Feeling the frustration at Ipswich Town

Such is the reliability of Town's inconsistency this season, that I should really have put money on us losing to QPR this week.


The Christmas period has been a rollercoaster with our emotions: defeat to Fulham on Boxing Day, then a decent result against Bristol City before the new year, inevitably followed by a disappointing game at Loftus Road in front of over two thousand Town fans.


Now, I can forgive the result against Fulham, who are a much better side this season. But what I can't forgive is the way our performances and results are up and down like a yo-yo.


It's getting tedious and even I am reaching the end of my tether.


So, me being me, I thought I'd write about what I'm feeling.




Hopefully it will resonate with other Town fans and, if it does, please do share this so we can let each other know we aren't alone!

I'm fed up my weekends are lovely  til, shock!

I'm full of dismay come 5 o'clock.

I'm fed up with pouring myself a drink,

To stop this team taking me over the brink.

 

I'm fed up of hearing we've played too deep,

Just four shots on goal makes me want to weep.

I'm fed up of all this to-ing and fro-ing,

Should he stay? Should he go? Endless debating.

 

I'm fed up I can't often make it to games,

And I hate having to watch the score on my phone.

Meanwhile people I know, who go every week,

Are left wishing they'd been the ones to stop at home.

 

I'm fed up of seeing those friends looking sad,

People who care about the team feeling angry and mad.

I'm fed up with wondering who my son will support.

He'll watch the best, so at Town he will snort.

 

I'm fed up of seeing people ridicule each other,

Having to calm their moods down like I am their mother.

I'm fed up of being called nasty names,

Deluded, rose tinted, blind to the games.

  

I'm fed up of worrying where the club's going:

Ticket prices and low sales,

An ever increasing debt,

Owner who doesn't care

Boss on who I wouldn't bet.

 

I'm fed up of wondering how long we must wait,

A lifetime in the Championship seems to be our fate.

Relief for Ipswich fans in a foggy Wigan

It was an unexpectedly enjoyable game for me and the Ipswich fans who travelled to Wigan just before Christmas.

Frustrating too, having been a goal ahead in the first half.

My Vlog will hopefully give you a taste of the mixed emotions we experienced that day...

From the anger of fans when we went a goal behind, to the joy of singing adapted Christmas songs on the way home.

Please share this if you enjoy it, and let me know your thoughts via @tractorgirlamy8 on Twitter.

Tricky Trees Continue Trials of Town Fans

After Ipswich put in such a good performance against Sheffield Wednesday, I was foolishly looking forward to our home game against Nottingham Forest.


Because this game was on Sky, I spent Saturday evening with my friend Mark, who also lives in West Yorkshire.


We meet up often, though not often enough, and our conversations generally revolve around The Blues.


That's why it's always good to watch games together whenever they are live on TV.


A fellow long distance Blues supporter, he almost always holds a different opinion to me about the team, manager and owner.


But, we are united in our passion for Ipswich and frustration with the way things are at the moment.


Here, in my first football Vlog, I show how watching Town lose 2:0 to Forest felt from our side of the television screens:

The real Price of Football

Every year, BBC Sport release a study which claims to 'analyse data to find out how much it costs football supporters to follow their team'.

Several articles are released, looking at ticket prices across the football league, summarising the main points and grouping together the stats under the banner 'The Price of Football'.

It's an important topic and one us football fans talk about regularly, because it affects every one of us. There's no getting away from the fact that football isn't cheap.

But the BBC, once again, seem to miss the point of the conversation and an opportunity to send a strong message to our clubs - prices are getting to high.

To me, the article reads like someone let the work experience student go mad with stats and then picked out the biggest numbers to create a 'shock'. Perhaps I am being naive, perhaps that is exactly what journalism has been reduced to these days.

For Ipswich in particular, it betrays the average fan by portraying the details of a far more premium experience at the club that most of us will ever actually pay for.

Sadly, it's a stat that hits their headlines every year: the most expensive season ticket in the Championship is... *drum roll please*... Ipswich Town with £842.

"Eight hundred quid!!?" the neutrals cry, "that's an outrage. You can get a season ticket at Barcelona for less than that".

Except, like I say, that isn't what a 'normal' Ipswich fan will pay. I follow a lovely chap on Twitter who sits in one of those seats and he has explained in the past that he enjoys sitting there, so he is willing (and able) to pay that price.

The average Ted, sitting down in the Sir Bobby Robson stand in his blue and white replica shirt (more on that later), will have paid a generally more manageable fee of £500. It's still a lot of money, of course, but far less shocking.

