Sign Your Name

ITFC 1-0 Bolton 16th March 2013

Saturday was supporters day in Ipswich with various events held at or around the ground. We went into town on the Park and Ride bus from Martlesham, getting off at Major's Corner opposite the Mulberry Tree (great name for a pub) where Anthony Wordsworth, Frank Nouble, Simon Milton along with new MD Ian Milneot were taking part in a question & answer session. BBC Radio Suffolk's Life's a Pitch team were also broadcasting live from the pub, although without Kevin Beattie.

We were greeted by (the often berated) Liz Edwards and once we had brought a drink (I tried a pint of Adnams Sole Star which was very nice) wandered along for a listen. There wasn't too much to glean from the q&a session, it's a pity that the speakers weren't miked up as it was hard to hear everything that was being said. Afterwards I got some autographs for the newest tractor boy in the family, nephew Alex (well me & dad are doing our best to indoctrinate him into being a Town fan, poor little boy!) Sharon and I being the big kids that we are also had our pictures taken with Frank Nouble & Antony Wordsworth. All of this caused a little envy when he found out from Max who was beavering away at work in the Ramsholt Arms, Sharon told me that I should have got him some autographs too!

It's another game that I predicted a loss for us, Bolton were on a good run and making a late run for the play-offs so I was highly delighted that we won, infact the way the other results went it turned out to be a vital three points. We were on top for much of the first half but after the brake Wanderers looked more likely to nick a win in a game where one goal would surely be enough for victory, although they never really troubled Town keeper Stephen Henderson. 

Just when the match looked to be heading for a second successive nil nil draw up popped JET with a piece of magic. On as a surprise replacement for David McGoldrick after seventy six minutes, he received the ball outside the penalty and shuffled it to the byline before cutting past Bolton defender Sam Ricketts to set up Carlos Edwards with a low cross for his first goal of the season. From where I was standing the ball went out of play before Jet crossed it and Edwards scuffed his first shot before putting the rebound away - sometimes it's just your day. How things have changed under Mick McCarthy, had Paul Jewell still been in charge that would never have happened!

After the game reports came out that Guirane N'Daw had been arrested on Friday and held overnight accused of ABH on a woman in a flat on Neptune Quay. McCarthy had earlier told the press that he was missing from the squad for personal reasons, just the latest episode in the ITFC soap.

A vital win as it turned out

The playlist

Sign Your Name by Terence Trent D’Arby - That’s what they did

It's getting tight down at the bottom

White Stripes

Peterborough 0-0 ITFC March 9th 2013

I don't know how many times I've driven past Peterborough on the A1 over the years or by their ground on the parkway. Back in the day I'd be up there for work at least once a week but Saturday was the first time that I'd been for football and it didn't disappoint. 

London Road surely has to be the worst ground in the championship and certainly in need of modernisation on at least three sides (the main stand is only about twenty years old!) There's still terracing behind both goals, Max and I stood in the Moy's End terrace rather than sit in the Main Stand. It certainly was a blast from the past, reminded me of how football use to be when I was his age.

The majority of the 2,611 traveling fans were also there and created a really good atmosphere under the low roof of the stand, helped pre-match by "Peter Burrow" the Posh mascot who stole a beach ball from them and ran up the other end of the ground with it before giving it to the home fans to play with. I think that he should have been arrested for incitement!

We want our ball back

This was a game that we didn't want to lose, we were the better side and really should have won it having created by far the best opportunities. Frank Nouble hit the post with a rasping shot in the first half as well as forcing Peterborough keeper Bobby Olejnik into a good save to deny him his first goal for Town. Olejnik also pulled off an acrobatic save from David McGoldrick's close range header after the break and then late on we were denied a penalty when Jack Payne handled in his own box. Posh created a couple of chances but nothing that really troubled visiting keeper Stephen Henderson. We have now kept four clean sheets in the last six games but the flip side of this is that we have only scored twice which is a little bit alarming.

The biggest talking point after the match was the amount of people complaining about having white paint on their clothes, I remember Max saying before kickoff that he thought the toilets behind the goal had just been painted. After the game posh supporters were ringing up the BBC Cambridgeshire phone in more concerned about their coats than the (hopefully) impending relegation. Peterborough released a statement denying any painting has taken place at London Road since the close season sighting the recent wet weather and damp conditions as the reason for the paint coming away onto peoples clothing and offering to pay for the dry cleaning! 

Do not lose

The playlist

Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes - although it was my first goalless draw of the season the game was really watchable, better than watching paint dry or in this case getting wet. 

Sit Down

ITFC 1-0 Leicester 1st March 2013

Dad inside Planet Blue deciding which strip to buy for Alex, youngest grandson and youngest nephew. In the end we brought both. 

Sir Bobby would approve.

Dad was over from Ireland for the weekend and attending his first game at Portman Road for three seasons. The fear of relegation raised its ugly head again as we are being dragged back towards the drop zone by recent results mainly from the chasing pack. With visitors Leicester pushing for promotion I have to admit that I wasn't overly confident of getting anything from the game, but how good it is to be wrong sometimes. 

Luckily there was no David Nugent in the Leicester side.

The match was played out like a good drama, the plot laid out in the first half, the villain being identified midway through the second and then punished by our hero before a nail biting finale.
Although probably not a classic from a neutral viewpoint I thought it was one of the best games at Portman Road this season, Ipswich showed plenty of hard work, endeavour and team spirit, we didn't allow the Foxes any freedom to play their game and Kasper Schmeichel was the busier keeper.
City however missed the best chance of the match in the second half when Harry Kane intercepted a poor back pass from Luke Chambers only to put his shot wide of the goal when he looked odds on to score. The outcome was decided by a cool and classy finish from David McGoldrick, his chance came about following an earlier incident between Wes Morgan and Town sub Daryl Murphy. Still very wound up after a booking for protesting to much (the Foxes skipper claimed Murphy had elbowed him and felt very aggrieved making his feelings known to the ref). The Leicester man then seemed to loose the plot along with his bearings and allowed Murphy to dispossess him far too easily just inside his own half, Murphy then passed the ball to McGoldrick who made light work of a difficult chance. Having been booed for his theatrics the home fans took great delight cheering as Morgan stood head in hands while the town players celebrated in front of the SBR stand, he knew he'd f****d up!
We had to defend quite a bit as the visitors pushed for an equaliser but to no avail and it was me and dad celebrating an unexpected three points afterwards in The Greyhound and later The Bell (although I paid the price on Sunday, enough said).

I wasn't the only negative one then!

Adnams Ghost Ship

The playlist
Sit Down by James - we sat in the SBR upper as dad didn’t fancy standing for the whole ninety minutes in the lower tier.