Ipswich Town: James Wall on Norwich defeat and last five games

I have a love-hate relationship with Norwich.

Norwich embodies the quintessential charm of an English smaller city: adorned with a picturesque cathedral and boasting more pubs and churches within its confines than any other in the country. The moniker "a fine city" rings true.

My university years were spent in the city, attending UEA and toiling for a degree in law. It was largely a happy period in my life, marked by cherished memories and lasting friendships (and many a hangover!)

However, mention their football team, and a different emotion arises. As we all know, it’s tribal!

Raised in Orford before moving to West Suffolk at age ten. My pre-teen and teenage years centred around the Bury area.

Additionally, my grandparents married in Ipswich, where my granny met my grandad at Ipswich Rugby Club. She once shared how she taught the Cobbold family ballroom dancing, having run a dance instruction business in Saxmundham before marriage.

So, my roots are firmly in Suffolk soil.  It’s blue and white forever for this man.

The derby day defeat was tough to take (Image: Ross Halls)
Thus, the galling defeat to the Canaries was tough to take. 

Man oh man, I wanted for us to put to bed the record that goes back to 2009.  But the hoodoo continues.  It’s humble pie once again for the noisy neighbours to the south. As one of the better-known Championship podcasters said after the result: “East Anglia is still green and yellow!”  It made me seethe. 

But I have a strange feeling that we could meet City in the playoffs.  Whilst I pray that we don’t have to endure that particular test (the playoffs that is), if we do, I’d love another crack at the old foe.  Yes, they had our number during the regular season, but wouldn’t you put your money on McKenna figuring them out the third time around?  I would…

Now we have five games to go to secure that second spot.  With Leeds also losing on Saturday and Leicester only a point ahead of us, it’s really going down to the wire. 

You could tell the players were fatigued on Saturday. Sam Morsy had an uncharacteristically poor game.  The workhorse called Kieffer Moore was ineffective.  Conor Chaplin wasn’t really in the game. 

Cameron Burgess has impressed James (Image: Ross Halls)
Norwich manager David Wagner suggested Norwich wanted it more.  In a scrappy game it sometimes comes down to the desire and you wouldn’t fault Ipswich going a bit flat after the last-minute heroics against Southampton. Did the occasion get to them?  I’d be surprised if that were true.

So, onwards we go till the end of the season.  We’re down to the last five games.  I, for one am excited for the run-in.

We have two winnable games ahead against teams whose stakes in the finales of their seasons aren't too high. We comfortably defeated Watford at their home ground, and Middlesbrough were similarly outfoxed in a masterful manner.

Both matches will be held at Fortress Portman Road, where the atmosphere is sure to be electric for both occasions.

We then have a two week break till the final two away matches against tough opponents:  Hull and Coventry. 

Both are still vying for a playoff spot and while Hull might be out of the race by then, I’m guessing sixth spot will be a bloody battle between our yellow and green friends and Coventry. 

By beating the latter, we might give the men up the road the advantage in their charge for a playoff spot. 

I’ll posit this scenario for the final game of the season, one that, if it were presented today, I’d certainly take: Leeds must defeat Southampton, and we must triumph over Huddersfield for either team to go up.

We saw how good Southampton are away from home. While a bit leaky at the back, they’re dynamic going forward.  They’ll want to be in good form heading into the playoffs, so will not be taking this game lightly (I hope). 

Unless we really falter in these closing matches, any pundit would wager on Ipswich prevailing against Huddersfield, particularly with a Premier League berth at stake.

Meanwhile, Mckenna will be preaching the one game at a time mantra. “We can only beat the team in front of us” has been his rallying call all season and it has worked a treat. The team will prepare in their usual fastidious fashion for each game.

But who will be the Ipswich hero for the run-in? This is a difficult one to call as we’ve had so many stand-out performers all season.

Leif Davis is James' pick to be Town's star man in the run-in (Image: Ross Halls)
Looking ahead, my money is on Leif Davis to deliver some crucial assists between now and the end of the season.

I came across an article in the Daily Mail last week suggesting a potential England call-up for Leif for the European Championships. While that might seem like a stretch to me, I wouldn't be surprised if he receives a phone call from Gareth Southgate next season, regardless of whether he remains with Ipswich or not.

As for our defence, I've been thoroughly impressed by the towering presence of the Aussie, Cam Burgess.

Cam's resolute defending and his precision with his left foot have been a highlight of the season for me. Those long diagonal balls he sends forward have truly added another dimension to our game.

Regardless of whether we secure a top-two finish or not, this season has been nothing short of fantastic. I haven’t experienced this much enjoyment supporting the Town since the Robson era.

Three cheers to the club for providing us with such excitement, and let's maintain our unwavering support as fans from now until the final whistle.