Midfielder Jimmy Bullard has confirmed that he was forced to abandon his car and run the final stretch of his journey to Portman Road ahead of Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace. Surprised listeners to Radio Suffolk’s Life’s a Pitch spotted Bullard making a dash through the crowds having left his car behind him due to the more than usually heavy traffic around the ground.
The Londoner, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on Sunday, was a victim of roadworks, which also held up the Crystal Palace coach, and found himself at a dead end: "It was getting close to quarter to two, the time we’re meant to be there, and they’d blocked the road off.
"For some reason they wouldn’t let me down there so, being only around the corner, I decided to just jump out my car and run for it.”
But Bullard, who later apologised to team-mates for his under par performance during the game, didn’t get in too much strife for his late dash with manager Paul Jewell saying the ex-Wigan man made his deadline: "He was there by the time expected so that’s fine by me.
"If it was just 50 yards around the corner it’s no big deal. In fact, that probably means he ran more yards getting to the game than actually in it!”
The Blues midfielder dismissed suggestions that Town's 30-somethings were feeling the pace against Palace: "When you’re towards the end of your career a poor performance gets blamed on your age. And when you’re at the beginning of your career a poor performance gets blamed on inexperience.
"If you’re not doing it out on the pitch, though, it’s because you’re not playing well. On Saturday we just weren’t good enough. Simple as that.”