So what actually is the Price of Football?

I don't intend to speak for all football fans, but I can talk through what the Price of Football is for me:

Matchday tickets: £30 per month - ish.

I don't go to many home games per season, so my focus here is on away ticket prices and those can vary greatly: for Leeds in September I paid £35 but for Wigan next month I am about to pay just £20.

I always budget around £30 for a ticket as that's what I am willing to pay to get into each game. I am happy if it costs me less than that and I do try to select games which will cost less to allow my budget to go further.

For home games I usually pay just over £30. It is more than I want to pay, especially when you add in the cost of travel, but I believe season tickets are the lifeblood of our club and so the cost of those should be more attractive then the matchday tickets.

For a season ticket holder, each individual game costs around £17 - almost half of what I pay - which I think more than reasonable. If you are unable to pay that in one go, you can pay by direct debit for around £30 a month: the same amount I pay each month for just one game!

In addition to that, the club currently have a special offer where you can buy a number of tickets for a reduced price. You do need to know which games you plan to go to, but surely we have all planned our lives around football games?

No?

Just me?

Whoops.

Travel: £20 per month (£60 if travelling to a home game)

As an away fan, I generally opt for games that are easy to get to via public transport. £20 is usually the limit for my budget when booking train tickets, it is equivalent to half a tank of petrol and I can get to most grounds on that amount of fuel.

I truly feel sympathy for the Ipswich fans who travel up to the northern games, which usually involves four or five hours in the car (and no drinking), or several changes and a large cost if going by train.

Ipswich is such a difficult place to get to, with journeys up north often involving two or three changes at places like London, Grantham and Peterborough, changes that increase the prices. As a result, I have known many friends book their travel months in advance to take advantage of lower prices, only to find the game has been moved to be shown on Sky and they lose the money they have paid for that ticket.

Food and drink: Between £10 and £30

This is an entirely subjective cost, which fluctuates depending on how much time I have for pre- and post-match drinks. The Price of Football for me though will inevitably involve a few pints and a couple of shots, because, as you know, my enjoyment of match days is based heavily on the social side of the day.

I know from when I was pregnant last season that I could easily find somewhere to eat lunch and have a soft drink for less than a tenner. It doesn't have to cost a lot, in the same way that one doesn't have to buy a pie despite it being included in the BBC survey.

Programmes and other memorabilia: £50 a season.

I recently moved home and, being pregnant at the time, I was unable to lift most of the items down from my first floor flat.

So, you can imagine the delight of my partner, Luke, when he came across my boxes of ITFC programmes. "Do you really need these?" he asks, before quickly scurrying away when given 'the glare'.

The same was true when my Dad moved home a few years ago, my Mum could not understand why we were carting boxes and boxes of the things all the way down to Cornwall. "Mum", I said, "these are from the eighties. Come on, be sensible".

The truth is, both Mum and Luke have a point. We really don’t need those programmes. But throwing them away would be like throwing away the treasured cuddly toy of your first born, or the little tag the hospital put on their teenie little ankle when they are born. You just can't bring yourself to dispose of memories that have had a profound effect on your life.

Yes, I did just compare my son's hospital name tag to my programme from Huddersfield away five years ago and, no, I'm not sorry.

As a result of realising how right Mum and Luke are, I have decided not to buy programmes when at games. I find I rarely get the chance to read them at the game and tend to prefer to find stories online in the days leading up to the match.

I have also made the decision not to buy a replica shirt each season. However, if I particularly like a shirt, like the 'Tractor-lona' away shirt we had last year, I purchase it at the end of the season at a reduced price.

I have cut back on the typical bits, but I do buy generic items that won't go out of date in 12 months time. Like the time I travelled to Ipswich only to realise it was much colder than I'd expected and I hadn't packed a coat. So, I popped to Planet Blue and paid £30 for a gillet, which I wear almost every day two years later.

My new expense, of course, is Ipswich Town babygrows for my son, Harry. I am not sure if I am brainwashing the child or being duped into spending money I don't need to... but the feeling of seeing him in blue and white, smiling at me when we've won is worth every penny.

 

In total then, it seems I spend around £850 per season. So, for the price the BBC has given the impression Ipswich fans pay for season tickets, I get a whole year of enjoying watching Town (I use the word 'enjoying' very loosely).

The thing that frustrates me is that this is actually an important topic, but the BBC miss the point by trying to focus on too many things at once.

People are being priced out of watching the game, particularly those who have children to pay for on top of their own tickets.

