Pre-match preamble
Statistics have it that our opponents today (West Bromwich Albion, aka West Brom, the Baggies or WBA) have always done rather well against us. Town have only won one of their past 13 league games against them: a 2-0 victory on New Year's Day in 2008.
West Brom are also unbeaten in their past seven league games against sides recently relegated from the Premier League, since a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City in April 2024.
It's not clear whether they were called "The Baggies" because "bag men" used to carry away the day's takings in large cloth bags, or because it was used by rival fans to deride the supporters who wore the baggy workmen's trousers of local industry. It was adopted by the fans and became more popular than their first nickname of the "Throstles", though the thrush is still in evidence on their badge.
The "Boing Boing Baggies" chant stemmed from an innocent remark made by a reporter on the radio in 1993, who said "The Baggies are 'boinging' their way to promotion" – possibly as they played yo-yo up and down from the Premier League. The phrase "boing boing" has become synonymous with the club, with fans often chanting it while bouncing up and down. This may also have ties to the Spring Works Factory where the club was first born (source Wikipedia).
I hope Shaun and his brother Neil enjoyed the match and the other guys I met on the train. They were all wrong in their score predictions: Luke 2-1, Dan 3-1 (2 by Hirst), and Duncan 2-2. I forget what I said, la la la I wish. At 4-1, I was the most wrong of them all, or is it the wrongest?
*(Just like to say a big thank you to David, the Steward who let me sit on the bottom tier, and kept an eye on me for the first half as I had felt a bit squiffy on arrival. Not catching – allergy related. Couldn't face all the 60-odd steps up to Q in time!)
First half
It nearly started with a bang when Philogene let loose with one of his curling shots from outside the box, courtesy of a Davis run, but a good diving save from Griffiths denied him the opener for Town.
Szmodics was unlucky not to have picked up a goal when he attempted to flick on an awkward ball just in front of the goalmouth.
Taylor was next up with a shot wide, running through from midfield.
Szmodics then had to be replaced by Chuba Akpom due to injury.
A foul on Taylor on the edge of the penalty area led to a decent free-kick by Philogene, which was pushed over the bar by Griffiths.
Up until then, most of the action had been with the Blues, but the Baggies also had some spells of pressure up to the half-time break, though nothing too testing for Walton.
Second half
Not long after the break, Akpom was forced to limp off with a foot injury, and Núñez replaced him.
Almost immediately, he was in action, through a Taylor assist, but was wrong-footed, and his shot went wide of the mark.
Walle Egeli then had a couple of chances, the first was just beyond his reach, but the second, a through ball from Davis was volleyed over the bar.
Town changes were made, bringing on Azón, Clarke and Cajuste in place of Hirst, Taylor and Philogene.
Their input renewed energy and revitalised the team to press for a winner. Around the 80th minute, Núñez and Cajuste pushed through the West Brom defence and passed forward a ball to Azón. His low shot was pushed out by the goalie, but picked up by the ever-ready Clarke and banged into the top of the net.
For Town, it was keep-ball as much as possible then until the end of the five minutes added on, with only one squeaky moment when the ball went in the other end – but the whistle had already been blown for a foul. Cue a large sigh of collective relief.
Final Score: Ipswich 1-0 West Bromwich Albion
Men of the Match
The best showings for me today were Clarke (obvs), Taylor, Kipre, Azón, Matusiwa and Núñez.
I think Walton is a competent goalkeeper.
The Baggies were obviously aware of Philogene's reputation, and he was marked quite closely.
Walle Egeli? He is young, in a new team, in a new country and he needs time (though he's had experience at international level), however with confidence, staying calm may soften his tendency to over kick when passing or shooting; still seems a little wild at times. But he's eager and works hard. "Nobody said it was easy".
I hope Szmodics and Akpom haven't sustained serious injuries.
Post-match ponderings
I can't put my finger quite on the way to describe this match – apart from feeling rather frustrated that whilst no one had done anything very wrong, neither had they done anything particularly spectacularly right, which is, of course, what we crave.
The second half saw a shedload of ponderous passing back and forth, with little progress in the scoring possibility department. It just felt as though there was something missing – I know not what, an edge, I think my son would call it. However, thinking that through it may have been due to what proved to be a successful format, to strengthen the defence and be more resilient to breakaways, after the experience of the last two games.
If so, it worked and my favourite player scored (again) for the win.
On the London train, I met Thierry, a Parisien who travels around the UK to attend different football grounds. He thought Portman Road was an excellent stadium, which was high praise as he supports PSG. I didn't ask him what he thought of the match…
Last thoughts
Respect to the West Brom fans who were very vocal in support of their team, but I was a little disappointed they didn't do any boinging. Though perhaps not, because that would have meant they were winning.
Not the most exciting match, but three important points for Town and a clean sheet. To voice the general reaction of the supporters, I can only say "We'll take that".
