Ipswich’s Luke Chambers reacts: “The game was played at a good pace, it showed how much it means to us. We’re taking something up the road, it’s all the play for. We’ll be looking forward to next week”
Norwich’s Jonny Howson, who hands the man of the match award to Chambers in a dose of fair play, says: “It was going to be tight, obviously they were the home side. Both teams were going for it. Obviously we’re a bit disappointed to concede before half-time but it’s set up nicely. Roll on next Saturday.”
Indeed. This time next week we’ll do it all again. The first half was terrific, the second period was a bit dull but, ultimately, we’re no closer to figuring out who will make it to Wembley. Thanks for reading. Paul Doyle’s match report will be live soon. Bye!
FULL-TIME! Ipswich 1-1 Norwich
The end of the first leg finishes scoreless. To spare you the usual cliches of it being half-time in the tie, let’s just say it’s evenly poised.
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90 min +2: Playing out the final seconds now. After such a promising first half, this has been quite dull.
90 min +1: Norwich in possession wide on the right but they have to work it backwards. Eventually it’s sent long and across to the left by Hoolahan towards Olsson. The Irishman raises his hand in apology which tells you all you need to know about whether he found his target or not.
90 min: Hoolahan takes, Anderson clears. There will be three added minutes.
89 min: Corner for Norwich! Hoolahan crosses to Redmond. His looping header is turned over the bar by Bialkowski.
88 min: Mings advances on the left but plays an aimless pass down the flank. Most of Portman Road groans.
87 min: Tettey is penalised for a high boot which catches Anderson. Free-kick. Off the ball Sears had gone down seconds earlier when running with Bassong. Not much in it.
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86 min: Jerome takes his time walking off, Hooper finally comes on 30 seconds after the board went up.
85 min: That free-kick comes to nothing. In the next phase, Hoolahan plays an aimless pass forward. Quality is in short supply at the moment. Hooper is about to come on, in place of Jerome.
84 min: Martin nicks Murphy of possession and trundles forward. Anderson chases him back, fouls him about 40 yards from Ipswich’s goal and gets booked.
82 min: Murphy has another shot blocked. This time he cut in from the right and Olsson got in the way.
80 min: Redmond takes. Johnson gets up. But heads wide.
79 min: Norwich bossing it now. Hoolahan is fed by Tettey and wins a corner off Smith.
77 min: Murphy has been subdued for the most part but he is given a yard of space after Tabb plays a perfectly weighted pass forward. Murphy is blocked off by a recovering Martin, however.
76 min: Ipswich’s final change sees Parr replace Bishop.
75 min: Tabb dithers in midfield but is fouled by Johnson.
73 min: Norwich enjoying a larger share of possession in the past few minutes. Tettey is fouled 30 yards, Hoolahan’s delivery is held up by Bassong and Johnson arrives to shoot. Chambers blocks – we’ve heard that a couple of times in the past 10 minutes.
71 min: Ipswich make their second change – Tabb on for Bru.
68 min: A lovely move from Norwich ends with Johnson’s deflected shot earning a corner from Chambers. Norwich had attacked down the right but Redmond spotted Johnson alone on the left, played a lovely through ball in but Chambers gets a little nick to his first-time effort. From the corner Redmond plays to Johnson again, his shot trickles wide but it’s offside anyway after Cameron Jerome was judged to have had an influence. Hoolahan is finally on, in place of Dorrans, who was quiet from the moment he was booked.
66 min: More of a clearcut opportunity for Sears. The cross comes, predictably, from the right. Sears rises at the back-post but cannot direct his header on target. Hoolahan looks to be getting ready – is he the man to give Norwich that extra edge?
65 min: Johnson has a half-chance blocked on the edge of the area and Jerome is flagged for offside from the next phase of play.
64 min: It’s becoming a little predictable. Norwich moves are breaking down when met with Ipswich’s sturdy defence, who then drive it long. Sometimes they are winning corners from that direct approach, but that’s about it.
62 min: Another long ball from Ipswich – Berra – catches Bassong out. Sears almost nips behind him but the defender is on hand to concede a corner which, once more, amounts to nothing.
59 min: Martin tries to find Johnson. The ball breaks kindly to him on the edge of the area but his shot is smothered by Bialkowski.
56 min: Bru sends another cross in from the right. Anderson tries to bring it down for Sears but it’s behind him and Norwich break. Jerome chases down Berra and trips him to earn a yellow card, the second of the game.
55 min: Bru and Anderson work well down the right before Chambers, advanced, puts too much on his cross and it fails to trouble Ruddy.
53 min: Sears wins a corner wide on the right. It’s taken towards Murphy who heads over. Should have done better.
51 min: An inventive through ball by Johnson is met by Howson at the end-line. He does well to keep it in play but the cross is cut out.
