Pre-match thoughts
One down, many more to go, with hopefully a more decisive display than at our first outing of the season in Birmingham, which ended like a scrap in a schoolyard. I laughed when a Birmingham supporting friend told me that a Brummie could start a ruck in an empty room.
I met a fascinating Town fan en route called Philip. A supporter for 71 years and a train buff, he was instrumental last year in getting a Greater Anglia railway engine named after Ipswich Town FC. That's quite magical: one to watch out for.
Today we're facing our old rivals, Southampton, AKA The Saints.
They struggled more than we did last season, although they managed to beat us 1-2 at Portman Road in February. Now, with a new young manager, like us, they are aiming for promotion again.
The players came out to a sea of blue and white flags waving in the Cobbold end; it was impressive. Everyone was glad to be back.
What about the match? Read on…
First half
Both sides were off the starting blocks quite quickly, and I was just thinking it would be great to get an early goal instead of conceding one, when Hirst put in a lovely cross for Jack Clarke. He was sandwiched by two defenders, but his attempted shot ricocheted off Harwood-Bellis into the net with only four minutes on the clock. Hurrah!
Ipswich 1-0 Southampton.
The goal seemed to galvanise both teams, and there were near misses at both ends, starting with Philogene's corner across the face of the goal. The ball skimmed the head/s of either or both Quarshie or Hirst, but ultimately went out for a goal kick.
Then, suddenly, Wellington and Robinson were galloping towards our goal, but luckily for us, they got in each other's way, and the former took on a shot that went two yards wide. Unfortunately, a miss-kick by Greaves went on to allow Fraser to send a curving ball across the goal mouth and Robinson jumped to put a clever header past Palmer on 28 minutes.
Hirst made a clever run to move in on Quarshie on the wrong side with just the goalie left to beat, who managed to stop it with a sit-down save – good stop.
Just before the break, we had a lucky escape when Palmer, way out of his area, got caught by a long ball and a quick run by Armstrong—nearly a perfect gift for the Saints. O'Shea saved our blushes and made sure it was not yet Christmas for the opposition.
But there was plenty of excitement still to come.
Second half
Straightaway, Szmodics picked up a loose ball by Quarshie and, from my viewpoint, suddenly popped out from between two Saints defenders and raced towards the goal (my, he's quick)! Bazunu cut down the angle, and Szmodics' clever shot hit the post on the right-hand side, bouncing annoyingly straight back into the arms of the goalkeeper.
In brief, Armstrong backed into Matisuwa and then pulled him and fell over in an unsuccessful attempt to be awarded a penalty. Bizarre.
Szmodics made another amazing run from nowhere, but ultimately slipped just outside the box. He and Buzunu also managed to crash into each other – the goalkeeper just managing to grab the ball, with Szmodics being unable to stop.
Palmer made a great save for us, too, from a later attempt by Robinson.
A wacky attempt at an overhead kick by Philogene didn't make the cut, but deserved the accompanying oooh! A tad more control, and it might have been spot on.
A late corner at the end had me remembering the Sarmiento moment. You had to be there – what a game that was, totally unforgettable. There's a poster of it on the external wall of the Cobbold Stand.
If Chaplin were a little taller, he would have headed it in at the right angle instead of just over the top.
Men of the Match
Difficult to pick this week as they were all giving it their all. The defenders were pretty solid, and Hirst, Clarke and Philogene all played their part.
It was great to see Cajuste back on the field and to hear the rousing reception he got from the crowd.
But MotM for me has got to be Sammie Szmodics.
Post-match ponderings
I didn't hurry from the ground as I got talking to Chris, after we'd clapped the players in. I've seen him many times, sitting further along the row, for at least the last three years – but never spoken to him before. Nice guy with a very important job. We were eventually waved towards the exit – I've never been thrown out of the ground before!
I love talking to other supporters. They are a wonderfully eclectic mix, with a myriad of opinions on performance and players.
Outside the ground, I bumped into the Kings of Anglia team and had a photo taken with Ross Halls, AKA Rossco.
The train was very busy, so I had to scramble for a seat. That's why I ended up sitting next to a bicycle.
My thoughts
Though generally feeling quite optimistic after that performance, with the players starting to look more settled and coordinated, I do have some questions:
Why bring two strong subs on as late as the 86th minute when you need a goal to win the match? The last-minute miracle is not always going to happen, and Young and Humphreys have both been pretty decent in the games I've seen so far.
How did Greaves manage to head the ball up rather than away several times?
Why are our defence, and Palmer in particular, still 'messing around' in front of goal – it caused a couple of heart-in-mouth moments yet again.
But all in all, an exciting game to watch, with lots of good cheer to take from it.
We communicated with each other more than they appeared to, and we expected it to be a tough first home game.
We were the more dominant side for most of the second half, and on another day, with a decent ref and a bit of luck, who knows? With time for the team to get to know one another, the coach, and in some cases the league, we can only get stronger.
Great to see all my season ticket friends at the match, too. I've missed it all.
