Locked Out Of Heaven

 ITFC 3-1 Nottingham Forest November 27th 2012

Slobodan

Saviour

Although the evening didn't get off to the best start I was pleasantly reminded just how good football can be to watch. Max drove us downtown in Slobodan and parked near to Alexander Park, as we walked to the ground I realised that I had left my wallet at home with the season tickets inside! After walking back to car to make sure that it wasn't inside or laying on the ground and ringing home to establish that it was in fact on the window sill I wondered how we would get in. "Calm down, they'll just print you out a couple of tickets" was Max's response (apparently he had done this before!)

Ipswich made three changers to the side that had nervously drawn against Peterborough at the weekend. Luke Hyam replacing the injured Nigel Reo-Coker, Luke Chambers preferred in defence to Danny Higginbotham and latest loanee Tyrone Barnett made his debut for the blues. We took the game to Forest from the kick-off and looked really good putting them under lots of pressure. After just sixteen minutes the visitors keeper Lee Camp should have been sent off after handling the ball outside his area and clattering into Guirane N’Daw who would have through on goal unmarked. As it was he escaped with just a caution from referee Andy D’Urso inflaming the town supporters who dually retorted "D’Urso, D’Urso you're a c**t." Not the first time that he has drawn that response whilst officiating at Portman Road!

N'Daw did however give us the lead after half an hour following a mixup between Camp and former Ipswich loanee Danny Collins leaving him the simple task of booting the ball into an empty net. Stephen Henderson made a fine fingertip save from Billy Sharp's edge of the box shot shortly before the break to ensure we went in ahead.

Forest had their best spell of the match following the restart and equalised through Dexter Blackstock just before the hour mark. In the recent past we would probably have gone on to lose the match but things are starting to change under Mick McCarthy. Within a couple of minutes of the equaliser the afore mentioned referee D’Urso's popularity soared following the award of a penalty for a trip on DJ Campbell (although I think that DJ's low centre of gravity let him down whilst trying to spin around Collins in the box). Campbell took the resulting spot kick only to see it saved by Camp, fortunately Hyam was first to react and smashed the loose ball into the net to restore the lead, like N'daw earlier this was his first goal for Town.

Substitute Daryl Murphy added a third goal for the blues in the ninetieth minute to send the Town fans home buzzing after what was a memorable game under the Portman Road floodlights.

"Movember" memories

Another loan, another debut

3-1

The final whistle

We are now out of the bottom three having picked up more points in November (ten) than the previous three months combined!

Having gone to the game without my wallet it was down to Max to buy the post match meal consisting of a cheeseburger on the way back to car.

The playlist "Locked Out Of Heaven" by Bruno Mars - thanks to the ticket office I wasn't!