Forum | I know 'cos I was there. by PJH

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I know 'cos I was there. 08:33 - Apr 28 with 7110 views

I do not think that Max Boyce, who loved that phrase, was at Portman Road on April 28th 1962 but I was.
On that day Ipswich Town became Champions of England and I know 'cos I was there.

I have made posts on this date for the last four or maybe five years commemorating that day and the months that preceded it so please indulge me as I again post my reminisces (fact checked where possible). This year is particularly poignant for me because my mum, one of the people that was with me that day, passed away in February, my dad having passed away in 2013.

In those days before substitutes each club basically had a first team and that team played if fit. I could just as easily name the Burnley or Spurs first team from that era as the Ipswich one.
Normally if a first team player got injured and had to miss a game or games he was replaced by a reserve and he was straight back in when fit although in one case that did not happen in 1961/62 at Ipswich.
Also if a player lost form he generally played on and on until he regained form although I suppose players did get dropped from time to time.
Short of having a leg broken a player injured during a game usually stayed on the pitch and went out wide so that even if he was more or less static he could still kick the ball if it came in his direction.

Bailey, Carberry, Compton, Baxter, Nelson, Elsworthy, Stephenson, Moran, Crawford, Phillips, Leadbetter-eleven names that Ipswich followers from that era should real off automatically.
They all played at least 37 of the 42 League games and all except Moran, Compton and to a lesser extent Baxter, made up the 2nd Division winning team from the previous season.
Bailey, Carberry, Elsworthy, Phillips and Leadbetter were also in the team that won the 3rd Division (South) in 1956/57.

Douglas Moran was the only new signing in the summer of 1961 and he became the inside-right.
John Compton came into the 1961/62 side after the third game when first team left-back Kenny Malcolm got injured and he kept his place for the rest of the season although Malcolm regained fitness and played 17 games for the Reserves. Alf Ramsey obviously made a conscious decision at some point not to bring back his 'first team' fullback.
Billy Baxter got into the side in December 1960 and played all of the last 19 games of that season so by the end of 1960/61 he was becoming an established first team player. He was doing National Service in those two seasons and I believe that I am right in saying that he had to get his Commanding Officer's permission to play before each and every ITFC game.

Crawford and Phillips were a great goalscoring partnership and they scored 61 of the 93 League goals between them in 1961/62 having scored 70 of 100 the previous season. They were goalscorers in their own right with Phillips having scored 41 goals in 41 games in the 3rd Division in 1956/57 and Crawford scoring over 60 goals in his second spell at PR with Phillips no longer around.
They were different though with Crawford getting a lot of goals from rebounds from Phillips' thunderous shots coming back off the keeper or the woodwork. Both were good in the air but Phillips was lethal from anywhere from thirty yards inwards because of the power of his shooting. He was also the penalty taker and not many goalkeepers tried too hard to get in the way of one of his penalties.

Although based on the goalscoring of those two the tactical genius of Alf Ramsey played a huge part in us winning the title. Wingers were normally quick and they would be expected to beat their fullback and get to the byeline and cross but Alf played Leadbetter and to a lesser extent, Stephenson much deeper and they crossed or passed from areas that wingers did not normally do back then.
The opposing fullbacks had a problem as to whether to move forward to where Stephenson and Leadbetter were playing from and leave gaps behind them or to stay in their conventional place and await a winger that might never arrive.

It took all other teams that season to work out how to combat that tactic but Bill Nicholson at Spurs had his winghalfs marking Stephenson and Leadbetter and his fullbacks marking our inside forwards in the Charity Shield game at PR in August 1962 and Spur swon 5-1 but Ipswich losing Carberry to injury did not help.

Apart from the Charity Shield game that actual title winning team did not play together again until a win at Birmingham in April 1963, a game that I was also at.

So we are now at April 28th 1962 and ITFC go into their last game of the season against Aston Villa with a two point lead over Burnley but with 2 points for a win and Burnley having 2 games to play and a better goal average even a win would not guarantee the title.
The official attendance figure that day was 28932, it was NOT all ticket.
It took until the 72nd minute for us to score, Ray Crawford scoring with a diving header after John Elsworthy had headed a Stephenson freekick against the bar.
Crawford got a second goal four minutes later although that goal does not appear on the film that I have seen of that day, it is in my head though!

