Police praised Town and Norwich fans following today’s play-off derby at Portman Road with only five arrests made before, during and after the 1-1 draw.

Ipswich policing commander, Superintendent Louisa Pepper, said: "I am very pleased to say that overall, the atmosphere at today’s match was lively but good-natured, with minimal need for police intervention.

"Extensive planning went into the policing operation, which was firm in places, with a significant presence of officers.

“This was necessary to ensure supporters enjoyed the game and to cause the minimum impact possible on other members of the public in the area.

“I am very pleased to say that the operation was carried out exactly as planned with supporters enjoying a fantastic atmosphere.

"A very small number of people behaved unacceptably and were dealt with accordingly. This behaviour is not tolerated and swift action was taken to lessen the impact on individuals and families attending the game.

"Road closures were in place for a large part of the day to ensure the safety of those attending before and after the match and I would like to thank motorists for their co-operation during this time."

A 28-year-old man from Norwich was arrested on suspicion of a football offence, throwing a missile onto the pitch, a 54-year-old man from Ipswich was arrested in connection with a Section 5 Public Order Act offence, a 17-year-old boy from Cromer was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence, a 23-year-old man from Ipswich was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and a 29-year-old man from Ipswich was arrested in connection with a Section 5 Public Order Act offence. They are all being questioned at Martlesham Police Investigation Centre.

Photo: Action Images

northernblues added 12:25 - May 10 Liquidpaz this fixture wasnt finalised till last Saturday, I make that less than 15 days notice!
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Newdawnagain added 13:20 - May 10 Let's get a couple of facts instead of myth. Stewards eject fans, not the police. Parking tickets are done by ipswich borough council and not the police. It's been this way for years.
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Newdawnagain added 13:23 - May 10 Northern blues - officers days off were cancelled Well in advance just in case. So sorry to disappoint. But no overtime paid. Also officers can be ordered to work even on annual leave
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ChestnutSe added 13:55 - May 10 Great atmosphere at the ground today. Only a few mindless morons from each side look for trouble. 99.999% of fans just enjoy a bit of friendly banter. My wife is from Norfolk and the banter with the outlaws is great stuff.
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ArnieM added 15:50 - May 10 Cant honestly say i "praise " the police. Overkill as per usual. What would be a breath of fresh air, would be if the norfolk police didn't treat Ipswich fans like bloody criminals all the time, especially when the scum are actually ambushing US on the way back to station! Bloody ridiculous.
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sticklegs added 16:24 - May 10 Well said Soapy! I joined in with the chanting, and I certainly wouldn't do the same in front of my children, but would never end up punching anyone. They're only supporting their local team, like we're supporting ours. Thankfully I was born in Suffolk in the early 70's and not Norfolk! Like many other Town fans I work with some budgies, so we give each other some stick, but that's how far it should go.

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thebeat added 16:42 - May 10 Im sorry Soapy but i hate that club and their fans with every sinew of my body. Their false claims to be the pride of Anglia actually fool some neutrals and that p****s me right off. They'll always be scum to me and im afraid most of our real passionate fans. And if you dont like swearing you shouldnt be at the match. Its where most of us working class people go to let off steam at the end of the week and if the scums in town they are gona get it worse.

