What a week, eh? One that no Town fan will ever forget. Has it sunk in yet? We are Premier League, we are Premier League.

After a weekend of nervous drinking and worry about the game, Monday morning finally came around and it was off down the A12 to London. Virtually every car was festooned with blue paraphernalia as the Blue Army marched on London.

As we neared the ground the blue shirts and scarves were joined by Barnsley's red in an atmosphere that was in the main friendly with banter flying backwards and forwards between the two sets of fans. "Haven't they got funny accents?" one Barnsley fan said in a broad Yorkshire accent on encountering Suffolk-dwellers for the first time.

The Town fans were joined by a number of ex-Blues players in the Wembley seats. Roger Osborne, Paul Goddard, Jason Dozzell and Kieron Dyer were all amongst the crowd for Town's most important game in years, possibly ever.

The match started badly for Town with Barnsley taking the lead after only six minutes. The Blues defenders failed to close Craig Hignett down and the former Middlesbrough man hammered the ball goalwards. It appeared Town had escaped without conceding a goal when the ball hit the bar, but it merely bounced down onto Richard Wright's arm and into the net for what could have been a devastating blow for the keeper. Luckily for Town Wright is made of sterner stuff as we saw later on in the half.

The Blues had surprisingly started with Jermaine Wright in midfield in place of the unlucky James Scowcroft who failed to recover from his hamstring injury. The Town midfield were gradually beginning to dominate things and it seemed only a matter of time before a goal came.

And it duly did, although the source was a bit of a surprise for the nailless Blues at the Tunnel End: Tony Mowbray. Jim Magilton put in a precise cross after a corner was cleared and up popped the veteran centre-half to head home.

Town continued to have the better of the game as half-time approached, despite the loss of David Johnson to a calf injury. The striker had been replaced with Richard Naylor and Bam-Bam was putting himself about with all his usual vigour.

However, Barnsley broke forwards through Hignett who tried to round Richard Wright, took the ball out of play and then fell over. The referee said it was a penalty although it looked very much as if Hignett had dived.

With the game right on half-time the penalty was a crucial moment in the game. Up stepped Darren Barnard to take the kick, Wright dived to his right and pushed the ball away. Jamie Clapham hammered it on its way and the danger was gone.

Half-time and some on the Blues terraces were starting to make dangerous noises about omens and how there could only be one winner from here. Others told them to shut up and go back to nail-chewing and chain-smoking.

The second half began with Town again in the ascendant and it was only a few minutes before the Blues were in front. Naylor, a constant threat to the Barnsley defence, seized on a slip at the back and nipped in behind the defence and was one-on-one with the keeper, and with his first touch he slipped the ball over Kevin Miller to his right and into the net.

The relief on the terrace was palpable as the Town fans celebrated taking the lead. Naylor himself received a booking for his shirtless celebration, but I doubt he cared too much.

A couple of minutes later and Town had edged their toes further into the Premiership when Marcus Stewart added a third. A long ball forward was trapped beautifully by Naylor who laid the ball into Jamie Clapham's path. The Town wing-back crossed the ball perfectly, Stewart left his defender for dead and headed the ball past Miller into the left-hand corner of his net. Three-one-up and with half an hour to play. Surely Town were in the Premiership now, surely they couldn't let it slip...

The remaining half an hour has to rank as the most nervy of my long career as a football fan. Town sat back on their lead and allowed Barnsley to come at them, but still kept in front. Chances came and went at both ends with Richard Naylor having probably the best when he broke through avoiding the offside trap, took the ball down, but the spin on the ball led him to miskick into Miller's arms.

Eventually a Barnsley goal came through another penalty. Barnsley substitute Geoff Thomas cut into the area and was caught by Mowbray. The penalty looked harsh to Suffolk eyes and the levels of tension grew as Hignett put the kick past Wright. Town were now only seven minutes away from the Premiership, but were now only 3-2 up.

Barnsley continued to pile forward and, in what some have seen as the most crucial moment of the game, they came very close to scoring. Hristov, another Barnsley sub, got on the end of a cross from the right and headed goalwards only for Richard Wright to pull off a magnificent save. Gary Croft scrambled the ball away for another few moments respite.