The prices at Portman Road are not great, particularly when compared to the amazing cost of a season ticket at Huddersfield this season.

But, those points are part of a much wider conversation, one which I'm sure I will return to at some point this season. In the Championship, it's not a simple case of the clubs profiting from their fans like it is in the Premiership and comparing the two is unfair and unhelpful.

£500 is a lot of money but the truth is, I am able to pay that at the moment and so I am willing to. Football is a huge part of me, the hobby that makes me happy. And, whether it's decoupage or watching sport that takes your fancy, hobbies cost money.

And I'd much rather be supporting Town than gluing together bits of paper.

I'm interested to hear hoe much you spend on football, so please do tweet me on @tractorgirlamy8

Memo to McCarthy: How not to make friends and influence people

There is no better feeling in this world than a last minute winner.

My three month old son's smiles are special... but they've got nothing on the moment I heard Luke Chambers had scored against Sheffield Wednesday.

The skipper joined Richard Chaplow and Noel Hunt in the hall of fame for goals that will long remain in the memories of those who witnessed them live.

My friend Anthony, who has only ever seen us draw at Hillsborough, was ecstatic: 'Absolute scenes when Chambers scored', he told me in a text after the game, 'Ben must have fallen down about 5 rows of seating'. We've all been there, right?

How happy I am for those who travelled to South Yorkshire on the back of a disappointing result the weekend before. They, more than anyone, deserved to experience that win.

This year has seen difficult times at Ipswich Town, so supporters back in Suffolk surely enjoyed that victory?

Oh no Amy, of course they didn't.

No sooner had the final whistle blown, than I saw tweets appear on my timeline declaring the three points were 'papering over the cracks'.

For many, it's going to take more than an unexpected away win to renew confidence and you can understand the continued frustrations of those who wish to see the end of McCarthy's reign (though hearing fans actually wanting us to lose is unfathomable).

So, what of our controversial manager? He, surely, would be smiling after that result?

Oh no Amy, of course he wasn't.

"Asked if it’s only fair to judge him now he’s got close to a fully fit squad available, he replied: “If you or anyone else wants to judge me then crack on. That performance today and that result reflects my time at Ipswich, my four years and 202 games, far more than the performances that some choose to carp on about." EADT

McCarthy aims these weekly digs at a set of fans who have endured over fifteen years of struggling to get out of the Championship. It is growing tiresome and is the main reason he has lost the support of a great number of fans.

 

But, to what extend are his comments justified? Are they really as offensive and arrogant as some would have you think?

Here's some other examples of his comments:

"Jonathan Douglas isn’t injured, I just left him out,” explained McCarthy. “That was the team I wanted to play, that strangely defensive team I wanted to play, to play s**t football, that’s why I did it.” EADT (Following criticism for defensive tactics.)

“I’ll just tell you that the more they shout the less chance there is they will come on." EADT (Responding to fans calling for McGoldrick, Bru and Pitman to used in the team.)

"Some people might be frustrated with that result? Some people can f*** off." Football website 'Joe' (Defending a draw away at Leeds.)

And in a similar conversation: "McCarthy was delighted that his side were able to deny a fellow relegation-threatened side all three points, admitting that he ‘wouldn’t have bothered getting on the bus’ had he been offered the draw prior to the match." Ipswich Star

Sometimes I read his post-match interviews and feel like banging my head against a brick wall. With the mood as it is, comments like this further rile those who are criticising him. In short, he is giving them ammunition.



I do wish someone with his many years of experience would have a little more diplomacy. But, I also wonder why people take it so seriously. Take, for example, his comments after that draw with Rotherham:

“If you are ever looking for a point in a season to turn a bad moment around, maybe that could be it, a wonderful strike from a really good player.” EADT

The accompanying headline ('Rotherham draw could be turning point, says Town boss McCarthy') created uproar online, with fans calling him deluded for thinking a point at home against bottom of the league was a 'turning point'.



However, when reading what he says in the context of his other comments, I get a very different impression.



Whilst giving a balanced view of the game, admitting that the second half wasn't good and that we looked nervous, he looks to the moment that saved us - David McGoldrick's late but great strike.



To me, he is saying the performance wasn't good enough but a goal like that, which will be a contender for goal of the season come May, could be the start of something better. The result itself isn't what he thinks is the turning point, but the confidence gained from that lovely goal could be.



Sometimes I think his comments are interpreted harshly by fans who already have an issue with him, those who complain are often the ones who have already decided they want him to go.
 