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LiquidPaz added 18:09 - May 10 Northernblues the notification of the cancelled rest day was prior to the blackburn game think they hedged their bets and cancelled them early to avoid the ot bill
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jas0999 added 20:55 - May 10 Good to hear there was very minimal trouble. Well done all. But for the life of me I have no idea why half of the main car park outside the ground was taken over by the police. They only seemed to utilise half of the space.
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essex57 added 21:21 - May 10 Croweblue having parked on the grass verge in Birkfield drive for 30 years they seem to be targeting this area when we appealed last time we were informed that even though we parked on the grass it is illegal to cross the double yellow lines. Well said soapy its a shame football fans cant be like rugby fans where they sit amongst each other.
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warwickblue added 22:40 - May 10 crowblue89 - I don't think the police are responsible for giving out parking tickets any more are they? I think it's the Borough Council Parking Services who do this now, although I'm not sure. In response to some of the other posts - It's easy to take cheap shots at the police but I thought they did the job that was required - and five arrests at a gathering of 29000 would seem to bear this out. Please don't forget that their primary responsibility at these events is to ensure public safety not to be pleasant. Most seem perfectly capable of doing both; but they have to be constantly alert to potential threats - they are at work don't forget - and, let's face it there were enough supporters on both sides who were sufficiently pumped up for things to have turned nasty had they been allowed to do so. The only thing that puzzles me is where were the police horses? I saw the Met horse box, I saw the hay, I saw the tack but I didn't see the horses...?? Were they up by the station?

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BluJu added 10:06 - May 11 We saw 2 police horses half way up Station Rd. I presume one of the Norwich fams charged was the disgusting scummer in the front row of Cobbold Lower who spat on Mings as he prepared to take a throw in. And him and his mates seems incensed when he was carted out, having done it within feet of a steward. And people wonder why there are so many people policing the match.
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Bergholtblue added 10:39 - May 11 Warwickblue ....... it was in the burgers!
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Blue041273 added 11:58 - May 11 TheBeat In my opinion You are so wrong on almost every level. Passion does not equate to hatred. I consider myself, having supported the club for more than fifty years, to be passionate about Ipswich but I do not have a hatred for anything Norwich. Sure I have an almost comic dislike for anything to do with Norfolk, but In football terms I look at them as just another game. Most of their supporters have a passionate interest in beating us as, in the same that the derby rivalry sees us as desperately wanting to defeat them. That is in the nature of things. But your assertion that it is ok to spew out bilious obscenities because it is a working man's right at the end of a working week is obnoxious. Ipswich is a family club and the ground with women and children in attendance is not a forum to vent your life frustrations. Whether you like it or not the women and kids are the future of this club. Suggesting that they should not attend because the likes of you want to vent their frustrations through obscene swearing is the road to ultimate oblivion.

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thebeat added 12:32 - May 11 Blue041273 there are 2 types of fans. The ones who go to be entertained and have a nice day and the ones who go wanting to see their team win and when they lose it hurts like hell. I happen to be one of the fans from the SBR lower who actually put some effort into supporting my team and dont sit there quiet as a mouse eating a picnic. I pay my money and expect to be able to give opposition players stick as long as its not homophobic or racist, its part of the game, the new softly softly approach type fan we have these days are destroying the atmosphere in grounds. My point was everyone knows theres swearing on the terraces, if you dont like it dont go, but dont try and change things, footballs already gone downhill without the pc brigade taking all the passion out of the game. What should we shout? Oi you there, that was an unfair tackle, i'll thankyou kindly to not do it again otherwise you will go down in my estimation? If you want that go and watch polo

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superkevinwilson added 13:34 - May 11 I am with the beat on this one. I absolutely hate Norwich city and seeing them score at Portman road is the worst. The atmosphere on sat was the best since the prem days signing"there's only one Marcus Stewart" i don't know one person who sees Norwich as just another team apart from you blue40***. Maybe its an age thing with you sitting in your eating a sandwich telling everyone to shut up and sit down. I,m sure on sat that Norwich will not be friendly and see us as another team, that hate us as much we hate them. My little boy of five would not drink blackcurrant squash in the punch and Judy the other day until the barman removed the green straw and replace it with a blue one. we hate Norwich always have always will coyb

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PJH added 13:47 - May 11 I lean towards thebeat on this although I do not accept the argument that you are not a true/passionate supporter unless you go in the SBR. I am 63 years old and I hate Norwich as much as I did 50 years ago-I have to put something in between peas and sweetcorn if they are served on my plate. I have a season ticket in the Cobbold stand and I admit that I am far more vocal at away games(19 so far this season)than at home-with the exception of last Saturday when almost everyone seemed pumped up. As superkevinwilson says,there will be true hatred in the air at Carrot Rud,there was for the league game but it will be even more so on Saturday. Getting wound up already. COYB

