Cameron Burgess has reflected on his first East Anglian derby experience – last week’s 2-2 draw with Norwich at Portman Road – as he looks ahead to another huge fixture when Town head to promotion rivals Leeds on Saturday.
"It was an exciting day,” said Burgess. "It started with the fans and the welcome they gave us at the stadium, which was nice. It was similar to what we had at the end of last season but it had grown in numbers and was that much bigger. The atmosphere was great and it was just a great occasion to be a part of.
"I think performance-wise we were probably a bit disappointed we didn’t win the game, but that’s derbies for you. It’s always going to be tough to win a derby but I think we can take real big positives from the performance and it was close to being a perfect day.”
Did it feel different to the other Championship fixtures in which he has been involved on a regular basis this season? He replied: "I guess so but I think there’s a bit of an edge. I guess from players and playing the game there’s that little bit of an edge and it’s a case of ‘We need to be on it today’, like it’s a real sort of intense atmosphere on the pitch.
"Obviously, that’s the same in the stands with the fans because it’s about bragging rights I suppose. So, yes, a little bit of that, but I thought we handled the occasion really well.
"On another day that’s probably one of the better performances we’ve had and obviously we’ve been doing quite well recently. Like I said, it was close to being a perfect day.”
Town led 1-0 before the Canaries hit back to lead 2-1, scoring either side of the interval, before Wes Burns’s equaliser made it honours even.
"The timing of them [the Norwich goals] wasn’t great and probably the manner of them wasn’t great from our point of view either. I think we can do a lot better and it was a game where we shouldn’t have had to score more than two goals to win it in the end.
"We played really well and we knew they were going to be a threat on, sort of, certain aspects. We were a little bit disappointed to concede in the manner we did and with the times of the goals as well. But we’ve always tried to look at our performances, and how we go about that, and it was definitely a good performance on the day all round.”
Burgess was asked how it felt to be playing alongside former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe, who partnered him in the three league games he has started so far, against Rotherham, Millwall and Watford, and he replied: "Yes, good. I’ve said this so many times since I’ve been here – it doesn’t matter who you play with. We’re there to help each other out and we’re all heading in the right direction, doing the right things together.
"We train day in, day out, with each other and we train hard, as hard as we play on a match day. You can get comfortable playing with different players quite quickly and I think that’s probably shown by the fact that it will be the same for any of the boys who step in to play in front of me at any point. We’ll just keep going the way we’re going and hopefully it works out for us.”
When the conversation switched to his likely involvement with Australia in the forthcoming Asian Cup, Burgess was asked if he was looking for a new roommate after Town colleague Massimo Luongo announced his retirement from international football earlier this week.
He laughed: "It looks like it. The things Mass has done for the national side are amazing. All the news outlets are pouring out praise for him over there and you’ll see it on social media as well.
"It was a big decision for him and obviously he has to look after his own career and do what’s best for him. He’s got all the support from the boys here and the same with the lads in the national team as well – everyone is supportive of him and what he’s done for the national team. He deserves to make his own decisions.”
The tournament gets under way in Qatar on 12th January, with the final taking place on 10th February, and it would be a major surprise if Burgess isn’t included in the Aussies’ squad after he was called up for the first time this season and has so far played three times.
Asked if he will be sorry to miss crucial league games for Ipswich if, as expected, he is on international duty with his adopted country, Scotland-born Burgess added: "Yes, I guess so. It will be bittersweet a little bit but obviously it is something that I am very proud to be able to do, but at the same time it has been the things I’ve done with my teammates and coaches here that have got me to that level and that stage, for which I owe them a lot.
"So, while it’s a little bit bittersweet, I have all the faith in the world that if I’m not going to be here for a little bit of time, I know they will do their utmost in my absence.”
Is he confident that Australia can do well in the tournament? Burgess continued: "That’s the aim. Ever since I’ve been involved with the Australian national side, we’ve played some big opponents. Our attitude is much the same as it is here at Ipswich – we’ll take anyone on and I think we’ve shown that in our performances since I’ve been involved.
"So, yes, I’m confident enough that we can go and do the best we can in the tournament. Obviously, nothing is handed to you, I suppose, but something we’ll look to do as a team is to attack in every game and look to get as far as we can in the tournament and hopefully go and win it.”
Also set to be on international duty in Qatar is another Town central defender, Elkan Baggott, who has become a permanent fixture in the Indonesia squad. Burgess admitted there had been a bit of banter between the pair, adding: "Yes, we did have a look at it and I think there is a chance that we could end up facing each other.
"Obviously, with it being a tournament, you don’t know how things are going to go with the draw and stuff like that, but it could happen. That would be an interesting one for both of us and I’m hoping that Elkan and his team can have a good tournament as well. It’s something we are both looking forward to.”
Burgess is just one cap away from equalling his grandfather’s haul with Scotland. His mother’s father, Campbell Forsyth, was capped four times by Scotland in a career that saw him represent St Mirren, Kilmarnock and Southampton, which included winning a Scottish League championship medal in 1965 with Killie.
It was in 1964 that he made his senior debut for the Scots, lining up against an England side that had clocked up six consecutive wins, a run in which they had scored 28 goals, in front of more than 133,000 tartan-clad fans in the national stadium in Glasgow.
"That was a famous game and probably one of my grandfather’s greatest achievements. It was back in the day when a cap was really a cap because you were awarded one for every time you played for your country.
"We have them all in frames and they are with family members. We are all very proud of his achievements with Scotland and it’s a great thing for the family to be able to look back on.”
Forsyth, who actually missed a Scotland game because of the birth of his daughter, Burgess’s mother, the previous day, added three further caps later in 1964, when he was a teammate of legendary stars including John Greig, Frank McLintock, Billy McNeill, Ron Yeats, Jim Baxter, John White, Alan Gilzean, Denis Law and winger Jimmy Robertson, who was with Tottenham at the time and later went on to play for Town, scoring 12 goals in 98 appearances between March 1970 and April 1972. Forsyth passed away in November 2020 at the age of 86.