In the sixth part of a series looking back at what has been a memorable season, Mullet and HarryfromBath, with the help of some opposition supporters, reflect on a month which began with Town riding high in the automatic promotion places.

Daryl Murphy managed six goals in December and finished 2014 on 17 for the half-season. Town were feasting in the festive period and riding high with talk of automatic promotion humming louder than mere whispers in dark corners.

As the maligned transfer window opened and an ill wind blew across Suffolk, the whir of “why nots?” and “who's he?” chorused the calls for Marcus to open his cheque book. A sentiment as quaint and antiquated as the overworked fax machines across training grounds come the end of the month. It seems Town would do little in the window and that matched the football in January.

2015 kicked off for Town in unfamiliar territory. A visit to St Mary's for an FA Cup game. Faces old and new in both senses saw manager Mick McCarthy make six changes.

Dean Gerken, Stephen Hunt, Kevin Bru, Darren Ambrose, Tyrone Mings and Luke Hyam all started and Cameron Stewart made the bench as the early victims of a mild epidemic stretched the Town ranks much further than the Premier League hosts managed.

A rampaging run forward from former Saints academy player Mings allowed Ambrose to mark his return to starting for Town with a looping header. The first test of what might be would see an equaliser forced from the Premier opposition following a Christophe Berra and Gerken mistake. It would also force a replay that Town neither needed and those of us desperate for league success wanted.

“That was a poor performance against a mediocre team of little skill who parked the bus. Football doesn't get much duller than this. Thank goodness they don't do extra time as my will to live was right on the edge”, “Ipswich came to defend and frustrate and that's exactly what they did.”

Most Saints admired our organisation and defending, but felt that we lacked ambition, especially after the break. “We dominated the second have but that was largely due to Ipswich deciding to park the bus rather than go for the win”, “Ipswich were typical Mick McCarthy, solid but unspectacular.”

“McCarthy certainly has them well organised at the back; with no shortage of agricultural football”, “We kept on crossing the ball in even though the Ipswich defence won the aerial battle fairly comfortably”, “We heaped enormous pressure but they handled it very well.”

“Saints were not good enough in the final third and too ponderous getting there”, “It was a strange game. In the second half we had complete control, but hardly created anything”, “We played pretty well, completely bossed the game against a pretty decent Ipswich side.”

“Luckily the goal woke us up and on another day we'd have won comfortably”, “Well, our last trip to Portman Road went okay. Fingers crossed for a repeat of that”, “If we play anywhere near our best in the replay we should beat them comfortably.”

Back to league football and back to Portman Road, another game and another massive test. Town had to revise their line-up again as Cole Skuse dropped out with illness. The energy of Hyam was set up against the finesse of Will Hughes and John Eustace. It would take Derby just under an hour to break the deadlock and Town hopes.

Cut asunder by a looping hoof above the heads of neutralised and neutered midfielders, the ball bounced for Tommy Smith. He let it pinball away from him and left former Budgie Chris Martin to assault the goal unchecked and unchallenged.

The end of the game would see promotion rivals the Rams reduced to 10 far later than they should have been. The ref finally ran out of excuses not to send off Eustace who had kicked and crunched his way through anyone and everyone all afternoon.

If the small deficit did anything, it summed up how close and how far away Town still were. The game also showed how ironically effective the false accusations starting to dog McCarthy's men could be — teams fear it and the fact they were now using it against us was evidence they feared us.

“What a massive, massive win. It puts us in a great position to kick on”, “It was a forgettable match but a memorable result”, “I am so happy. What a great result today.” Rams were overjoyed after winning what they felt was a ‘must-not-lose’ game in which the result was paramount.

There was much Rams discussion about a number of key incidents, a Richard Keogh handball in the penalty area and a second yellow card not shown to Eustace before the break. “If the tables were turned and we were the home side, many Rams fans would have said we'd been absolutely robbed.”

“I’m not that bothered about the handball decision. A bigger decision was not to send Eustace off before half-time. That was a game changer. The penalty appeal wasn't why Ipswich lost”, “Eustace took one for the team today just like Gary O'Neil did for QPR against us at Wembley.”