We then had to wait for the Burnley result and we eventually heard that they had drawn 1-1 at home to already relegated Chelsea so they could no longer catch us and WE were Champions. Burnley also lost their last game but that was irrelevant.
On hearing the result there were pitch invasions and the players were hoisted onto shoulders.

I have not started rambling about other memories from that season but will leave it there apart from mentioning three things that I always associate with those times.

Firstly, the team running onto the pitch to the tune 'Entry Of The Gladiators'.

Secondly, the crowd singing 'Keep Right On To The End Of The Road' which was and is a Birmingham City song and I have no idea when ITFC supporters adopted it or finished using.

Thirdly, Ipswich bus conductor Swede Herring going round the pitch pumping up the supporters 'One, Two, Three, Four , Who are we for, I-P-(you know the rest)

On April 28th 1962 Ipswich Town became Champions Of England and I know 'cos I was there.

I know 'cos I was there. on 08:16 - Apr 29 with 1000 views

ElephantintheRoom

I know 'cos I was there. on 06:25 - Apr 29 by readtheleaguetable

I was there too! They won the Championship of England on my 8th birthday. As I reel off the team, I always say Bailey, Carberry, Malcolm. I must have learned it at the first game. My favourite player was Larry Carberry, because I saw him every Sunday at St. Mary Magdalen’s church, and he was MUCH more revered than the reverend (although for very different reasons, Father Conlon was a legend in his own right.)
I remember the Sunday Express headline, which my father read out to us at breakfast, with no little anger at the condescension: “Little Ipswich Town are League Champions”.

[Post edited 29 Apr 2021 21:34]

You have to factor in the press worshipped Spurs at the time. The previous year they won the double and were' the greatest team ever' (Hyperbole is nothing new).

To go from 'the greatest team ever' to Ipswich Town in one year was something even more extraordianry then than it seems today.

Blog:

The Swinging Sixty

I know 'cos I was there. on 08:20 - Apr 29 with 998 views

PJH

I know 'cos I was there. on 08:05 - Apr 29 by ElephantintheRoom

Embarrassingly the only reason I was at games in that season was that my mum was working - so my dad had to take me to the football. I was seven then - too young at the time to fully appreciate what i was watching - and frequently took a comic with me, either Swift or Eagle.

I too have only fitful memories of that season - and my most vivid are being scared on my milk crate - hence my dad decamping to the East Stand and making sure I had a comic with me. I vividly remember a bloke next to me saying he wished he had a comic at one game... so not all the games then were non-stop excitement either.

I also seem to remember a number of people in the East Stand hurling abuse at Ted Phillips - which is odd - especially as he was often on the train from Saxmundham

In my case, it is strange that I have memories of specific incidents-for instance I remember John Elsworthy's goal against Man U in a 4-1 win but have no memory of any of the other goals. Similarly, I remember Dougie Moran's winner in a 3-2 against Wolves but no recollection of the other goals.

I was certainly not there 'under protest' and I think that I appreciated and understood what was going on as much as a ten then eleven year old could.

There were always goals to see because we scored in every home game and only lost two of them, one of which was the first home game of the season.

I know 'cos I was there. on 08:47 - Apr 29 with 968 views

ElephantintheRoom

I know 'cos I was there. on 08:20 - Apr 29 by PJH

I cleared out my parents' house recently and found my programme collection in the attic which we religiously bought for every game for nearly fifty years and for a long while noted the scorers on.

I found many matches from very recently that I cannot even remember, let alone the early sixties.

I cherish the memroies of the cup run 1975 cup run far more than 1978. And the first UEFA cup run more than winning it.... maybe because the matches seemed so much more exciting then - and now to me

Strangely I think my best memories are of the Bill McGarry era and then the early Robson era - and even then there are many blanks - but I remember thinking that winning the league seemed a long way away when we ran on the pitch after the Blackburn game.

Which I suppose in a way it was;;;; my entire football supporting life of seven or eight years. .

Blog:

The Swinging Sixty

I know 'cos I was there. on 12:55 - Apr 29 with 903 views

Iwasthere

I know 'cos I was there. on 13:43 - Apr 28 by Churchman

My dad went to the Arsenal away game near the season’s end and reckons it was of the best laughs he’s ever had at a football ground. The Highbury faithful were dishing out the abuse from the off. ‘Load of rubbish’, ‘disgrace this lot are at the top of the league’, ‘awful team’ etc etc, usual London supporter moaning.

