A number of non-Ipswich-based Town fans faced problems getting home after the derby last Sunday, due to the police handling of away fans at Norwich's Thorpe Station. Justin Taylor was one of those supporters.
The problems arose for any fans wishing to travel to any other station other than Norwich to Ipswich. Fans such as myself who had travelled from Lowestoft and wished to catch the Norwich to Lowestoft train after the match but were forced by police to board the Ipswich bound train. This was also true for away fans who had arrived from other destinations such as Cambridge.
I asked one of the policemen who had surrounded us if I could be allowed to board the Lowestoft train and was told I couldn't, even though I had a ticket which stated it was purchased from Lowestoft station.
I explained that I had prior commitments in Lowestoft and I was told, "tough, get on the train". I then asked the same policeman if he would allow me to get a taxi from outside the station so I could avoid the extra 2½ hours that were going to be added to my journey and I was told, and I quote: "You have two choices, get on the train or I'll nick you."
I begrudgingly boarded the train and endured the unwanted journey to Ipswich. I spoke to a few fans on the train and heard similar stories. One guy lived in Norwich and was made to go to Ipswich only to then get on a train back to Norwich again!
Another had prepaid a taxi to take him to Gorleston which he was not allowed to meet. All of whom had been told they would be "nicked" if they didn't board the train to Ipswich. There were a few other people who had driven to the game and parked at city centre car parks who had to train to Ipswich and then back to Norwich.
Most alarming was one of the policemen unbuckled his handcuffs from his belt and kept flicking them to the open position while a passenger was making his case to catch an alternative train. Again he was told get on the train or get nicked, under Section 3, a breach of the peace.
I and a number of other fans have made complaints regarding this and more so the manner in which the police were handling the situation. The whole thing seemed to be a shambles and a number of you may have witnessed similar examples if you were at the station after the match.
Justin is a committee member of Ipswich Town First, the Supporters Trust, who have written to Suffolk Constabulary, Norfolk Police and the Transport Police asking for their comments on the situation. Any replies will appear on the Trust website.
If you had similar problems please email TWTD via philip.ham@twtd.co.uk, and we'll pass them on to the Trust.