stand in skipper Luke Champers scoring his first goal for the blues from close range before Michael Chopra lifted the ball over the advancing Alex Smithies in the Terriers goal to give us the lead. The visitors hit back when on-loan Canary James Vaughan finished off a good move. Chopra then came close to giving us back the lead only to see his shot hit the post, Huddersfield then had their chance to take the lead from the penalty spot but Scott Loach made a fantastic save turning Vaughan's effort onto the post. So the match finished up with honours even which was probably the right result and a very enjoyable afternoon was made even better with an extended ride home through the countryside!