Charlton’s visit to Portman Road tomorrow is bound to evoke memories of the remarkable 4-4 draw between the sides in October last year, with Town top scorer Conor Chaplin recalling: “It was absolutely nuts, wasn’t it?”

That’s as good a description as any for a game that saw the Blues lead 2-1 when manager Kieran McKenna make three 71st substitutions, withdrawing Chaplin, Kayden Jackson and Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules, and sending on Marcus Harness, Kyle Edwards and Freddie Ladapo.

Within five minutes the Addicks equalised through Albie Morgan, before the game moved into stoppage time and goals by skipper Sam Morsy and Ladapo appeared to have put Town firmly in the driving seat at 4-2.

Even when Terell Thomas pulled one back for the home side, it seemed the Blues would hold on, but in the dying seconds George Dobson levelled to make it 4-4.

Chaplin remembered the crazy climax and said: “I’m not sure it will ever happen again like that in any game and I can’t see me being involved in a game like that again. It was crazy and obviously we should have had it won when we were 4-2 ahead.

“It was mistakes on our part that let them back into the game to take a point. But it happened, we couldn’t change it and it took us some to get over it, for sure.

“It’s just a distant memory now, though, but I think it did affect us for a little while, that weekend and maybe for another few days. As soon as the next games came along that’s what we were focusing on.”

The arrival of Nathan Broadhead, Harry Clarke, loanee George Hirst and Massimo Luongo in January has given Town a new look and Chaplin added: “It has been brilliant and I think you can tell what good players they all are. They have different qualities and I think it has been a breath of fresh air getting them onboard.

“All the additions that came in have done really well, hitting the ground running and helping us out massively. I’m sure they will have a big part to play over the next six games as well.

“Like I said, they have different qualities to what we had in the building before and they’ve upped the competition and the quality within the squad. Everyone is training at a top level so it’s a good time to be a forward because you know there are players eager to get into the side and we need to keep performing to keep our places.”

Town boss Kieran McKenna is among the nominees for League One’s Manager of the Year award and Chaplin said: “It is some achievement for him in his first full season as a manager but it’s definitely not a surprise to anyone who knows him or has worked for him.

“It’s certainly something that the players and staff here expected of him and everyone knows the impact he has made in his time here.”

Asked if McKenna had a standout quality, Chaplin added: “He’s very calm in how he goes about his business and the way he conducts himself. I can assure you it’s genuine; I don’t think he changes how he is, whether he’s talking to us guys or when he’s being interviewed in front of the cameras. He’s very controlled and methodical in the way he speaks and the way he thinks.

“His attention to detail is remarkable and his thought process on football in general is fascinating, while the insight we gain from him is incredible in terms of speaking to him about football, the teams, the players, the systems and the different scenarios we encounter in games.

“We are learning more and more every day we’re with the boss. It has been an incredible and very enjoyable 18 months or so since I’ve been with him and it’s definitely a case of what you see is what you get from him. From my perspective it has been a very enjoyable part of my career in terms of what I have learned from him and how I’ve improved as a player.

“He’s a deep thinker and when he watches the top games, in the Champions League or Premier League, on television, we speak about them for days afterwards.

“The way he views them and watches them is amazing, and literally every time we have a discussion he is teaching me things I never knew before. I love listening to him discussing a game and delivering his viewpoint. I love the conversations we have.”

Tomorrow’s game has been designated this year’s Foundation Fixture with the aim of raising funds, as well as awareness, of the club’s community work.

Defender George Edmundson, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season after ankle surgery, has been named as the EFL League One Player in the Community for his off-the-field contribution over the season.

Chaplin, a trustee of the Ipswich Town Foundation, said: “I go to all the board meetings and I love the involvement in trying to get things done. I’m proud to have been asked to do it and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it.

“It’s a chance to see things from a different perspective to playing the game and there are a lot of good people who have come together to support the foundation in what it does within the community.

“The Foundation Fixture is a great idea to highlight the work we are doing and, even if I say so myself, some of the work has been nothing short of incredible.

“It deserves to be celebrated and the fact that we have a fixture dedicated to the foundation will hopefully help to spread the word about the work we are doing.

“I’m extremely proud of George. He’s one of my good friends and he’s had a tough time of it with injuries, so it was good that his work has been recognised nationally.

“He could easily have stayed at home and sulked but he has really made a huge impact on the local community.

“It might not have been the best of times for him recently, what with being injured and not featuring for the team, but he has really channelled his energy into getting fit and at the same time making a difference to people’s lives, which I think is thoroughly commendable on his part.

“He has such a big heart and is a lovely guy, so he deserves the award for all his hard work on behalf of the foundation. It goes throughout the team — for example, Sam [Morsy] was involved with the refugee football we organised — and the entire staff have bought into it.

“One of my roles as a trustee is to affect the changing room but I haven’t really had to because of how the players have bought into it. At some clubs the lads will pass the buck when it comes to making appearances and stuff like that, but here at Ipswich everyone pits their hands up and volunteers to do their bit.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before, to be honest. We have such a great group of lads with a real desire to help others in the community and to help people fall in love with their football team, which we have been able to do.”

Meanwhile, Chaplin revealed his family are great Town followers, adding: “My dad and my little brother are really into it and they like to be in with our fans.

“They go most places with us. They love it and are here for every home game and take in the majority of away games as well.

“They join in with all the singing and they said the atmosphere at Derby was particularly good. I love the fact that they get so involved and to be fair to them it was the same at my previous clubs.”

Photo: TWTD

dirtydingusmagee added 20:45 - Apr 14 Chapper's has been blinding this year, I know its a team thing but would be great to see him rewarded for his effort. COYB
0

Ipswich Town Polls