49 min: The pace is not quite as frantic as the opening half. Considering Ipswich’s ordinary away form, they probably need to win this tie. Just as I type that, Anderson gets behind Whittaker to latch onto a long pass from Skuse but, off balance, he fails to threaten Ruddy.
47 min: Anderson wins the ball off Whittaker and plays it forward to Murphy but Dorrans slides in late and clatters the Ipswich goalscorer. Yellow card.
The restart
46 min: Norwich get us going again.
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— Gary Parkinson (@GaryParkinson) May 9, 2015
HALF-TIME: Ipswich 1-1 Norwich
And that’s the interval. It’s been hectic, end-to-end stuff. Thankfully we still have three quarters of it left to come!
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45 min +6: Redmond is given too much space and shoots but Bialkowski saves well.
45 min + 5: And now Ipswich have a corner … Bru plays it short to Bishop, who returns the pass. Then a cross to the back post is met by Tommy Smith’s head. He does not anticipate it and his reactionary header zips over.
45 min +3: It’s the most Ipswich goal of the season. Bialkowski drives it long, Sears does well, shoots powerfully. Ruddy parries, Murphy follows up and it then breaks to Anderson who slots home into the gaping net. What a time to score your first goal of 2015!
GOAL! Ipswich 1-1 Norwich (Anderson)
45 min +3: And we’re level thanks to the substitute.
45 min +2: Skuse rolls to Mings, whose drive is deflected off the wall for a corner. Bru’s delivery is cleared by Martin as far as Anderson, who tries to pump the ball back in but it’s cleared again.
45 min + 1: Bishop is taken down by Dorrans in a very dangerous position a little over 20 yards from goal.
45 min: There will be six minutes added on due to that Varney injury.
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44 min: Johnson concedes a free on the left in his own half but the Ipswich delivery, directed towards Murphy, does not produce anything of note.
44 min: That was Norwich’s first attempt on target. And just after that good spell for Ipswich too.
42 min: Smith did hit the deck after being turned by Jerome. The Norwich striker did lean into him but Smith did not look for a free-kick as he raced away.
41 min: Fantastic work from Jerome on the left who turns Smith, races away and sends a cross in. Howson arrives, it drops at his feet and he side-foots into the bottom right corner.
GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 Norwich (Howson)
41 min: What a finish!
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41 min: Another Chambers delivery tries to find Anderson at the near-post but he is dragged to the ground by Bassong who then heads out for a corner. Penalties have been given for less but there was no real appeal from Anderson. The corner is headed clear at the front post, Ipswich come back at them but Anderson shoots tamely wide from 25 yards when he could have played in Sears.
39 min: Murphy turns and heads wide from a rapid Chambers cross. Not an easy move to execute, goal-kick
38 min: Ipswich enjoying their best spell at the moment but their directness is being dealt with well by the Norwich defence.
37 min: Jerome is hobbling slightly, perhaps after that tussle with Smith. It could be his hamstring. Hooper has been sent to warm up.
35 min: A long ball to Jerome, who is held off by Smith, sees the striker cushion it down but Redmond does not anticipate it and has not advanced enough to latch on to the breaking ball.
32 min: And Anderson’s first touch is a header from a promising position, after Bishop’s cross from the right, but the attempt has too much juice and sails over the bar.
30 min: Varney is driven off, head in hands, to a standing ovation. Anderson is on in his place.
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29 min: He also had a heated exchange with Whittaker, who may have said something to him when he went down. Bialkowski played a long ball forward and as Varney raced to challenge Whittaker, he lost his footing. There’s a vehicle on the pitch to help him off and he looks in a serious amount of pain.
26 min: Varney is down clutching his ankle after slipping with nobody around him and looks in a lot of trouble. Ipswich are calling for a stretcher and the midfielder’s day is over. That, you would also think, is the end of his season.
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The play-offs have a worldwide audience. Aaron Sharp has emailed …
Just thought the Ipswich fan in the ‘veritable sea of yellow’ that is with 18 fans in Brisbane should know he is not alone. We’re also 16,000 miles away (give or take) in a small town in our camper van, having to watch the game through your live text commentary. Up the Town! COYB!!!
24 min: Dorrans crosses from the right again, Johnson arrives at the back-post, leaps above Chambers but heads wide. Another big chance!
23 min: Tettttteeyyyyyy … so close. From that throw the ball is worked to the midfielder on the edge of the D and he shoots first time with his right but the ball comes off the post and then hits the stanchion. So, so close but Norwich are getting closer. Can they make the breakthrough?
22 min: Norwich well on top at present. Dorrans crosses low from the right, Skuse intercepts for a throw.
20 min: Chambers is back on his feet and he makes a crucial leap to deny Howson, who is about to head a Redmond cross from the right goalwards from eight yards.
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19 min: Chambers is down in a heap after he attempts to clear but Jerome comes across to try and block and they collide. The Norwich fans are furious, it’s a free-kick but not worthy of a yellow card.