“We are not a long-ball team, but the one time we played hoof ball today we scored”, “I feared Ipswich were the perfect team to beat our style of play, we beat them at theirs.” Many Rams were as dismissive of our style of play as their chief operating officer was in his post-match comments.

“I was laughing watching the way they played. They'd have the ball in the middle and it would be a first time hoof over the top for their strikers to chase”, “McCarthy is a pig swill hoofball merchant. No way will they go up. You have to play football to win this league like Derby and Bournemouth do.”

“I am confident Derby will go up”, “I never stopped believing we'd finish in the top two. I still believe it”, “I now believe we can go up automatically”, “We are the best team in this league. Having tightened up at the back we are an absolute certainty to go up. If Ipswich are contenders, Oh dear.”

Halfway through the month and a Wednesday night on the TV and under the lights saw Town hosting Southampton in the cup replay. A stalemate in the reverse was settled just 19 minutes in as Shane Long fired past Bartman who had replaced the injured Gerken. Town spent the best part of an hour being ground-out and herded away from goal by a side who never really threatened to break past or break sweat in despatching us.

Jonathan Parr made a start at left-back again with Mings on the bench and one of the few ill but not ill enough to miss out. Regulars Teddy Bishop, Skuse and Jay Tabb all missed out and Conor Sammon was nowhere to be seen — as he lined up a move elsewhere. Town managed to name 15 fit players when the game kicked off. Stewart and Balint Bajner made rare appearances such was the state we were in.

“We came, we saw, we bored them to death”, “A duller game of football you will never see but we controlled the tempo of the game, nullified any threat that Ipswich could offer and got the winning goal. You can't really ask for more than that from a cold, wintry midweek FA Cup replay.”

“It takes two teams to make an exciting game of football. Ipswich just weren't up to it”, “The game seemed to meander along insignificantly. It was almost as if we just shut down into energy conservation mode”, “It was mostly a case of us being bad but Ipswich being worse.”

Three games, one goal in three, and a lot of spaces to fill in the matchday squad. It was no surprise that Town fans wondered if swapping Sammon for the other Hunt brother and the last glimpses of Bajner would see Mick and Marcus withdraw funds rather than ground to our free-spending rivals.

As Premier League names floated around and settled in other pastures McCarthy went back down the leagues and down the A12. Stopping soon after leaving Portman Road. By the time we entered the New Den Colchester's talisman had jumped aboard the team coach and one Freddie Sears was now on the Ipswich bench. Town fans wouldn't wait long to see what he'd do when he jumped off it.

An early brace from fellow new boy Noel Hunt saw Town in rare and rampant form as the relegation candidates under Ollie cowered in the face of a new and makeshift attack. With Bajner up at Notts County and ready to move Town were changing style and shape to line up their first win for a fortnight.

At half-time all the hard work had allowed for little but the Londoners to get back in it and made it 2-1. With 20 minutes left double-strike Hunt made way for Sears. The former Hammer, deftly flicked newly-converted midfielder Parr clean through. The schoolboy striker and now utility man fired home to seal a much needed win. Necessity is the mother of invention, and we really needed that win. Fears of Town falling as others might supplant us were quelled for a few hours at least.

“The last five home league games have produced no points, the last 12 games six. These are grim, joyless days”, “It sounds weird to say it after losing 1-3 at home but that was much better. We were never going to win this. ‘Big Nose’ has got Ipswich rolling”, “It was men against boys today.”

“A draw was the best we could have hoped for but apart from the first 20 minutes there was not a lot in it. You can't keep giving sides two or three goal head starts every week and expect to stay up”, “You can not fault the team for effort, which is what we are reduced to these days.”

Lions were left struggling for crumbs of consolation after a comfortable Town win. “For most of that first half we were a shambles. Ipswich looked like scoring every time they got into the box”, “We created **** all and their keeper didn't have a save to make. More than a little work to do.”

“At least today they didn't capitulate. They actually showed a bit of bottle”, “I just don't see us staying up at all, we don't have enough quality. “I’m not sure what really can be done apart from scrap the whole team and start next season in Division One.”

