Ipswich Town discovered their Championship fixtures for the 2023/24 campaign this morning. Stuart Watson picks out a few talking points.
SUNDAY START
It’s been a four-year wait to get back in the Championship, so what does an extra day matter?
While the majority of teams kick-off on Saturday, August 6, Ipswich will start their campaign more than 24 hours later at Sunderland.
That’s because the game has been selected by Sky for television coverage.
Kick-off being at 5pm is not ideal for the thousands of fans who will be making the 556-mile round trip from Suffolk. Many won’t get home until gone midnight. Still, it’s an attractive and challenging fixture to start with.
The Black Cats, fresh from stepping up from League One, finished sixth in the Championship last season, averaging crowds of 39,000 at The Stadium of Light.
After losing to eventual play-off winners Luton over a two-legged semi-final, manager Tony Mowbray – a former Blues favourite – said his team can ‘hopefully have another go’ in 23/24.
Ipswich and Sunderland are currently locked in a battle to sign Everton striker Ellis Simms, the young striker who proved a hit on loan at the Stadium of Light last season. That has the potential to be an interesting sub-plot come game day.
Town haven’t lost an opening league game since going down 2-1 at Reading in 2013 (W4 D4). Let’s hope that run continues.
OPENING MONTH
Ipswich had requested to play away on the opening weekend to give themselves maximum time to fully bed in the new multi-million pound playing surface that is being installed at Portman Road this summer.
The first home league game will be against Stoke City on Saturday, August 12. Managed by former Norwich boss Alex Neil, the Potters finished 16th last season.
Town's opening month continues with games against Gareth Ainsworth's QPR (a) - who struggled last season and recently saw Les Ferdinand leave his role as director of football - and newly-relegated Leeds (h), who are currently without a manager.
I don't think it's a start to be feared.
A WAIT FOR THE DERBY
Ipswich have a real feelgood factor due to positive momentum and ambitious owners, while the mood music at Norwich is downbeat following their recent 13th-place finish and fractious departure of sporting director Stuart Webber.
Many Blues fans were hoping for an early East Anglian derby. Frustratingly, we’ll have to wait until almost Christmas for the cross-border rivalry to be resumed.
Town will host the Canaries on Saturday, December 16. They’ll then go to Carrow Road on Saturday, April 6 for a post-Easter potentially crunch clash (those dates could well change for TV).
Will the 14-year wait for bragging rights finally come to an end in 2023? It’s time those tides turned.
PACK OUT PORTMAN ROAD 3?
Ipswich have launched a ‘Pack Out Portman Road’ campaign for the last two seasons, offering reduced ticket prices for a batch of games.
In 2021, the three-game bundle was for matches in late December/early January (Sunderland, Wycombe and Lincoln). In 2022, it was for three matches in October (Portsmouth, Lincoln and Derby).
Will there be a similar initiative this season given more than 21,000 season tickets have been sold? Not necessarily.
If there is to be one, however, the October home games against Hull, Preston and Plymouth look a possibility.
DANGEROUS DECEMBER
One month jumps off the page in terms of challenging fixtures.
December starts with games against two sides that recently finished in the top-six – Coventry (h) and Middlesbrough (a).
Off the back of that long trip to the north east comes a midweek match at Watford, a side who won 11 times at Vicarage Road last season on the way to an 11th-place finish.
Then it’s that first East Anglian derby on Suffolk soil, followed by two games against sides who have just come down from the Premier League – Leeds United away on the 23rd, followed Leicester City at home on Boxing Day three days’ later.
The year concludes with the visit of QPR.
We’ll have a good idea of just how competitive Town are looking come the start of 2024.
FESTIVE FIXTURES
It’s always good to have a home game on Boxing Day.
Last year it was Oxford United (a 3-0 win). This year it’s 2016 Premier League champions Leicester City. That has the makings of a Christmas cracker.
The trade-off is a trip to Stoke on New Year’s Day.
What will Town be playing for come Easter? McKenna’s men are at Blackburn on Good Friday and then host Southampton on Easter Monday.
HOME DOUBLE HEADERS
I don’t know if this is just me, but I always look out for the home double headers. They represent a chance to build some real momentum in space of just a few days.
Town have four of them to look forward to: Hull/Preston in early October, Millwall/Coventry at the turn of November/December, Leicester/QPR in late December and Watford/Middlesbrough in mid-April.
A FEW BREAKS
Escaping League One means a few things for Town.
One; No more Papa John’s Trophy.
Two; Entering the FA Cup at the third round stage in January (win that game and a home clash with Rotherham would have to be rearranged).
Three; There are international breaks. They come on the weekends of Sept 9/10, Oct 14/15, Nov 18/19 and Mar 23/24.
THE RUN-IN
Let’s say the run-in officially starts after Easter.
Town’s final six starts with a trip to Carrow Road. Let’s hope that’s a game that can light the blue touch paper.
After that it’s Watford and Middlesbrough at home in the space of four days. Boro are managed by McKenna’s friend and former Manchester United colleague Michael Carrick. I’m looking forward to those match-ups.
April then finishes with trips to Coventry and Hull (it could be worse), with Huddersfield – managed by pantomime villain Neil Warnock – coming to Portman Road on the final day (May 4).
Could Town be in the promotion mix again? Dare to dream.
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