When I published last week’s column, I felt a twinge of sadness. For so long I had tried to be positive about the new regime – but as I pointed out – positivity can’t become an excuse for naivety. Town’s start to the season had been poor, and the loss to West Ham’s U21’s felt far too familiar, so you can’t even imagine my giddiness and joy when the full time whistle blew at Sincil Bank.
The lesson I’ve learnt from football is to never get too high, and never get too low. However, it’s hard not too feel a wave of optimism following Town’s first win of the season; hopefully signalling the start of something wonderful.
Town showed character, something that has been sorely missing over the past three years (at least)! From a 5-2 thumping to a convincing win and a clean sheet is a turnaround that each and every player should be proud of. Too many times – especially last campaign – we saw a Town side crumble when any pressure was applied, but this team has already proven that they have more about them than Town’s previous rabble.
Standout performances from the likes of Janoi Donacien goes to show that we kept the right characters in the building, with Luke Woolfenden also playing a large part in ensuring the three points were secured. I could sit here and wax lyrical about Macauley Bonne all day, but it was a brilliant team effort that sent the travelling faithful back to Suffolk with smiles on their faces. With Celina back, Town starting to gel, and a healthy round of fixtures to test the promotion acumen, the excitement and nerves is beginning to build… and I can’t wait for the next game.
Of course, there was something rather more emotional surrounding the game, and that was the passing of Paul Cook’s father, Chris. It’s worth mentioning that those 12 seconds in the post-match interview with the club’s official media were the most real 12 seconds of raw emotion that I have seen from anyone involved in football for a long time. In times of media training and the suppressing of emotions, seeing Cook give a fist to the air in honour of his dad reminded me of just how desperate I am to see this man succeed with our club. A genuinely top guy who wants nothing more than to bring pride back to Portman Road, and we should all do our part in helping him achieve that goal.
It’s a relentless traversal of peaks and troughs as a Town fan, but something felt different about Saturday. Of course, we could quite easily fall flat against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, but it just felt so good to finally get that first win monkey off of our backs. Now, we can look forward with a great sense of optimism, as I get the feeling that this squad isn’t quite ready to lose that winning feeling.
A note on Mark Ashton as well – how good was it to see that? We all felt a wave of panic wash over after the poor start, but the sense of relief was embodied perfectly by the outpouring of emotion from Town’s CEO. We talk a lot about composure, but it truly does go out the window when matchdays come around. For three hours on a Saturday – including the post-match hour in which you’re signing or drowning your sorrows – all sense of reality goes out the window and you are beholden to the whims of the team you support. For Town fans, that final hour has often been filled with frustration, but no one could wipe the smile off my face on Saturday night.
Nothing changes the rhythm like sport, it can ruin your day or make everything feel so much better. With the likes of Mark Ashton, Paul Cook, Macauley Bonne – and the rest – we can finally start the engines of optimism that will *hopefully* propel us forward. Saturday felt so good, not just because it was a win, but because it felt like the start of something special for a team that we are all so desperate to see succeed.
Thank you for taking the time to read my column. If you enjoyed, feel free to share it around. I’ll see you soon!
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