| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me 22:33 - Aug 6 with 1975 views | Mullet |
Despite a 2.5hr journey taking 4hrs there and 3.5hrs back due to accidents and traffic on the motorway, it really felt like a different world. Up on a hill, beautiful scenery and posh houses everywhere it's the not the stroll through rat runs or identikit retail parks you get accustomed to when going to football. That's the nicest thing I can say about going to FGR.
All credit to them, they're trying something different but they really aren't equipped for clubs like us coming to the village it seems. In the baking heat and open terrace a lot of the atmosphere seemed to get lost. The tens of home fans occasionally had a go at a song or a protest at the ref but it was hard to hear.
I really like the look of McKenna is trying to do with us based on these two games. Walton didn't just make some great blocks but he plucked so many speculative punts out of the air like a peregrine falcon taking out sparrows. Arguably he won us the match as we tried to give it away in the second half trough of intensity.
FGR did what any side as unknown and unfancied as them would and let us keep the ball, and hoped to hit us on the counter. I thought Davis played like a man who had just had a bad debut and was overcompensating at times, and nervous the rest of it. But without him we don't score that first and we don't keep them pinned back early doors with his runs down the left. There's a player just waiting for something to go right in there.
Right through the spine of the team we looked good, Burgess slots in well and he isn't the sexy defender we get with Woolf available but he dealt with Matt perfectly. It was that silly booking where he had a lapse and let the player get across him that he needs to stop doing.
Morsy is an absolute tank and even after the heat and hard work he was again showing how fit we are this season, making runs forward right into injury time. The subs and depth meant we kept up something more becoming of full speed when previously we'd have wilted in today's conditions.
The two goals were superb but being around halfway the celebration had a touch of VAR about them. Everyone sort of stopped, took a breath then celebrated on delay. Neither Harness's smart finish of Morsy's goal of the season got the full roar they deserved.
McKenna didn't look happy as FGR got back into the game and at full time. We kept opening up spaces but decision making and knowledge of each other was still intermittent. Whether it was Ladapo unlucky to see his shot blocked or Morsy getting in Aluko's way when he had sight of goal too many opportunities to get a third and some daylight between us and them went begging.
It was nice to see KVY look more like his old self and TJJ and Ladapo offer some strength and movement we really needed previously. Rotating the whole frontline every game might not work but with the options we have and 5 subs it's going to win us more than it doesn't this season.
If I'm being really critical then the fact we looked so comfortable and dominant at times today made the drop off and nerviness quite annoying. None of it was helped by a ref who was truly representative of the lack of quality you get at this level, he seemed easily swayed by either set of players and happy to just guess at times.
All in all though, we get our first win and you'd hope we never come back to grounds like this save for cup games. A bit like Accrington it's a novelty at first and you want to applaud clubs like this rising so high, but once you see them more than once then it underlines how far we've sunk and need to get back up.
I feel like we will so far. |  |
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| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 09:56 - Aug 7 with 1347 views | Tractorboy24 |
Think I can explain the delayed celebration for Morsy, down the bottom end we thought the ball had gone wide, was only when the ball rolled out back on the pitch & players started celebrating we realised it was a goal. |  | | |
| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 10:15 - Aug 7 with 1238 views | ElephantintheRoom |
I remember when supporters of other clubs used to patronise Ipswich in this way |  |
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| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 10:45 - Aug 7 with 1164 views | ClareBlue |
I was in the home stand straight across and the delayed reaction for the 2nd was quite funny. There were a few of us in home stand and we saw it clearly and had our usual curtailed reaction that you do when on the wrong stand. But then you lot cheered a good 3 to 5 seconds later. It was like watching iPlayer.
The ground is tiny even by league 1 standards but everything ran smoothly, they were a friendly bunch and the cardio workout on that hill did us all a load of good.
No extra buses to Stroud was strange and plenty had to wait as first few were full.
Thus is an issue with league 1.Teams on hard times like us with big fan base mixing with teams on the up but traditionally small ground and fan base. The fans around me said it was the first time the away side had been full and it looked good. The young lad next to me googled Ipswich and couldn't belive we were in the premiership and won a cup in Europe.
I said I was there and I can't either.
They were sharing sun screen in our section which was a nice touch. Al in all an enjoyable day but hopefully it's not our future playing at these grounds. | | | |
| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 10:58 - Aug 7 with 1107 views | jaykay |
| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 10:15 - Aug 7 by ElephantintheRoom |
I remember when supporters of other clubs used to patronise Ipswich in this way |
when would that be ? |  |
| forensic experts say footers and spruces fingerprints were not found at the scene after the weekends rows |
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| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 11:30 - Aug 7 with 1016 views | ElephantintheRoom |
| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 10:58 - Aug 7 by jaykay |
when would that be ? |
In the 60s Ipswich were a little club playing Cinderella football - whatever that is.
Might be difficult to understand - but being country cousins from the third division in a remote part of the country …. Not a lot different from Forest Green - or Bournemouth. | |
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| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 11:40 - Aug 7 with 987 views | clive_baker |
| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 11:30 - Aug 7 by ElephantintheRoom |
In the 60s Ipswich were a little club playing Cinderella football - whatever that is.
Might be difficult to understand - but being country cousins from the third division in a remote part of the country …. Not a lot different from Forest Green - or Bournemouth. |
Who were the clubs bemoaning playing teams at Ipswich’s level? Given we were never one of the lesser sides in the 2nd tier I can’t see that it’s a reasonable comparison. Unless you’re suggesting it was top tier sides claiming all of their top tier games should be against top 6 sides or something? Or perhaps breaking away into a super league? But doesn’t really work when you’re talking about the top division does it.
Or maybe you’re just chatting bobbins yet again. |  |
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| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 11:59 - Aug 7 with 907 views | Mullet |
| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 11:40 - Aug 7 by clive_baker |
Who were the clubs bemoaning playing teams at Ipswich’s level? Given we were never one of the lesser sides in the 2nd tier I can’t see that it’s a reasonable comparison. Unless you’re suggesting it was top tier sides claiming all of their top tier games should be against top 6 sides or something? Or perhaps breaking away into a super league? But doesn’t really work when you’re talking about the top division does it.
Or maybe you’re just chatting bobbins yet again. |
It's gracious of you and jay to indulge, but he's full of sh1t. Always has, always will. Must be weird trying to constantly invent stuff to be contrary and wind people up. | |
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| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 12:00 - Aug 7 with 896 views | Mullet |
| That has to be the weirdest away trip for a few years for me on 09:56 - Aug 7 by Tractorboy24 |
Think I can explain the delayed celebration for Morsy, down the bottom end we thought the ball had gone wide, was only when the ball rolled out back on the pitch & players started celebrating we realised it was a goal. |
Yeah, the lack of celebration by the players and the angle/view we had at the side of the pitch meant it was an optical illusion almost. | |
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