A couple of weeks ago, I remember saying how we should never get too high, and never get too low. However, after the most dominant performance I’ve ever witnessed from an Ipswich Town team, surely we can all reach for the stars?
I had to double check I was watching the right game as the goals kept going in, with incredible performances from every single player on the pitch. After a stagnant opening ten minutes – which felt more like the Mick McCarthy era – we suddenly burst into life and never looked back.
In football, you live for results like that. When you don’t support a club that’s expected to thrash opponents on home soil every week, nights like Tuesday become even more special. It’s testament to the will of the players and management staff, showing an incredible amount of character to recover from a poor start.
The fact everything feels right makes it even better. We have a team with individuals who we can legitimately get behind, we have a goal scorer who has dreamed of being an Ipswich player all his life, and we have a manager who understands what it is to be fan, and not someone that wants to pick a fight every week.
For far too long this football club has suffered with weak mindsets and soft attitudes, but now we have a team that wants to fight for the shirt and make the fans proud. As I’ve said before, the start to the season felt even more agonising because we cared about the team, but success feels even richer when we’re all rowing the same boat.
Shall we talk about Sam Morsy? The Egyptian midfield general somehow stole the show on Tuesday, battling to win every ball and providing the solid foundations for our forward players to build upon. Lee Evans scored a stunning hattrick, yet we’re still talking about Morsy! Quietly operating in the heart of the team, Town’s new captain looks to be the real deal.
As for Evans, I take my hat off to him. His start to life at Portman Road had been anything but successful, and following his injury he could have easily found himself out of the side for a long time, but he came back and showcased everyone what he can offer, both in the attacking and defensive areas. Whatever happens from this point forward, he will always go down in history as scoring the first hattrick at Portman Road in what feels like decades! (sorry Grant Ward).
Of course, we must remains realistic and recognise that our thumping win was against basement boys Doncaster, who looked sluggish and weak across the park. However, you can only beat what’s in front of you, and Richie Wellens’ men ran into a freight train at full speed. From defence to attack, we looked comfortable and assured, an incredible turnaround from the embarrassing display against Bolton only a few weeks prior.
Patience is a virtue, one that many of us can ill-afford in the modern game. My doubts grew after the West Ham defeat but I’ve been proved very, very wrong. The rallying cries from behind the scenes have boosted everyone, and the on-field performances are finally starting to match all the optimism and belief that is being generated off of it.
Only time will tell if we truly mean business, but for that one night we were given reason to believe, something I haven’t felt as in Ipswich fan for a long time.
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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