Fulham Youths 3 Ipswich Town Youths 2 (After Extra Time). Unstable_Blue_ABB reports.
This is what it's about. How do you define true die-hard Ipswich Town support? It starts with the attendance of pre-season friendlies, through to obsessive internet access, and reaches its zenith on a cold Wednesday night in Woking watching a bunch of 16-year-olds. Does it end with the stalking of Matt Holland's family around Tesco's and rifling through David Sheepshanks' bins? God I hope so.
Right, let's kick things off. Nice ground, the impressive grand stand behind one goal would put Layer Road to shame. Crowd anywhere between 400 and 700 (you know how hard it is) with a healthy Town contingent, some of whom had genuinely travelled from Suffolk for this — these are the elite Blue Army, total respect. The programme, embossed Fulham match ticket and a man up a ladder with a camcorder gave the whole thing a certain validity. Impressively crisp hot-dog let down by moist bun and bizarre mustard.
In the Fulham dressing room they carry out a kind of tribal group psych up involving lots of whooping and hugging (look, the dressing room window was ajar, the upturned bin was asking for it, this is journalism, right?). Town took to the pitch traditionally, Fulham continued their sports psychology with a synchronised line-up and growling — Tigana's influence no doubt.
Town started with a sparkle and Bent and Robinson were linking up well. It cannot be emphasised strongly enough that Jamie Scowcroft never left for Leicester, he just bought a job lot of age defying cream and changed his name to Matthew Robinson, I swear it. Jamie, I mean Matthew, was by far our brightest player, constantly feeding Bent who alas was being well marked by the Fulham number five, Dean Leacock, who has an orthodox Jew goes natty dread hair-do for some reason. Leacock looks a good prospect for Fulham along with Zesh Rehamn and they subdued Darren Bent very well all night. Fulham's attacking threat was the combination of Sean Doherty and the excellent number nine Stuart Noble, the left-winger Doherty was signed from Everton for 600k and is hot. ‘Milts' (sorry, Simon Milton to you) told me the fee as we bonded pre-match; he's now my best friend.
Around the seven minute mark (a tolerance of five minutes on all timings please) disaster struck with Fulham's Noble and Fazakerley combining well for Noble to finish in front of the keeper. The coach Ian Smith berated the Town players (as he did all evening) for playing too deep, which was true. The Footballers' Girlfriends next to me went wild, oblivious to their eventual replacement by glamour models.
Our keeper, Price, seemed prone to poor kicking. On 10 minutes Beevers fed Robinson who fed Bent for a good strike that went just zipped over the bar. Do you require this level of detail from a youth game?! Ian Westlake was very vocal throughout which was good. The team's tactic was very much to set Bent free down the channels, a bit like Bent senior in the real team, but Fulham were coping well. The crowd were getting vocal and the banter began in earnest, I felt naked without a thermos. The mobile Okay whose dissent after clearly fouling a Fulham player led to a tirade of abuse from a Fulham old boy — "you fouled him you git” — which won warm approval. Okay is certainly feisty. Bent seemed to be lacking a bit of muscle and yet was providing excellent clearing headers from Fulham set pieces into the Ipswich box.
Bloomfield and Ambrose hold their cuffs in their palms, which just won't do, however they combined on 17 minutes to send in a great cross for Scowcroft (tee hee hee) to head across with Bent going close in front of goal. Far too much detail I know. Ipswich were enjoying the majority of possession but seemed less dangerous than Fulham who's number nine Noble was let in by a terrible mistake from Okay. Ambrose was beginning to show good foot work. On 40 minutes Okay went on a great run eventually passing to Dickinson (mini-Naylor) who turned well and set-up Bent on the penalty spot who was smothered by defenders. Dickinson, like his Bates' Motel doppelganger, is a real fighter. The ball kept getting lost in the tennis club car-park which was hilarious for everyone. On 46 minutes the highlight of the half with a mazy run from Ambrose ending in a vicious shot turned round the post brilliantly from the Fulham keeper.
£2 a pint of Stella at half-time which we like, combined with the ‘real thing' on television with Senior FA Cup action from West Ham and Chelsea on Sky, which seemed more frenetic.
Into the second half. I'm tired now. Steve Burton had sneaked himself onto the pitch in place of Robinson. On 50 minutes good link up play from Richards and Dickinson of Ipswich led to a killer ball across the face of goal which Bent finished instinctively, 1-1, Town were back. On 65 minutes a thundershot from Ambrose was parried with Dickinson coming in to shoot across the goal and just wide. A hardcore Ipswich faction, two of them, provided impressive ‘Whooooooooaaaaaaaaaa' as the Fulham keeper kicked. On 70 mins Noble broke quickly for Fulham but was impressively muscled out a-la-McGreal by Chaffey who some how had snuck on as a sub for someone who will remain anonymous. Burton was put though on goal to slip the ball just wide. Ipswich were dominating. On 72 minutes Ipswich got Brazilian with a flowing move of tennis heading and chested lay-offs, the away support was delirious. Ipswich were closing Fulham down much more effectively than in the first half and the passing had become dynamic.
Then on 80 mins (circa) a great through ball saw Burton push between two defenders and finish well. 1-2 and Ipswich moved into a purple patch with Ambrose jinking past a couple of players and unleashing a rocket which was again turned round the post. A sense of pride welled up as the tractor young Turks carried the banner of total football, with Dickinson excellent in a more central role. Ambrose had transmogrified into a fit Darren Anderton and on 85 mins went on a glorious run down the right cruelly fouled by a yellow carded Fulham defender — like a swan caught in a fishing line. The Fulham fans had turned on their juniors and all seemed well. But a foolish mistake on 88 mins in not letting a ball run out for a harmless goal kick, led to a corner and a goalmouth scramble where the cheque book wonder boy Doherty poked it home for Fulham. The Blues were inconsolable, I wept, the Fulham old boy frolicked.
Into extra time and it was time for controversy in this epic cup-tie. Chris Hogg our England wunderkid had come on for Dickinson to bolster the defence, and eight minutes in he pressured Fazakerly in the area. Alas, the referee had a temporary loss of sanity and awarded a penalty, it seemed very harsh. Shevel converted the spot-kick — 3-2. Hogg was booked for dissent. The atmosphere was now electric, the incensed Ipswich hordes versus the born again Fulhamites. A Suffolk gent suggested Harrods vouchers were heading their way to the referee's family, which offered some humorous relief to our terrible plight. Cramparama set in for the Fulham players especially, probably to waste time or more over to engage the foxy physio. The game fizzled out, with only a world class save from Price in the Ipswich goal to mention. The final whistle came and the dream was over. Okay was booked for abusing the referee as the players sank to the ground or danced with delight. Forget the first team this is where it's at - I just hope Burley doesn't spot Ambrose and take him away from us die-hards.
Ipswich Line up: 1 Lewis Price, 2 Erkan Okay, 3 Matthew Richards, 4 Guy Bonwick, 5 Lee Beevers, 6 Ian Westlake, 7 Matthew Bloomfield, 8 Darren Ambrose, 9 Darren Bent, 10 Matthew Robinson, 11 Robert Dickinson. Subs 12 Steve Burton, 13 Scott Peat, 14 Chris Hogg, 15 Lee Chaffey. Referee: Mr. S. Chittendon (St. Albans).