Right, that’s it from me. Stick around on site to get all the reports and reaction from Carrow Road. But from me, cheerio!
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It was probably deserved on the balance of play. That blast after half-time from Norwich was enough to put them in front and, thanks to Christophe Berra’s brain freeze, get their opponents down to 10 men.
NORWICH CITY ARE OFF TO WEMBLEY!
Peep! PEEP!! PEEEEEEP!!! It’s all over. Norwich will go on to face Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League. Tempers got a little flared in the final few seconds, with Nathan Redmond to the fore, but nothing is going to take the shine of Norwich’s day.
90+3 min: McGoldrick scuffs a shot wide from the edge of the box. That might be just about that.
90+2 min: Sears with a huge chance to make things tense for the final couple of minutes, but he can’t beat Ruddy from close range. And then the flag goes up anyway.
90 min: Ipswich just want this to be over now. But they’ve got four more minutes of injury time to endure.
89 min: Norwich play a bit of keep-ball. Pass, pass, pass. Pass, pass. Passpasspasspasspass.
87 min: Bradley Johnson goes off and Elliott Bennett comes on for Norwich.
86 min: … and it’s another awful set piece. The one time Ipswich got a free-kick right they scored. But otherwise what is usually a major part of their game has malfunctioned today.
85 min: Sears is just a yard short of a through ball poked into the box. Bassong gets across to make the clearance. But Ipswich have a dangerous free-kick on the right …
84 min: Ipswich have made that third substitution with Tyrone Mings down and receiving treatment – he looks to be OK though.
83 min: Another Ipswich change: Noel Hunt replaces Paul Anderson. And Cameron Jerome heads off to be replaced by Gary Hooper for Norwich.
81 min: Can Ipswich nick one and set up a grandstand finish? Um, it doesn’t look like it. If anything Norwich are looking more likely to add to their 4-2 aggregate lead.
79 min: What a chance! Norwich pick Ipswich apart again and Redmond is sent streaking through on goal. He takes far too long to get his shot away, though, and Mings is able to get back to make the challenge.
GOAL! Norwich 3-1 Ipswich (Jerome 76)
That should be that! Jerome is neatly slipped in behind by Redmond after Tabb loses the ball in midfield and the finish is delightfully delicate from the striker, who gently taps the ball beneath the onrushing Bialkowski.
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75 min: Sears is momentarily in behind the Norwich backline, but his fired ball across is dropped on by a grateful Ruddy.
74 min: Dorrans replaces Hoolahan for Norwich.
73 min: McGolrick and Mings cleverly combine down the Ipswich left but the full-back can’t quite keep the ball in play.
72 min: A change from Mick McCarthy: Bishop and Bru are replaced by Tabb and McGoldrick (who hasn’t played a minute since 7 February due to injury).
71 min: WHAT A MISS! Beautiful stuff down the right from Norwich. Howson gets in behind the full-back and fires the ball low across goal – Jerome should tap home from two yards out but instead he pokes wide.
70 min: Olsson surges forcefully down the left but his cross can’t find Jerome.
67 min: A superb block from Chambers as Howson looks to sidefoot an effort at goal from the edge of the box. Ipswich are rocking again …
66 min: Hoolahan tests Bialkowski with a fierce shot from the edge of the box. The keeper holds at the second attempt. This is some game now.
64 min: The second half >>>>>>>> The first half.
GOAL! Norwich 2-1 Ipswich (Redmond 63)
Norwich are back in front! Olsson’s shot is well blocked by Bialkowski, but the defence can’t clear and the ball is worked out to Redmond, 10 yards out. He smashes it low at the near post and the keeper can’t get down to it.
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62 min: There were pleasingly appropriate official Twitter responses to that goal:
Goal for Ipswich. Smith.
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) May 16, 2015
GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!!!! TOMMY SMITH HAS TOWN LEVEL!!!!! #itfc
— Ipswich Town FC (@Official_ITFC) May 16, 2015
61 min: The second half > The first half.
GOAL! Norwich 1-1 Ipswich (Smith 60)
Oh hello! What a response from Ipswich! Bishop dumps a free-kick into the Norwich box, it’s nodded down and while the home defenders stop and stare the Ipswich captain nips in, pops the ball round Ruddy and then rolls it home from close range. It’s all square!
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57 min: Skuse clatters into Johnson in an over-eager attempt to win the ball. Ipswich need to weather the storm here – they’re seriously under the cosh at the moment.
55 min: “You’ll be pleased to know that a resounding rendition of On The Ball City has just confused a dance floor of perspective brides enjoy Dr Jones by Aqua,” writes Phil Withall. “It really is worth it just for that.”
