| Don't Look Back in Anger Written by everhopeful on Sunday, 17th May 2015 16:40 After the heartache comes the reflection. For a second, we had a glimpse of the Premier League. Just a glimpse – and it was as beautiful as we remembered. It reignited that spark of hope in all our hearts, the dream that, one day, we might find a better place to play. But for now, Sally can wait. In 1241, the Mongol army looked out across Europe, poised to take Austria, Italy and Germany. But the death of the Khan snatched it from them. For a glorious second, they saw it all spread out before them, just within their grasp, before it was cruelly whipped away. If there’s an occasion for melodrama it was yesterday and afterwards I couldn’t help but feel similarly cheated. We played superbly first half: there was little between us and Norwich, and at half-time, I was excited. And then it all started unravelling. Nathan Redmond’s shot, Christophe Berra’s dive, that moment of joy as we saw the ball cleared before that moment of dread as we realised he’d stopped it with his hand. Ten men. One nil down. Misery. It’s time to step outside of the heartbreak. Yesterday was hard, for every reason imaginable as an Ipswich fan. With a full XI, I really, genuinely believed that we could do it. I dared to dream. And then we were hamstrung. But for once, I’m not angry. No one can fault Berra after this year – he’s been absolutely titanic. That instinct took over at such a crucial time shows his passion. We played our hearts out yesterday. Tyrone Mings had a poor game and was at fault for at least two of the goals, but he’s given infinitely more than he’s lost us this season. I’ve criticised Tommy Smith recently, and I stand by it, but yesterday he was faultless and took his goal brilliantly. When Ipswich fight, it’s all right. This is a season where Daryl Murphy has scored more than 25 league goals for Ipswich equalling a record untouched since 1962. This is a season where we’ve achieved our highest league finish in 10 years. This is a season where we’ve had the excitement of the play-offs long after most teams are on their holidays. There’s little to regret: this time, we didn’t miss out on the top two and lose out to a team 17 points behind us. The play-offs, by the end, were our challenge and we achieved it. That we lost to a team who finished seven points above us carries no shame. Mick McCarthy’s experience was evident in that he’d clearly left something in the tank for the play-offs; the teams that ran out against Norwich bore little resemblance to our tired and sorry effort at Blackburn. We gave it our all, but our all wasn’t enough. We suffered few mistakes; Berra’s red card was incontrovertible. Against Nottingham Forest, Blackburn and Huddersfield we conceded stupid late goals yet had little to rue; we lost just a place. We overachieved, far more than most would have hoped. We can look back with pride on 2014/15. I’m gutted to miss out on the Premier League but now is a time to look forwards, not back. We suffered from lack of squad depth this season but we’ve built the spine of a genuinely decent side. I see little reason to renew the contracts of Stephen Hunt, Darren Ambrose or Richard Chaplow, who are either no longer, or never were, good enough. But if £110,000 got us here, then imagine what the summer could hold. Mourn our missed opportunity – I doubt I’ll ever forget yesterday. But let’s hold our chins up, and our heads high, and believe. We go again next season and you ain’t ever gonna burn my heart out. Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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