I also find it laughable when people take offence to the things he's said. McCarthy has always been an up front, blunt manager - it's the reason his interviews have become something of a legend.

‘I don’t intimate things, do I? I’m not clever enough to say one thing and mean another. I say it as it is, as I always do.’ Daily Mail (Apologies for linking to this website, an alternative was not available. #StopFundingHate)

Throughout his interviews over the years, a clear trend is visible: the majority include a sarcastic answer to a question or a little joke. It's just what he does.

Having lived in Yorkshire for almost eight years now, the bluntness of the locals has taken some getting used to, but they generally have kind intentions: McCarthy is, quite simply, a typical Yorkshire man.

In the early days of my time as a journalist, I attended an Ipswich game at the Molineux during McCarthy's tenure there. He came to speak to the press a little earlier than Paul Jewell, Town's boss at the time, so I took the chance to listen in to what he had to say.

As he made jokes and spoke frankly about the game, he held the attention of every person in that room.  He came across as knowledgeable and likeable, so much so that I missed the beginning of the interview with Jewell because I had been listening too intently to what Mick had to stay.

I don't know him personally, but I have known people who do. They have spoken so highly of him I find it difficult to imagine he doesn't care about the team or he is using the club for a final pay cheque before retirement: two things he has been accused of by some of our fans.

This is also the reason I find it so difficult reading the nasty names and even threats of violence aimed at him on the internet. When I questioned one fan on his wish to 'smash a glass around McCarthy's head', thinking perhaps it was a poorly thought out joke, he responded that his feelings were 'justified'.

This kind of criticism is something McCarthy has faced many times before and he has always been honest with reporters about his feelings towards it, this quote is an example from his time as manager of the Republic of Ireland:



'The Irish media, incredibly, will tell you they have not been hard on me, but they're liars. They've given me a hard time and they all take exception to it when I say it to them, which doesn't bother me.' The Guardian

The quote rings true of things he has said about his time at Ipswich, where he has said he doesn't care if people don't like his tactics. To some this comes across as arrogance; to me it is a case of having to rise above the hate and get on with his job.

He has had to deal with far worse than 'criticism' at the hands of our fans:

“I’m a boring c***, somebody called me last week. I wish they would call it to my face on my own because his pint of lager ... he would have been wearing it." Independent

Though I would not condone the use of the 'c' word, unless referring to Grant Holt, I felt the focus on his use of it missed the point entirely. The criticism from a section of our fan base has turned nasty and personal, no person should ever have to deal with that.

In my previous blog, I wrote about the vitriol that has been aimed at McCarthy in recent months, explaining I think it is unhelpful. In fact, it is counter-productive and shows those who resort to it as extremely petty.

Nasty names are never justified and there are, sadly, more examples of fans being offensive directly to the manager and players. A friend of mine retold her experience of waiting to meet the players after an away game this season:

'The way [a group of fans] spoke to Luke was so rude and disrespectful, they pounced on him when he came out of the gates. I tried to defend him but they said we didn't know what we were talking about because we are female. I made a quick exit'

How awful to think that our fan base is resorting to this kind of hate, but it is not the first time a story has come out describing nastiness on the part of our fans. I am reminded of the time that Paul Jewell told a reporter about his experiences on a garage forecourt.

Nor is it the first time we have had to put up with our manager committing a faux pas in the media room. Compared with a sexist comment about a female official or shouting at a journalist for forgetting to put their phone on silent, these errors from McCarthy don't seem as offensive.

If your opinion on the team differs from Mick McCarthy, that is fair enough. But, if your difference of opinion with him is based on, or influenced by your dislike of him personally, I would suggest you are doing him and our club a disservice.

Ipswich fans divided through tough times

When times are hard at Ipswich Town, it's often the angriest voices that seem loudest.

That's why, when I read East Anglian Daily Times columnist Karl Fuller talking passionately about why he feels Mick McCarthy should be relieved of his duties, I felt compelled to write a response.

Since my own article appeared in the paper on Friday a few people have contacted me to ask if they can read it online. Unfortunately, it isn't available on the website so I thought I would issue a more detailed version here on my blog.

Because, although I'm equally frustrated with our current form I don't think things are as bad as some fans believe. I also thought it was important to highlight that not all fans are calling for Mick's head.

I recently ran a poll on Facebook and Twitter asking who believed McCarthy should leave and who wanted him to stay: with almost four hundred people taking part, 51% voted for him to stay. That provides a decent guide to how split the fan base is currently.

