I cheated on Tuesday night. Cheated on the one I love. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Come on I thought, it will only be the once. It’ll be fun. I tried to justify it to myself by saying things like ‘ahh they wouldn’t mind if they found out,’ and ‘they probably won’t find out anyway.’ I was lying to myself though and I feel dirty.

Having recently started university in Nottingham, I did something which I thought I'd probably regret, but recklessly still did it anyway. Yes, that’s right; I went to watch Nottingham Forest play Middlesbrough at the City Ground. When Forest scored both of their goals I stood up, cheered, clapped and smiled. When they had a near miss I groaned along with the rest of the Forest regulars. When Lewis McGugan was subbed off late in the second half after scoring a fine goal and generally running the show from centre midfield, I stood up and gave him a standing ovation.

Whilst I was performing these acts of treachery, my team, my beloved Ipswich Town, were battling away at Portman Road against Portsmouth. If they hadn’t have been playing at the same time perhaps I could have forgiven myself a little easier. I’m a football fan as well as an Ipswich fan after all and anyone with an appreciation of the history of our nation’s favourite game can surely appreciate the County Ground and all that it has to offer. The spiritual home of Brian Clough, a club that has won two European Cups, a club that really deserves to be in the Premier League; should I really feel bad about going to watch them? It was only three quid after all.

But I was sat watching another team other than my own and I knew that I should have been watching Ipswich. Realistically, being a student, getting a train to Ipswich and then buying a ticket for the game meant this was naturally impossible – that being the case though, I should not have gone to any game at all. Going to the Forest game was naughty. Wasn’t it? Or am I being too hard on myself?

Well, whether I should feel bad or not, I do. I’ve let Ipswich Town down, I’ve let Paul Jewell down, but worst of all, I’ve let myself down. As my good friend John texted me, from his seat inside Portman Road, I’m a “Judas in Forest disguise”.

The game wasn’t even that good. Middlesbrough looked like a team that are languishing near the bottom of the table rather than a team that hadn’t been beaten all season, whilst Forest looked seriously bereft of confidence and it was quite obvious that the first goal was going to be crucial and so it proved.

Marcus Tudgay converted Chris Gunter’s excellent cross with some fine movement and a sharp finish just before half-time and then Forest took control, their play far more fluent. Guy Moussi and Lewis McGugan were a devastating double act in central midfield and when the second goal came not long into the second half it wasn’t a surprise.

Forest’s intensity dropped off at that point and Boro looked gutless going forward so the game petered out, not that Steve Cotterill, or the 20,000 Forest fans inside the stadium, cared. Incredibly, it was their first home win of the season and if they play like they did in patches last night for the rest of the season then they should have many more to celebrate.

But will I be celebrating with them? No. Of course I won’t. Yes, I clapped and I cheered when Forest scored but only because I’m a bit of a sheep – everyone else around me was doing likewise. Also, I’m an absolute sucker for a good atmosphere at a football ground, wherever it may be. I gave Lewis McGugan a standing ovation because he’d been man of the match – not because he was a Forest player and I was a Forest fan, but because I’m a football fan.

And in truth I may have been sat in seat 05, row 18, block G of the Brian Clough Stand, but really my head was in the lower tier of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand at the mighty Portman Road, the scene of some of my fondest childhood memories. Yes, I cheated on my team, but it didn’t mean anything, promise. It was just a game, there were no feelings, no strings attached. Honest.

Then when my Dad texted me to tell me that Ipswich had won and were now in the play-offs, a point off the automatic places, my smile was far broader than it had been all night, even when McGugan scored a cracker.

I’m sorry Ipswich, it won’t happen again. Forgive me?

HarryfromBath added 17:13 - Oct 19 Good Blog Solly! You are not being unfaithful - Bath City are my local outfit and it is fun to go. At the least it is a good distraction as ITFC on the radio can be stressful. You may have found a fickle mistress. Forest's new manager did to Portsmouth exactly what Roy Keane did to Ipswich. Did you ever leave one relationship and find that the new one was adopting a familiar pattern? Thanks for sharing it.

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HealysBackPocket added 17:19 - Oct 19 I've been to see Lincoln a few times since going to uni there. If Ipswich have been playing though, I sense fans around me must have been getting annoyed as they were all I harped on about throughout the match. Then again watching Lincoln last season wasn't exactly enthralling, but still, I enjoy taking in games of football whenever I can, especially lower league football.

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Matteo_Sereni added 17:23 - Oct 19 Nottingham Forest play at the City ground not County ground....its like cheating but then forgetting the other bird's name so you're OK!!!
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tortoise added 17:35 - Oct 19 I live in Nottingham and went to watch Forest v Derby. Strange situation, being a teacher its good to be able to relate to the kids teams, but also nice to be able to take the mickey out of them! I genuinely wanted them to win, but then could laugh at the way they threw the game away. Generally happy for them to do well as it makes for a nice place to live, just as long as they're lower than us, so i don't have to have to put up with any gloating.