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soapy added 14:09 - May 11 Thebeat I'm saddened by your hatred (with every sinew of your body) and the fact that "they will always be scum". My point is I can accept the swearing, but frequent use of the C word throughout is both disappointing and takes some explaining to my 7 and 10 year old sons. Obviously your claims that I shouldn't be at the match are ridiculous and ill informed. I am also working class yet do not feel the need to "let off steam" by being bigoted and hating towards our Norfolk cousins. Calm down and don't feel upset that they "claim to be the pride of Anglia". 1, they are NOT 2, who cares what they think. Have a lie down and try not to be wound up so easily. COYB. Let's hope we beat the Norfolk boys next Saturday!!

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Blue041273 added 14:14 - May 11 TheBeat, Football is a game that provokes a passionate interest. But If you truly believe that there are two types of fans, maybe one that feels insularly empowered to 'give stick' to the opposition in whatever manner and language they choose, or maybe one that you class as 'a picnic eater' who might take a more broader benevolent view of the game, then you are wrong. We are all supporters with a common cause. It is not PC to want to expect people to behave decently in front of women and children. In fact it is somewhat cowardly to behave outrageously in a crowd of 20,000 knowing that enforcement of normal standards is impossible, when you know that similar behaviour in the street would result in possible prosecution. Supporting football is not a licence to behave badly. We, as fellow supporters, all have a right to go to a game with our wives and children without having to endure the vile vitriolic abuse that others rain down on the opposition or even on our own team, near to people near them. It has nothing to do with class. I am old enough to remember when the game was largely truly supported by working class people and when real football ideology for everyone was generously respected. I can't expect you to agree with me but you can't seriously expect me, and others like me, to stay away just because we deplor the behaviour of people like you.

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toxtethblue added 14:16 - May 11 @ Superkevinwilson - good lad thats fair enough! I agree with the beat - folk that want others to sit down and shout ever so nicely without an ocasional passionate swear word are killing the game. If you want to watch football and have a picnic and not hear any swearing or passion conveyed then sit in the family enclosure, thats what its there for. Dont though have a go at fans with passion who arent afraid to demonstrate it and who improve the atmosphere in the ground.

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soapy added 14:59 - May 11 Ah yes. The "occasional passionate swear word". Brilliant. The c word is certainly passionate but not occasional judging by Saturday.
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soapy added 15:04 - May 11 I love picnics by the way. Am I still allowed to go to the football? I won't put up with the bigotry and nonsense. Just because it's football and has always been that way is a nonsense. I'm sure the club agrees and will continue to strive for a more family and less aggressive atmosphere.
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superkevinwilson added 16:16 - May 11 Soapy. I think you should take up chess. No swearing there not even aloud to talk. Never call Norwich our cousins, Jesus next you will want to take them shopping and then out for a meal.
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Blue041273 added 18:01 - May 11 superkev While I cannot deny I am clearly older than you I do not eat sandwiches at matches or tell people to shut up and sit down. Your stereotyping skills are therefore deficient. It bothers me not one jot that you feel I am in a minority (of 1 according to you) that does not 'hate' Norwich but there it is. I support Ipswich, and while there is no team in the world I would rather see us beat, I am not going to abuse Norwich supporters or profane them or any visiting group of supporters in the presence of women and children. I would not swear in front of your child and I would hope that you would not expect me to at any game he might attend.

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Lanky added 18:07 - May 11 thebeat - Grow up, it's a game. Yeah the banter is all well and fun, and I have no problem with the passion or the swearing but to have real hatred for people who happen to support a different club because they were born in a different town/city? Sad.
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