Barnsley pushed more and more men forward, hoping to get an equaliser and were starting to leave gaps at the back. Naylor received the ball in the centre circle and for once his control let him down. However, he used his strength to hold off the defender and then, whilst already grounded, put a ball into the path of substitute Martijn Reuser.

Reuser raced away in that way we have started to get to know so well (and will get used to next season if reports of his imminent £1.2 million move to Town are to be believed). Onward the Dutchman went in an almost Geoff Hurst-like manner.

As he approached Miller he didn't wait for any of that fancy running round the keeper stuff beloved of Stewart, he just lashed the ball home from 20 yards. A superb end to a superb run, superb topsy-turvy game and Town's five-year stay in the First Division.

This time the celebrations were for real. The game was won and a place in the Premiership and all it entails were ours. The five minutes injury time passed quickly and the whistle was greeted with more cheers, hugs, kisses and shouts both on and off the pitch.

After a few minutes of this the players walked up the famous steps and collected the trophy. Matt Holland was handed the Play-Off Trophy and held it aloft to the 36,000 Blues. It was a moment that none will forget and a moment that we had waited too many years for.

The players poured back onto the pitch in daft hats, scarves and in Marcus Stewart's case no shorts (he'd given them to some Barnsley fans apparently). The players joined the crowd in singing all the Town favourites as each celebrated in his own particular way. Jim Magilton and Fabian Wilnis picked up a large boom mike and started to sing, Richard Wright just stood there with the trophy held aloft and others danced around.

Eventually the players went back up the tunnel, but the Town fans stayed and sang and sang and sang. Then, suddenly, Martijn Reuser appeared from nowhere and ran back onto the pitch. The Dutchman ran over to the Royal Box and went up and saw his family, who like him were bedecked in 'Rolls Reuser' tee-shirts.

After another few minutes he ran back on and relived his goal time and time again. Another marvellous moment on a marvellous day form a man quickly becoming a cult hero at Portman Road.

Finally Town fans started to move out of Wembley and made their way back to trains, cars and mini-buses. As the Town masses moved on the roads back towards Suffolk horns hooted and flags waved. The bridges of the A12 were awash with people waving at the returning Blue Army with banners flying. The nearer Ipswich we got the more people were on bridges. Just outside Colchester stood one man alone on arms raised aloft, like some colossus of roads, watching all the returning vehicles.

Once Ipswich was reached there were people in the roads banging on the windows of cars and hugging the occupants. Others were on traffic lights and all were bearing some scarf or wearing a shirt, whilst all the time horns were ringing out and Town songs were hitting the air.

Back home and the house was decorated in Town shirts and scarves. Off into Town to discover, amazingly, that some pubs weren't opening. Those that did open must have made a pile as they were packed with celebrating Blues.

It was difficult to find an open pub that was still letting people in by 9pm as they were so packed. People were spilling into the streets before wandering off to celebrate in the clubs. Kartouche was the chosen venue of many fans and some of the players. It was from here that it all got pretty hazy for many and it was home to sleep with car horns and Town songs still ringing in the ears. A marvellous day followed by a marvellous night.

Tuesday saw many nursing hangovers the like of which they could hardly remember and some recalling embarrassing hugging incidents with Fabian Wilnis. By late afternoon many had recovered and thousands upon thousands of Town fans poured towards the town centre for the traditional topless bus parade. From Portman Road around the Town to a packed Cornhill the bus was preceded and followed by hundreds as even more lined the streets.

The Cornhill was absolutely chocker and any space available was covered by a Town fan. Vans, buildings, phone boxes, that strange BT thing under the arch, everywhere.

The rather shambolic presentation from the Town Hall balcony eventually began with Terry Baxter inviting first David Sheepshanks then the players and George Burley to take the mike. Songs were sung, Fabian Wilnis said how much he loved us all and Marcus Stewart asked if we'd like a drink.

The poor PA made it difficult to make out everything from our vantage point, but a good time was had by all and it was on once again to the pubs of the town centre. Cars were still passing with flags waving, people hanging out of the windows and horns a-parping.

By midnight the town was again full of fans singing and looking forward to next year's visits to Old Trafford, Anfield and all those other places we have only seen on the telly in recent years and reliving moments from the previous few days, days that we will all never forget.

By Wednesday morning we were all starting to come to terms with the fact that we are Premier League again as that most apt footballing of reminders appeared: The prices have gone up. Roll on August!

Photo: Action Images

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