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scunnyblue added 17:47 - Oct 19 Being born in scunthorpe but always being an town fan since an early age i have done the same as posted above. Gone to see my home town club scunny instead of making at trip to watch townon many occasions. In fact the worst of it was a trip to PR with a scunny fan freind of mine on the club run coaches to games. wearing a scunny scarf yet cheering on the blues in my hart . so next time you to go watch forest think of me and you will feel fine

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AshFinland added 18:01 - Oct 19 I was born and bred in Ipswich but moved to Northern Finland six years ago. I occasionally go to watch AC Oulu who are the local outfit and play in the second tier of the Finnish league. To give you an idea of how poor the standard is, Shefki Kuqi still occasionally turns out for the national team :p That said, I enjoy it and give the lads a clap when they manage to string a few passes together. I even took my five year-old son to his first match the other week and they duly obliged by winning 7-0. I had quite a job explaining to the boy that football isn't *usually* like that. I guess what I'm saying is you've no reason to feel bad. Ipswich will always be your team, and some live football is better than no live football

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ThatMuhrenCross added 19:27 - Oct 19 Gotta make the most of the £3 for students ticket. I did exactly the same, but must confess I struggled to get excited about their goals! The McGugan one was very good though - I admit. I think Ipswich should do a £3 student ticket from time to time. Their idea of a discount is still more expensive than the regular Forest student ticket.
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tortoise added 20:06 - Oct 19 There appears to be plenty of Ipswich fans in Nottingham! Anyone go anywhere in particular to watch games when they're on?
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Yorkie added 20:24 - Oct 19 I think it's alright to go and see Forest Solly - they're a club with rather a lot of parallels to ourselves and they're definitely, as you rightly point out, one of those clubs who belong in the Premier League. I could never sit in the home end at Elland Road or cheer on Leeds United though! Do what I do - go to away games - you've got a few obvious very local ones to you - Derby, Forest, Posh, Coventry - but you're also bang in the middle of the country so London and Northern games are potentially reachable... see if there's a local ITFC supporter's club, that might solve the transport issue...

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salforduniblue added 20:59 - Oct 19 Yorkie - I live in Leeds and go see them or Bradford if I can most of my mates support em though - wouldn't go on my own! Unless there's an away game oop North to be had, next ones Barnsley I think! Prefer going to see Guiseley or Farsley though, support the non league clubs. When Farsley got all the way to the Conference prem they signed Georges Santos, I went and saw his debut, safe to say he was abysmal at that level too!!

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yorkshire added 23:21 - Oct 19 salforduniblue - I used to live in Leeds too and went to Farsley games - I might have seen you there as there weren't many others ! It was great for what really was a village team to be just two leagues away from the mighty Leeds United !
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dannysigma added 06:57 - Oct 20 I always try and watch my local team wherever I live: I've seen many, many Rotherham Utd, Exeter City and (I hate to admit it) Sheffield United matches over the years. The onlt exception was the three years I spent round the corner from the Emirates Stadium in London, and that was only because I couldn't get the tickets. I am an Ipswich fan first and foremost, but I love football, even non-league, Tuesday-night-in-December football. My current local team (Al Wasl in Dubai) are notable only for having Maradona as their manager. I must admit I spend as much time watching the dugout as I do the (pretty poor) action on the pitch. However it feels, it's not cheating as long as you always come back to your first love!

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ElginCityBlue added 08:37 - Oct 20 Like others have said on here, you shouldn't feel bad at all. I regularly spend the afternoon down at Borough Briggs in Elgin, refreshing the Championship scores on my phone in my pocket. I've even taking to ticking off a few more Scottish league grounds and have been to Caley Thistle, Ross County, Peterhead and Aberdeen. With Town legend Terry Butcher just down the road, maybe I should go there more often...

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Blue_Poison added 08:41 - Oct 20 Nothing wrong with that, I was born and raised in Ipswich, always have and always will support them, even while I am half way around the world, I stay up until 1am during the winter months listening to the little snippets I can get via online radio. such is my dedication to the team I love. But I have to admit to watching local teams and getting excited during the action, I watch Premier league games on TV on a Saturday night (while trying to get info on the town game) and depending on who is being shown I will pich a team and cheer for them, and I have even been to Wembley (twice) to support Cambridge United in their playoff games. You just gotta love football!!! :) COYB

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brogansnose added 09:20 - Oct 20 Solly you dirty tramp! Most of us have or do go to watch other teams from time to time. Wherever I have lived I have gone and watched local teams and its easy to get a small affection for them, nothing wrong in that. Thing is with supporting a football team is that you can change your job, where you live, your car and your missus but you never, never change your love for the team you first fell in love with. I T FC 'til I die. Good luck with your studies , tramp.

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raycrawfordswig added 11:51 - Oct 20 Lived near Brighton for 10 years went to Goldstone ground on several occasions.First result i looked for was Town. Got to agree brogansnose I T F C 'till i die.
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Reuser31 added 14:34 - Oct 20 Good blog mate, I've been to a couple of Hull games as I'm at uni up there, including the one against Town last season (which was as bad as I've ever seen us play - thanks a bunch Keane). But the best match was against Norwich - when Nicky Barmby scored I cheered as loud as any Tigers fan. What I'm trying to say is that my first love is ITFC, but my second is football. For example, I'd temporarily 'support' any English team in the champions league, but that's not to say that I'm 'cheating' on Town.

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maximoalex added 18:27 - Oct 20 I live in Toronto now & went see my local Toronto FC v New York Red Bulls a few weeks back. I didn't view it as cheating. I didn't even view it as football. I was mostly reading TWTD on my phone during the game anyway. COYB
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Yorkie added 19:54 - Oct 20 @salforduni and @yorkshire Farsley's close by but I'd rather listen to Town commentary! Dirty tramps the lot of ya! ;-)
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MacMan added 08:44 - Oct 26 I was at Nottingham Uni in the early 80s. What a time to be away from my beloved Portman Road, with the likes of the 2 Dutchmen, Mariner etc...so to console myself it was off to watch either Forest (a great team at the time) one saturday or County the next. Then it was a dash back to Hugh Stewart Hall for a well-balanced meal of pizza, chips and bread before hitting the bars and pubs in earnest. No wonder I went from a weedy nine and a half stone to eleven in the 3 years I was there. Of course, living in Nottingham had its advantage; it was easy to get to lots of grounds in the midlands and the North but there's no place like home is there?

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