54 min: Norwich suddenly look the team they have been for much of the season – full of quick passing and slick movement. Hoolahan, who struggled to get in the game in the first half, is now running the show.
53 min: … but Bru’s free-kick is a poor one. Ipswich’s delivery into the box has been pretty poor all game really, both from set pieces and open play.
52 min: Bishop is tripped by Tettey, giving Ipswich the chance to sling a ball into the box …
51 min: Well, that didn’t really pay off for Berra. It must be something of an automatic reaction but it’s almost always a daft thing to do and something that puts your side deeper into the sticky stuff. Now Ipswich face fighting back with 10 men.
GOAL! Norwich 1-0 Ipswich (Hoolahan 50pen)
Wes Hoolahan makes no mistake, sending Bialkowski the wrong way.
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PENALTY! RED CARD!
48 min: Redmond smashes a shot at goal. Berra makes a fine save on the line … but he’s a defender rather than a goalkeeper. He’s off. And Norwich have a penalty.
46 min: A huge scramble in the Ipswich box as the home side almost get the second half off to the perfect start. Jerome is brilliantly (and maybe just about fairly: it’s not a million miles away from a penalty) held up by Smith with his back to goal on the six yard box and Ipswich get scrambling to cut off the danger as the ball pings around the box.
Peep! Norwich get the second half under way. If one side (you sense the home side) can just grab control in midfield and put a few passes together then this game is there for the taking. Otherwise it’ll be decided by a bit of biff, bounce and bobble (probably in favour of the visitors)
The players re-emerge from the tunnel. Restart imminent.
A half-time email: “The description of the match as ‘agricultural’ may be fair but once put into context is understandable,” writes Phil Withall. “I’m sure tgat The Special One would appreciate it. As for me, I’m with 30 other Norwich fans in a pub in Brisbane, surrounded by over enthusiastic hen’s parties and being tormented by some really bad music. Agricultural football is the least of my worries …”
Peep! PEEEP!! And that’s that for now. A bit too much whack-it-and-hope-for-the-best from both sides but still nice and tense.
45 min: There’ll be a minimum of three minutes added here.
I certainly wouldn't like to say that this Old Farm derby is all a bit, well, agricultural
— Paul Doyle (@Paul_Doyle) May 16, 2015
43 min: Howson scuffs another shot on the edge of the box as Mings dillies and dallies on the ball in his own area. Norwich are ending this half very much on the front foot.
40 min: Chance! Hoolahan breaks on to the Ipswich back four before squaring to Howson on the edge of the box. His sidefoot effort pings away off Mings.
38 min: Jerome is up and about and he looks like he’s going to be fine to continue. He does look a little woozy, though.
37 min: Cameron Jerome looks in a bit of trouble. He clashed heads with Berra a moment ago and has now slumped to the turf looking a bit spaced out.
36 min: Johnson has his pocket picked about 40 yards from the Norwich goal but again Ipswich’s cross into the box is rather aimless and as the ball breaks Bru clumps a shot yards over the bar.
34 min: At the moment you’d say that this has extra-time written all over it.
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33 min: Redmond looks to weave a bit of magic on the right, but Sears simply pokes the ball off his twinking toes.
30 min: Bradley Johnson goes in to the referee’s Big Book Of Very Naughty Boys for a mistimed sliding challenge on Bru. The game needs a bit of that – it’s been so scrappy that no one has really had the ball at their feet long enough for a tackle to be made.
29 min: Jerome nods down for Hoolahan, who can’t quite bring the ball under his spell.
28 min: Martin aims a cross towards Jerome, who can’t win the header but at least provokes a bit of a scramble.
26 min: Another Ipswich corner meets a Norwich head.
24 min: It’s tense, it’s frantic, its loud … but it’s not very good at the moment to be perfectly honest. Martin’s effort from that Norwich corner is comfortably the closest we’ve been to a breakthrough so far.
22 min: The Ipswich fans in the away end begin a minutes applause for Chris Reynolds, a young supporter who died recently.
21 min: … scuffed in low but only shanked to Bishop on the edge of the box. He goes down as Redmond offers a tackle but there’s no appeal from any player and the referee is unmoved.
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20 min: Bishop pings a cross against Whittaker’s shins. It’s a corner for the visitors …
18 min: Norwich look to have settled now. They’re the better side at the moment.
16 min: … cleared by Ipswich but only for a corner. That drops to Martin on the edge of the box, and his shot is well struck but cleared off the line by Anderson!