Another long journey south midweek saw Town undone by the Icarus of second tier football. Brighton were flying high in the past couple of seasons, but had crashed badly this campaign. If Town and recent opponents’ Derby's ascent had clashed with many expectations, the slow drip of wax from now until the end of the season would mark the final resting of place both sides come May.

In lovely surroundings Town fell to a game full of wonder strikes as Murphy netted for the first time this year and new boy Sears opened his account with a consolation.

What on paper should have been another win for Town against lowly opposition, cut deep. Town were undone amid much East Anglian hubris from fans at Brighton of all places.

“Ipswich are an interesting side. I'm sure they weren't anywhere near their best last night, but you can't deny McCarthy has done a great job with a side that didn't cost a lot, this game excepted”, “They never gave up and could have sneaked a completely undeserved draw.”

“McGoldrick was a huge miss for them. They didn't create many chances but still scored two and could well have nicked a point if we didn't keep our focus. McCarthy always has his teams well organised. It was just unfortunate for them that Chris Hughton got his tactics and line-up spot on.”

“We stopped Mings getting forward”, “They didn't seem to be able to attack down the left flank”, “Cole Skuse in midfield repeatedly and helpfully gave the ball away last night”, “Anderson had a stinker.” Several Seagulls felt that a number of our key players had poor games.

“Ipswich don't seem to have anywhere near enough depth in their squad to maintain a prolonged challenge at the top. McCarthy has done wonders with what he has”, “It would give hope to teams like us that anything is possible if they went up, but it's hard to see how they'd survive.”

“Ipswich are a good, hard-working organised side who carried a big goal threat - bigger if McGoldrick had been playing. A few of our players, the management and the whole team collectively needed to put in their best performance of the season to win”, “Play-off semi-final defeat for them, I predict.”

The month ended and the window closed as snow descended at Portman Road. Amid the wailing and gnashing the only thing left dry was the game itself. A 0-0 and not a lot to show for it sent Town fans ruing another chance to get back on track.

On a blue Monday early in the season Town won up at Wigan, but the Blues were unable to double the Lancastrian strugglers now. Without Murphy and the rushed back David McGoldrick, Town were again limp and limping and the lack of points was accentuated by the lack of goals.

In public Mick made it clear we were only after loans, the fans left picking at the bones of what might be and just how far we'd come. To give up now made little sense. To stop and let others pass us was not always measured in goals and games but spending too. Again with money talking, voices raised further than expectations across the division.

If December had seen us bury teams in an avalanche of grit and guts, then January left many people cold and in the dark. If form is temporary, then the class evident in the squad had been too. With a lack of permanent additions, the look ahead to February left Town awaiting the chance to rectify a host problems both real and perceived.

2014/15 Championship Date Range: 1-AUG-2014 to 31-JAN-2015

Photo: Action Images

Bergholtblue added 13:36 - Jun 3 Where is the video clip of the Town v Wigan highlights? Whoops, I forgot. There weren't any.
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jas0999 added 17:10 - Jun 3 Sums it up. People say we invested in January. Reality is more players left than signed. The poor transfer window ultimately cost us. Squad wasn't big enough and lack midfield quality. A poor month all round.
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AinsleyBlue added 17:51 - Jun 4 Superb work from Harry and Mullet with this series, bit of a dream team you are. Such well-written and researched articles.
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britrim added 10:23 - Jun 5 '' Play-off semi final defeat , I predict for them'' Give that man (or lady) a lolly !! From the December review - “Ipswich have the luxury of being able to play both football and also long ball when needed. Their front men are good in the air and on the deck.'' I found this the most profound statement, unfortunately the loss of Joniesta and Didz and the resultant less effectiveness of Bish, meant for 2nd half of season long ball became the norm. Certainly though at this stage of the season we were the best team in the league, combining ability with the commitment of the team spirit, we could and should have made it, but even under the management of Joe, George and Sir Bob , many seasons have finished with the heartfelt 'what could have been'. Reasons??? and would like to hear yours but maybe 'too nice, sporting' , 'lack of depth', 'location on map to attract greater pool of players' ...... add yours ?

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britrim added 10:26 - Jun 5 But we were still only one point off automatic and 7 ahead of Nodge !!
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