Ipswich hammered them 3-0 and Arsenal walked off bewildered. And the rest is history!

My user name is a coincidence regarding this post although I was there as a 16 year old.
I remember waiting, for what seemed an eternity, for the Burnley result and then the ground erupted. I was standing in the west stand, climbed over the wall and onto the pitch, the players were hoisted on peoples shoulders, euphoria.
I was also at the Arsenal game and remember Ray Crawford scoring against the great Jack Kelsey, the Arsenals keeper. We got abuse from most London supporters at that time. Eeyore, Eeyore, Country yokels etc etc.It was such a great feeling to "stuff it up um".
Thanks PJH for the memories, a great post.

I know 'cos I was there. on 20:06 - Apr 29 with 796 views

Churchman

I know 'cos I was there. on 12:55 - Apr 29 by Iwasthere

Thank you to you too and all that witnessed it or were listening for the results, whatever. It is brilliant to hear people’s experiences of the greatest season in the clubs history.

I know 'cos I was there. on 20:22 - Apr 29 with 794 views

blueislander

I know 'cos I was there. on 20:06 - Apr 29 by Churchman
Thank you to you too and all that witnessed it or were listening for the results, whatever. It is brilliant to hear people’s experiences of the greatest season in the clubs history.

I wasn’t at the Villa match.I was in The Gang Show and we had a matinee that afternoon. The results came through just as we finished. The evening show , which was the last night, was very high spirited. I was on the Cornhill for the Civic reception though.

I know 'cos I was there. on 20:34 - Apr 29 with 792 views

Churchman

I know 'cos I was there. on 20:22 - Apr 29 by blueislander
I wasn’t at the Villa match.I was in The Gang Show and we had a matinee that afternoon. The results came through just as we finished. The evening show , which was the last night, was very high spirited. I was on the Cornhill for the Civic reception though.

You were still there in the true sense of the word and experienced ‘the moment’. That brings it alive. Brilliant.

I know 'cos I was there. on 20:59 - Apr 29 with 783 views

Churchman

I know 'cos I was there. on 20:34 - Apr 29 by Churchman
You were still there in the true sense of the word and experienced ‘the moment’. That brings it alive. Brilliant.

To give you an example of what I mean, I never made the Oxford away game in 92. Bristol City away, Grimsby at home, Southend, Watford and Steve Whitton, you name it, but I’d run out of credit and had to work that morning. Not sure I’d have got a ticket anyway, tbh. Grrr. Anyway, I got home, growled a bit and cleaned the car, cat on parcel shelf. The misses at the appointed our rushed out to say ‘they’ve done it!’. She’d beaten Radio 5 to it. I grabbed Basil the cat and weak at the knees went in and sat down with a timely beer and enjoyed the moment. It was so special.

I’ve been lucky enough to be present at many a big moment for the club, but that one is special too, even if I wasn’t actually there. They all count and the next one(s) will be just as special, if not more so after 20 years of ghastly.

[Post edited 29 Apr 2021 22:28]

I know 'cos I was there. on 21:41 - Apr 29 with 773 views

EatonBlue

A great read. I am the same age as you but I did not go to Portman Road regularly until season 1964-65 when it was considered that I was old enough to travel from Felixstowe on my own.

I know 'cos I was there. on 22:08 - Apr 29 with 768 views

PJH

I know 'cos I was there. on 21:41 - Apr 29 by EatonBlue
A great read. I am the same age as you but I did not go to Portman Road regularly until season 1964-65 when it was considered that I was old enough to travel from Felixstowe on my own.

I was lucky because my dad and mum were both ITFC supporters so I went with them by car. My younger sister (born in 1958) must have stayed with our grandparents on match days although she was taken along to games a bit later-she was certainly going to games by 1967.

I know 'cos I was there. on 23:14 - Apr 29 with 748 views

Oldsmoker

I know 'cos I was there. on 21:41 - Apr 29 by EatonBlue
A great read. I am the same age as you but I did not go to Portman Road regularly until season 1964-65 when it was considered that I was old enough to travel from Felixstowe on my own.

The advantage of living in Felixstowe was that the road out only went to Ipswich.
Standing on the High road/Garrison Lane corner with your thumb out, wearing a Town scarf, guaranteed a lift to the match from someone - even on a Tuesday evening.

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