It was goals galore last time The Imps host today’s opponents Ipswich Town (managed by Paul Lambert) at Sincil Bank. The match took place just days after Christmas last year, in front of a crowd of 10,012. City won 5-3, thanks to goals from Harry Anderson (7′), Tyler Walker (45+2′, 72′), Michael Bostwick (79′) and Jake Hesketh (90+2′). The visitor’s goals were scored by Luke Garbutt (32′), Harry Toffolo (OG 59′) and Will Keane (83′).
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Ahead of today’s match, we have done a Q&A with two Ipswich Town supporters, so thank you to Tom and Joe for answering our questions. The answers have been published on two pages. To get to the second set of answers, press “Click here for the next set of answers!” at the bottom right of the page, or click HERE.
First up, the answers provided by Tom:
How long have you supported Ipswich Town?
18 years! My first game was a 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea when I was 9.
Where did you finish last season?
An underwhelming 11th.
What do you think of your Manager?
I’m not inspired by Paul Lambert. He took us over when we were at our lowest and some fan-friendly PR aside, he’s done little to convince me he’s the right manager for us.
What are your hopes and expectations for the 2020/21 season?
I hope for promotion and I expect a minimum of a Play-off place to try and achieve that.
One(s) to watch?
Gwion Edwards is the league’s joint-top scorer (along with your very own Jorge Grant) and his impact has surpassed expectations so far! Andre Dozzell is a tidy passer in midfield, and Teddy Bishop can have a real impact on his day. Our fullbacks (when both fit) have been great; Luke Chambers and Stephen Ward are both 35 but are playing with freedom.
Which teams you think will finish in the top six in League One?
Hull, Peterborough, Ipswich, Sunderland, Doncaster and Fleetwood.
Which teams do you think will finish in the bottom four in League One?
Rochdale, MK Dons, Shrewsbury and Burton.
What are your thoughts on Lincoln City?
A good club that has done incredibly well in recent years – including that elusive cup run which dumped Ipswich out! You’ve had a great start to the season and it’s good to see you keep achieving after the Cowleys left.
What do you think the score will be?
I think it will be 2-2. I expect you to score based on form but I hope our players have been given a rocket after our 4-1 loss on Tuesday.
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Random fact about your Club?
We have an unbeaten home record in UEFA-sanctioned football matches. Played 31, Won 25 and Drawn 6.
If you could steal one Lincoln City player for your own team, who would it be and why?
Based on the start he’s had…Grant!
What are your proudest and most embarrassing moments as an Ipswich Town Supporter?
Proudest has to be the 14/15 season when we got into the Championship playoffs. The fanbase and the team haven’t been that close in my memory as a supporter. Mick McCarthy was a miracle worker and Daryl Murphy got the golden boot. Amazing!
Most embarrassing has to be losing 7-1 to Peterborough in 2011. For context, I grew up in Peterborough and the stick I got was horrendous – and rightly so!
Who would you say is your most underrated player?
Stephen Ward came in as the first choice left-back at 35 years old. His experience has proven invaluable and his performances have given us confidence.
Do you have a Supporters Trust and what role do they play at the Club?
We have a Supporters Club which links fans to the club through events and communications. We have bases all over the place, from Stowmarket to Scandinavia and Newmarket to North America!
Which was your favourite match involving Ipswich Town?
In 2013, Carlos Edwards slammed in an injury-time winner away at Derby. We played awful all game but that was a turning point to us surviving that season.
Which was your least favourite match involving Ipswich Town?
As previously mentioned, that 7-1 loss to Peterborough.
Do you have a Former Players Association at Ipswich Town?
The club and Supporters Club do a lot with former players by way of meet and greets.
What is the best thing about Ipswich?
It has to be Portman Road for me! Having said that, you can have a decent pub crawl before and after the game – there are some hidden gems!
Last season you have to agree that you didn’t do as well as you probably expected. Was that partly down to your club expecting League 1 to be easy for a team with your history?
I think we respected that we deserved to be in the league and knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. We made such a good start, but we weren’t playing well! The problem was Lambert’s tinkering with the team and not playing through the numerous international breaks. Momentum broke up and the wheels fell off. History has little to do with it – see Bradford in League 2 and Sunderland in our league!
Has last seasons failure been one of the reasons behind your good start?
To be honest, the opposition so far hasn’t been challenging enough! Doncaster on Tuesday was seen as the first test by many fans…and we failed. It’s all about how we bounce back against Lincoln to see how mentally strong we really are.
Have the lessons been learned?
It all hangs on the Lincoln game! Will it be a case of last season’s collapse or have we turned a corner? Watch this space…
When Ipswich lost 5-3 at Lincoln last season, many Ipswich supporters expected Lambert to be sacked, instead, he got a long contract. What were your thoughts then, and what are your thoughts now?
Astounded by that contract for what little he’d achieved. Apparently, it had all been agreed prior to that game anyway, so it was all down to the timing of the announcement. Turns out there wasn’t a good time to tell our fans we’re getting more of the same!
Sorry to ask this, but last season’s collapse was remarkable. Ipswich were top of League One when they beat Lincoln 1-0 on 25 January, but one win, one draw and seven defeats immediately after that saw them finish in mid-table. What went wrong?
You’re not wrong – it was incredible! The rot set in around November. Too much tinkering with the team and sitting out the international breaks halted our momentum. We had the squad size to cope but Lambert didn’t believe in the team. We just became a team with no identity or plan, which led to our demise!
Marcus Evans believes Ipswich have been hit harder by lockdown and subsequent events than any other League One club. Movement in and out of the club during the summer was minimal – was that a result of the financial pressures Evans alludes to, or was it a sign that Lambert was happy with his squad despite that collapse?
Evans could have sold Jackson and Downes for decent money – well below what we’d like to get for them though – and it’s great to see him keep two of last season’s better performers. With the introduction of the salary cap, it made it near impossible to do too much tweaking to the team. Why sell anyone if you can only then bring somebody in on a low salary? It’s a big squad and I guess the thought is we should have enough to get out of the league.
At the time Lincoln knocked Ipswich out of the FA Cup in 2017, many fans were already unhappy with Mick McCarthy and his style of play. Do you think Ipswich would have been relegated in 2019 if they had kept him? Did Paul Hurst simply take over a poor squad?
I don’t believe Ipswich would have been relegated under Mick McCarthy in 2019. Yes, the style of play was dire at times and we were regressing as a club (due to underinvestment and a fractured relationship between management and fans) but he was working with players that played for him.
Paul Hurst had his own way of doing things and he wanted a shake-up to stamp his own identity on the club. His recruitment was poor and players didn’t take to his aggressive style which led to our poor start in 2018/19. Had we employed Mick after Hurst was sacked (which wouldn’t have happened in a million years) then he might have saved us!
Have a go at our Lincoln City v Ipswich Town Quiz below:
The second set of answers:https://t.co/WS2JOa11hC#ImpsAsOne #ProudToBeImps #ITFC pic.twitter.com/uIbGWYGkfJ
— Vital Lincoln City (@VitalLincoln1) October 24, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/VitalLincolnCity/posts/3400320870004134
