| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich 10:49 - Apr 15 with 929 views | patrickswell |
Whenever this fixture comes around I think back to when I went to our game with Rotherham at Portman Road in September 2014. Driving down from Kent, I’d arrived in Ipswich about 2 hours before kick off. I parked the car near Gyppeswyk Park opposite the grass verge where people park cars on match days. I sat in the car listening to the radio and having a bite to eat. Directly opposite me, a car parked up on the verges and two men got out of the car together with two young boys aged about 7 years old. One wore an Ipswich shirt and the other wore a Rotherham shirt. “Oh, isn’t that nice to see.” I thought. Off they went to the ground and an hour later I made my way down as well.
I sat in the upper tier of the Co-Op stand about half an hour before kick-off and could see, looking across the pitch that the two boys were sat with, what I presume were their dads in the front row of the lower tier of the Cobbold Stand, so clearly the funds only stretched to four tickets in the home end, but at least the Rotherham lad had his own fans over his shoulder.
Now within 6 minutes Town were 2-0 up and amid my celebrations I couldn’t help but think about that poor Rotherham lad and the potentially long afternoon that he had waiting for him. In the event, the two goals were all that were needed. At the end of the match, we were top of the table and Rotherham were wherever they were - which back then was way below us in the table.
Now everytime we play Rotherham, I think about those two boys, now both probably In their early teens and what they’ve seen happen in that fixture. Were they both at the New York Stadium a year later when Daryl Murphy scores his hat-trick? Rotherham were abysmal in the Championship in 2016/17, relegated with 8 points less than we went down with 2 seasons later, but they still picked up 4 points off us that season and that would have been a psychological lifeline to the Rotherham lad in the childhood battles that go on when your clubs are in the same division. Were they at the New York Stadium in August 2018 when Paul Hurst’s reign was effectively strangled at birth by that 90th minute winner for Rotherham - a few days before Hurst effectively finished the job himself at Exeter. In our League One seasons together, Rotherham currently hold a 5-0 aggregate lead over the 3 games and what must the mickey-taking have been like for the Ipswich lad when the Scouse fraud came out after November’s game and said that Rotherham were a club we should aspire to be like?
I wonder if they will both be at tomorrow’s game? The only certainty I have is that for the first time in many years, I suspect the Rotherham lad will be more nervous about the game than the Ipswich lad. And if that doesn’t represent progress, I don’t know what does. [Post edited 15 Apr 2022 10:55]
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| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 11:32 - Apr 15 with 835 views | Cotty |
Personally Rotherham always make me think wistfully of Jermain Wright's right foot volley. |  | | |
| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 14:50 - Apr 15 with 682 views | Basuco |
| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 11:32 - Apr 15 by Cotty |
Personally Rotherham always make me think wistfully of Jermain Wright's right foot volley. |
I Stood right behind it, I cheered the moment it left his boot, what a goal that was. |  | | |
| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 15:20 - Apr 15 with 647 views | ParisBlue |
| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 11:32 - Apr 15 by Cotty |
Personally Rotherham always make me think wistfully of Jermain Wright's right foot volley. |
March 2016. Home to Warnock's Rotherham in a game we must win to keep in touch with playoffs.
Team news at 2pm. Creative midfield of Skuse, Douglas and Hyam.
Leon Best winner. |  |
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| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 15:57 - Apr 15 with 596 views | Edmundo |
| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 15:20 - Apr 15 by ParisBlue |
March 2016. Home to Warnock's Rotherham in a game we must win to keep in touch with playoffs.
Team news at 2pm. Creative midfield of Skuse, Douglas and Hyam.
Leon Best winner. |
TWTD. Thank goodness for our new owners. That was a painful demise, 2016-21. It will take as long to get back to the top 6 of the Championship, but the ride so far is pleasant enough. |  |
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| Two Little Boys - Rotherham/Ipswich on 16:50 - Apr 15 with 544 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
Surely he is only more nervous because the match has more riding on it for them?
I have never enjoyed visiting Rotherham and, oddly I have two friends who are Rotherham fans. I enjoy talking Alan Lee with one (he is a real idol of his). However, I have not enjoyed talking football with either for a long time. One of them is as much Norwich and even more a Chelsea fan too. |  |
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