Karl's 'Fuller Flavour' piece last Monday contained a letter from fan Mark Holdaway who summarised the reasons he feels McCarthy's time at Ipswich should be at an end.

Whilst I respect Mark's opinions, I do not entirely agree with them, here I have picked out the main points:

'The partnership of Skuse and Douglas does not work.'

The midfield partnership - affectionately known as Skuglas - does frustrate at times due to a lack of creativity. The two are very similar players and fielding them together generally results in a defensive performance from our side.

But, it is no coincidence that whilst the duo were in the side we had the second best defensive record in the league. Furthermore, it is telling to me that with Skuse unable to play against Newcastle we conceded three goals. While during our home victory over Burton, with Douglas absent, we reportedly allowed the opposition more opportunities to score.

For me, playing defensively is not an issue. In fact, it is going to be essential to us having any success this season. But I do understand this results in less entertaining football and agree that sometimes it is appropriate to set up the team with a more attacking approach.

'I also see a captain played out of position just to accommodate him a place in the team...'

Luke Chambers has received some stick for his success (or lack of) at right back for some time now, but it feels somewhat harsh.

Again, I agree he is not productive to an attacking formation and is prone to errors, but he has appeared in the EFL Championship team of the year several times. Only last week, following that home win over Burton, he was named in that team again, which has to suggest he isn't all bad, surely?

'...And one striker up front at home'.

I agree without reservation that a formation with two men up front would suit our current squad best. Neither Sears nor Best have shown themselves capable of producing the goods alone, so my preference would definitely be to play them together.

But without a main striker, like Murphy or McGoldrick, confidence in playing an attacking game will be low.

The sale of Murphy came very, very late and left us little time to sort a replacement. Whether you agree with Evans refusing to pay the increased prices demanded for our planned replacements or not, I personally do, turning down the high sum for Murphy would have been ludicrous.

The welcome return of McGoldrick should lift the pressure, giving us a player who can create chances and intimidate the opposition. But, he will need time to return to full match fitness and I suspect McCarthy will continue with the defensive approach until then.

It's daunting playing in this tough league without a first choice striker and it's understandable that McCarthy has reverted back to a 'tight at the back', defensive approach to games, at least until that situation is resolved, hopefully in January.

The sale of Murphy came very, very late and left us little time to sort a replacement. Whether you agree with Evans refusing to pay the increased prices demanded for our planned replacements or not, I personally do, turning down the high sum for Murphy would have been ludicrous.

When it comes to Mick, I am yet to be convinced that the time has come for him to move on, though I am not unsympathetic to the opinions about why he ought to leave.

At the beginning of the summer I said he ought to be given time to show what he can do in the transfer window and then we should wait and see how the 'improved' team were doing come the end of October.

As we near that date I find I have wimped out of reaching for my pitchfork and chasing him out of Suffolk, but for good reason. Until the final week of the transfer window, McCarthy made some good purchases, bringing in some potentially exciting youngsters (something most Ipswich fans were calling out for last season, but few seem to be acknowledging this season) and a couple of wingers too.

Add to the sale of Murphy the list of injuries that we've experienced, it's clear McCarthy has been put in a difficult position and is making the best of what he has available.

Of course, these are all simply my opinions and being able to discuss different points of view is one of the joys of being a football fan in the age of social media. Less enjoyable is the tendency to criticise those with opposing opinions.

Karl and Mark have been branded disloyal because they have criticised McCarthy and that is not fair. Fans like Karl, who travel the country to watch our team play, should never be made to feel inferior to any other fans. In fact, the same should be true for any person who still cares about this club after nearly fifteen years in the Championship - whatever their opinions on McCarthy and Evans.

That includes those who, like me, understand and support the decisions made by our manager and owner. I don't think any of us are happy with the current run of performances, but to be called 'deluded' on a daily basis is frustrating when I too simply want the best for our club.

Last week I saw fans ridiculed for being stuck 'in the dark ages' because they defended our performances, as I have here. Equally, the names thrown at McCarthy, 'dinosaur' and so on, are unhelpful.

The mood and attendance at Portman Road will improve with better performances and results, should we really allow it to become quite so toxic in the meantime?

We all want what is best for our club; the fact we disagree on how that should be achieved does not mean we should be at loggerheads all the time.

That's not the Ipswich way.

 

Town see out the season with a special win at Derby

Be honest: when you saw the games Ipswich had to play in the final month of the season, you didn't think we'd be earning any points away from home, did you?

I have a confession... I didn't either.

Our run in included trips to Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Derby - each of whom were expected to be competing for promotion or the play offs by that point in the season.