15 min: Jerome is upended by a combination of Mings and Berra. Free-kick, and a dangerous one on the corner of the Ipswich box …
14 min: Bru scuffs the most optimistic of efforts miles wide from distance.
13 min: Ipswich are looking to get the ball in behind the Norwich defence at every opportunity.
12 min: Murphy muscles Bassong off the ball on the right edge of the Norwich box but his cross is straight at Ruddy.
11 min: … drilled in by Redmond, who gets a second chance after the ball is nodded back out to him. Again his cross is cleared, but only as far as Whittaker who skews a shot from distance well wide.
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10 min: Norwich look to construct an attack for pretty much the first time, but Redmond’s pass in the direction of Hoolahan is poked away by an Ipswich toe. Corner to the home side …
9 min: “Afternoon John,” writes Simon McMahon. “Kevin Bru’s nickname has to be Irn, right?” Or Special I suppose. Or Home …
8 min: Whittaker slings a ball into the Ipswich box from deep, but Bialkowski is unchallenged and gets a first feel of the ball in his hands.
7 min: Both teams are very direct. It’s sensible really – you don’t want to be taking too many chances at the back in the early stages of a game like this.
6 min: Anderson whips another cross into the Norwich area but Ruddy claims with no fuss.
5 min: Predictably frantic stuff early on here. The visitors have certainly settled the better, though.
4 min: … Bru drills the ball in, Murphy gets on the end of it but his header from 10 yards drifts well over the bar.
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3 min: Anderson is tripped on the Ipswich right, giving the visitors a dangerous free-kick on the right of the Norwich box …
2 min: Mings picks the ball up on the left hand side of the Norwich box but his his cross is too deep. Ipwich have started on the front foot though.
1 min: Yellow and white balloons spill on to the pitch from behind the goal so we have brief delay for some stamping as Norwich prepare to take a throw.
Peep!! Both teams go into a huddle for a final chat and then off we go! The atmosphere is absolutely crackling at Carrow Road.
Click-clack, click-clack … out come the players, to be greeted by a yellow wall that wouldn’t look out of place at the Westfalenstadion.
Celebrity fan watch:
Soaking up the atmosphere at Carrow Road using the new Vileda Atmosphere Mop. But there’s just too much atmosphere for the job #OTBC
— Stephen Fry (@stephenfry) May 16, 2015
It would be nice to see Mick McCarthy back in the Premier League, if only for this kind of thing (warning: contains Bad Words) …
Oh, and this …
And this …
Line-ups
The teams are in. Both sides make one change from their XIs in the first leg, with Wes Hoolahan replacing Graham Dorrans for Norwich and Paul Anderson coming in for the injured Luke Varney for Ipswich.
Norwich (4-2-3-1): Ruddy; Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson; Tettey, Howson; Redmond, Hoolahan, Johnson; Jerome. Subs: Rudd, Hooper, E Bennett, Josh Murphy, R Bennett, O’Neil, Dorrans.
Ipswich (4-4-2): Bialkowski; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Mings; Anderson, Bishop, Skuse, Bru; Murphy, Sears. Subs: Gerken, Parr, Clarke, S Hunt, Tabb, N Hunt, McGoldrick.
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Preamble
Hello all. Well, what a way this is to start your Saturday – the biggest Old Farm derby in history! Norwich and Ipswich are separated by around 43 miles, making this one of the least local local derbies in Britain. But make no mistake, the animosity between these two sets of fans is very real. I have to say I don’t envy either – some supporters love fixtures against their local rivals, some find the tension too much to bear. I’m very much in the latter group, and when you add in the ludicrously high-tension of the the play-offs then you have a recipe for serious stress.
Still, someone is going to go home happy. It’s perfectly poised after the first leg at Portman Road, with Paul Anderson equalising for Ipswich four minutes after Jonny Howson has put the Canaries in front. Middlesbrough, who cruised past Brentford in the other semi-final, await at Wembley on 25 May.
Those looking to pick a winner can point to Norwich’s two wins during the regular season and the fact that City flew into the play-offs in fine form, while Ipswich hobbled in thanks in no small part to Derby County’s capitulation. Form, it says here in my Big Book O’Football Cliches, Goes Out Of The Window in games like these of course, but some excellent statistical analysis in the Knowledge a few weeks ago showed that league position and points scored over the course of the season is the key indicator of play-off potential and that’s exactly how the post-season has played out thus far. Wycombe and Southend in League Two, Preston and Swindon in League One, and Boro already in the Championship: the teams who finished higher have all reached the finals thus far. Can Norwich make it six out of six?
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