Column: Pride

A fair whack of time has passed since I last penned a column. From starting a new job to volunteering at Bath City FC to coaching a youth team on a Wednesday night, I’ve been busy, and finding the time has been more difficult than sitting through a Papa Johns Pizza Trophy match.

However, this week I’ve felt compelled to jump back in and ultimately express just how much pride I feel for the current state of Ipswich Town Football Club and its surrounding community.

My geographical location dictates that I can’t get to as many games as I’d like to, but from watching through Ifollow or hearing second-hand accounts from my dad, the infamous green shoots are actually starting to rise. Whilst consistency may still be absent in many respects, the comprehensive demolitions of sides like Portsmouth and Wycombe has been incredible to see. We’ve chanted ‘easy’ more times in the past 3 months than we have done for the past decade-and-a-half!

The performances of certain players like Sam Morsy, Wes Burns and, of course, Macauley Bonne, are acting as a genuine inspiration to a section of fans that have been mentally distant from the club for some time.

A genuine entertainment factor has been re-established at Portman Road, with cups being taken seriously and the football club now infamously being declared as “open for business”.

Bersant Celina’s last-minute heroics against Fleetwood seemed to act as the cherry on top of the cake, with Brett Johnson up in the stands able to celebrate for the first time with a group of fans to which he – and the rest of his ownership team – has provided so much.

The introduction of the #PackOutPR campaign has created a serious feel-good factor around the club, with the incredible and generous donations showcasing everything there is to love about this great football club.

Paul Cook has correctly identified this before, but we are a fanbase yearning for success and we will latch onto any hope we see. Thankfully, over the past couple of months, hope has been provided by sensible, level-headed people that actually have the club’s best interests at heart.

Moving forward, I think we can all feel pretty buoyant about the direction of our club, who wouldn’t want to be involved in such a special project right now?

The direction the club is heading in is exciting and ambitious and I don’t want to exercise any caution, because I thoroughly believe in the people in charge. When you look at the club and the generosity of the people that surround it, pride is the only word that suits.

This once-forgotten shell is being restored, rejuvenated by people that care and empowered by fans that want nothing more than to see pride and identity restored into their football club.

Sometimes in football you get these perfect combinations that simply work, and it’s hard not to feel like we’re finally moving in the right direction. Of course, the on-pitch performances will dictate the true value of success, but I think after 8 months of the new ownership we can categorically say we are getting our club back.

I’ll finally be back at Portman Road for the Sunderland game and I simply can’t wait to go home.

Thank you for taking the time to read my column. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share it around. I’ll see you soon!