So, as long ago as last June, I made the decision not to travel to the Riverside because I didn't fancy three trips in a month to see my team lose. I'm sorry for doubting you Ipswich!

It's fascinating to me that we survived each of those games undefeated, while the less daunting home fixtures against Brentford, Fulham and MK Dons saw us gain less points.

Truth be told, Saturday wasn't a match where you could make a fair judgement on either side: Derby looked to be holding back and Town didn't seem too bothered about making the most of that, even when playing against ten men for the final eight minutes of the game.

Given this week's play off matches, I was surprised to see The Rams hadn't rested their main players. But even with the first team on display, their performance was a shadow of what I had seen at Portman Road in December. Despite having the majority of the possession and nineteen shots on goal, they didn't really ever look like scoring or taking any kind of control of the game.

Ipswich, meanwhile, had their moments: the return of David McGoldrick and Teddy Bishop has changed the style of football beyond recognition and bodes well for next season (assuming we are able to keep both players over the summer).

The difference between Saturday and the last match I saw at Sheffield Wednesday, was that the nice passing football actually lead to chances in the box and shots on goal. McGoldrick and Bishop were key to this.

Teddy, David and Freddie Sears all caused problems for the Derby defence, leading to Teddy being fouled in the box by Richard Keogh. Replays show two defenders failing to deal with him as he makes his way towards the goal with ease, before being brought to the ground.

After what felt like an age, the referee pointed to the penalty spot and I was happy for McGoldrick to get his name on the score-sheet once again. For me, it is absolutely vital that we hang onto him over the summer and do everything we can to make sure he stays fit for the whole of next season.

Just eight minutes from time, a shot on goal at the other end of the pitch lead to Derby's George Thorne suffering a major injury. From the reaction of our players, we could see the injury was serious as they gestured quickly for the medics.

Having used up all their subs, Derby were forced to see the game out with just ten men  and I would have liked to see Town push on a bit more. We held on to the ball well, with some more of that nice passing football that we have so badly missed this year, and looked very much the side in control (as would rightly be expected).

It was nice to see Kenlock and McDonnell given a run out, the former certainly looks promising. Mick has made use of these 'meaningless games' to give the youngsters a run out, for some fans it is a case of too little too late but I trust the manager to know when they are ready for first team football.

I don't expect to see the likes of Kenlock, Emmanuel, Dozzell, etc. go straight into the side next year, but their availability will surely give us more strength in the squad? This is something that has been clearly missing this season.

Having watched three out of the four sides that have reached the play offs this season, I don't hold out a massive amount of hope for Derby. As I say, this game really wasn't a fair reflection of what either side is capable of but, in my opinion, Brighton are by far the superior team in terms of style of football and I think both County and Wednesday will struggle to progress.

That said, I might be slightly biased as I would love to have another trip to the iPro next season. It was only my second trip to the ground, with the last time being on the final day of the season in 2003 when we won 4:1, meaning my undefeated record there remains safe.

Wanting to avoid travelling up early in the morning, quite a few of my friends decided to make a trip of it and stay in Derby the night before. This meant we could all get together for the final pre match meet up of this season.

Debates around Mick McCarthy and his team seem to have subsided somewhat, perhaps down to the decent results that we have seen over recent weeks. Instead discussions focused on our plans for the summer and the new kit which Town revealed just a few days before (We are all getting the away one!).

After the line up had been announced, we made our way in the sunshine to the ground. One of the things I like most about the iPro is that you can see it from far away, as we exited the train station we spotted the tips of the roof on the horizon and it is even more impressive once you are stood in front of it.

That great impression continued inside the ground, which felt almost full and very loud. Respect must be given to the Derby fans: tickets on the day cost £30 and with the play offs this week I think I'd have been tempted to give a game against 'hoofball Ipswich' a miss to save my pennies.

Having the away fans situated right next to the louder section of the home fans certainly made a difference to the atmosphere, with them bouncing off one another to start chants. The highlight for me being Town taunting the Rams with 'we saw you cry on the telly', in reference to the final day of last season when Derby missed out on the play offs due to a defeat against Reading - giving us their sixth place spot.

Derby's response of 'at least we've been on the telly' probably had me chuckling more though!

To other Town fans, and even Derby ones, the win on Saturday may not have meant a lot, but to me it meant the world, as I will be seeing a lot less football from now on following the birth of my little one in the summer.

So, thank you Town for what has, at the very least, been a memorable year of football trips, and for ending the season with a Chambers fist pump just for me.