17 min: Mick McCarthy is furious with Bialkowski, who has shanked the ball into the stands. No matter, next Ipswich attack comes from Murphy again, but this time on the left. His cross is driven out by Martin.
16 min: Whittaker looks to be in some pain after going up for an aerial duel with Varney, who accidentally put his knee into the Norwich defender’s back. He should be ok.
An email from Phil Withall in Australia …
Evening Alan,
For those readers that may not be aware of the importance of this match. Here, 16,000 miles away in a pub in Brisbane there are 18 Norwich fans, a veritable sea of yellow, all filled with nervous excitement. At the back of the room is a solitary, rather uncomfortable looking Ipswich fan.
He could be in for an interesting evening.
15 min: Norwich are beginning to control possession in midfield but cannot find a way into the Ipswich area. A long spell of possession ends with Redmond winning a throw off Mings.
13 min: Which side utilises their bench best could be a big factor here. McGoldrick was outstanding for Ipswich before getting injured in February and his return to fitness (though a bit off prime condition) has been timely, but Norwich have the attacking delights of Wes Hoolahan and Gary Hooper sat in their dugout.
9 min: Bradley Johnson has a pop with a long long-range free-kick and drags it low and wide.
7 min: And just as I say that Ipswich break and Ruddy is forced into a terrific double save. Murphy powers past two Norwich defenders, squares to Sears but the former West Ham striker is denied at point blank range by Ruddy, who is up quickly to palm away Varney’s rebounded header.
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6 min: Norwich shading it in terms of territory so far but there’s no real pattern developing.
4 min: Johnson’s cross from the left is taken down in an unorthodox fashion by Redmond, Dorrans arrives in the area but mis-hits his shot to the delight of the home support behind the goal.
3 min: Norwich looking for a corner but the referee, Anthony Taylor, waves their protests away.
1 min: Promising opening for the hosts who work it well down the right. Bru’s cross is headed over by Mings.
Peep!
Ipswich’s potent strikeforce of Daryl Murphy and Freddie Sears get us underway, playing from left to right as we watch.
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The two games earlier in the season finished in favour of the Canaries. They won 1-0 at Portman Road in August when the season was still in its infancy and 2-0 in the return at Carrow Road. But that counts for nothing today.
“This will be won next Saturday, it’s not going to be finished now,” says Mick McCarthy, the Ipswich manager. “We’ve come here to win the game,” promises Alex Neil, the man in the other dugout. The teams are emerging from the tunnel. Let’s do this!
The teams
Ipswich: Bialkowski; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Mings; Bishop, Skuse, Bru, Varney; Sears, Murphy. Subs: Gerken, Parr, McGoldrick, Anderson, Stephen Hunt, Noel Hunt, Tabb.
Norwich: Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson; Howson, Tettey; Redmond, Dorrans, Johnson; Jerome. Subs: Hooper, Hoolahan, Elliott Bennett, Ryan Bennett, Rudd, O’Neil, Odjidja-Ofoe.
Referee: A Taylor
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El agriculturo clásico. The Old Farm. If you stumbled across this MBM without prior knowledge of the rivalry between Ipswich Town and Norwich City and based it all on those two titles, you would be forgiven for thinking the next couple of hours will be quite playful.
If it’s light fun you’re after, on this bright and breezy Saturday lunchtime, this isn’t the place. What is about to follow is serious business. Very serious. The biggest East Anglian derby in living memory – if you’re at a similar age to your MBMer at least – until next week’s renewal unless there is a landslide winner this afternoon.
A place at Wembley is at stake, where the riches of the Premier League will be 90 minutes away. The only way this could be bigger is if they were playing on the grand stage at the national stadium.
Ipswich have been in the Championship for 13 years, longer than the other 23 teams who partook in the most brilliant but unpredictable of Championship seasons. Norwich, on the other hand, are yo-yoing up and down from the Premier League. But their preferred route has been automatic promotion rather than the playoffs. They were beaten finalists in 2002. Ipswich were elevated via this ruthless route in 2000.
If you were to guess a winner based on the league standings – history has told us that would not be advised – Norwich would appear favourites. They finished in third position, three points off an automatic place and a slightly longer but giddy summer holiday. Instead here they are, toiling nervously and awaiting a trip to a sold out Portman Road.
Ipswich, meanwhile, scraped in on goal difference having lost at Blackburn on the final day. Much of their success has been down to Daryl Murphy, and Freddie Sears has proved an inspired mid-season. Murphy has 27 goals, Norwich rearguard beware.
The Tractor Boys had the best home record with the exception of Middlesbrough this season but Norwich’s away return was only bettered by Bournemouth on goal difference. On a table of only away games, Ipswich would have finished 10th, therefore the onus may be on them to take a lead to Carrow Road for the second leg.
Still, East Anglian derbies are rarely simple to predict. Play-off semi-finals are near impossible to forecast. But whatever happens, we can promise fireworks. Team news to follow, kick-off is 12.15pm BST.
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