SearchMatt Definitely Not Going Tue 27th Aug 2002 12:31
Matt Holland has said that he will definitely not be joining Aston Villa. The Town skipper appeared to leave the door open for further developments in his weekend column but he has now told Graham Taylor he is staying with Town. | Matt Villa Deal Not Dead Sun 25th Aug 2002 11:48
Town skipper Matt Holland says that the deal taking him to Villa is still by no means dead. While George Burley appeared to indicate on Thursday that there was now no chance of the move taking place, Holland, his agent Jonathan Barnett and Villa have all suggested that further discussions will take place. | Holland Returns for Talks Thu 22nd Aug 2002 10:08
Town skipper Matt Holland has returned from Finland, where he played three minutes for Ireland last night, and is set for talks with his family, his agent and Aston Villa. | Walsall 0-2 Town Sat 10th Aug 2002 21:09
Town got off their season off to a winning start as goals from Darren Ambrose and Marcus Bent brought victory against Walsall at the Bescot Stadium. The Blues rarely seemed in trouble despite playing the last 23 minutes with only ten players, Darren Ambrose having gone off with a cut to the mouth. | Reserves 2-0 Saints Tue 23rd Apr 2002 19:27
OldGit@Reserves reports on the Town second string's continuing battle at the top of the reserves league. | Gooch Visits Town Tue 22nd Jan 2002 12:40
Essex County Cricket coach Graham Gooch is seeking Town's advice on team spirit. The former England captain is a West Ham fan, but felt that Ipswich's team spirit was well worthy of investigation. Last season the Essex dressing room was not a harmonious place. | Town 5-0 Sunderland Sat 29th Dec 2001 18:08
Town continued the revival in dramatic style as Sunderland were thrashed 5-0 at Portman Road this afternoon. | Ipswich Town Reserves 2-1 Arsenal Reserves Tue 13th Nov 2001 23:27
by your Official Reporter, ColdGit@Reserves.
I have promised to be more direct. Here goes:
Darren Bent is an absolute gem. I've been saying all season that he should be in the first team and a really gamey brace tonight, leaving the winning goal till the 90th minute, will surely have clinched that exciting, fully justified reality.
A promising young Arsenal team had led, at the interval, via their dainty young centre-forward, Jermaine Brown, begloved and with corn-row hair (is that what you call it?) who took advantage of the temporary absence upfield of attack-minded Thomas Gaardsoe, to beat man-in-black Andy Marshall with a breakaway goal after 35 mins.
As crowd favourite Darren would have said afterwards, had I been able to speak to him, "I should have had at least a hat-trick, Old Git, with two half-chances just before the half hour mark, the second of which I tapped into the goalie's ample bosom - was it Richard Wright? And then, five minutes into the second half, Brian, I gently, deftly, accurately, oh no, tickled one over the bar. So far, this season, I should have scored an Axeldahl of reserve match goals."
It took an hour for Bent to strike, but it was worth waiting for. In the area, he was moving left, but flicked the ball inside his man, then curled it round the goalie and inside the right post. You beauty. 1-1.
At the death, his second goal was another peachy plum, partly because of the pin-point quality of excellent Darren Ambrose's cross from the right; all Bent had to do was control it and tuck it away, again inside the right post. He looks like Finidi George, but it's time for Finidi to take his hat off to Darren; both Darrens, for that matter: Ambrose is of the same school: eager, direct, a winner. 2-1.
Don't let's get too warmed up, though; it wasn't that sort of night for all of us. The Darrens were beacons in the mist. Urgent Yoof Ambrose replaced anonymous Nicholls after an hour, allowing begloved Nabil Abbadabba to come in from the cold on the wing into central midfield, where he continued to show delightful touch but ineffective overall impact.
Yet, in an uncertain, bump-into-things world, it was re-assuring to lie back and accept the freezing embrace - an average FPR temperature tonight of 7 degrees Celsius, whatever celcius is, but, as your Official Reporter, I have to accept that I have a worldwide audience and mustn't mention good old Fahrenheit. Mother said it was cold in Sydney today but I promise you that a couple of hours at damp Portman Road tonight would have reminded her why she emigrated 36 years ago, (and, with a worldwide audience, it is nice for them that I should make an international reference)...and yet I still cannot say, 'in Sydney' without pangs of Carry On double entendre...whoops, digressionamundo...the freezing embrace of a November evening at the Reserves, with the bizarre guarantee of safety created by a report on the BBC saying that Osama Bin Laden is an Arsenal fan. We're watching Arsenal Reserves (though this is only the official title of this team. The term has come to mean, in general conversation, something quite different: 'the team you put out against teams like Ipswich or Worthington Cup opponents.' I doubt that any of Arsenal's team tonight will ever play in the Premiership for them. Surreal. Their Yoof winger, Jerome Thomas - all their Yoof's forward line has 'J' first names - was their gem. Fabian found him to be 'unstoppable'. Umm, that doesn't make Thomas unique, though, does it? Come on Fab, shave that carpet sample off the top of your head, and play a bit. You're only up against Chris Makin.)
I'm not really digressing. It was a match without passion, without much meaning. Without Bent actually winning the match, it would have been very ho-hum, but he was this week's 'Mumo' Peralta, who was the emerging star of my last Reserves Report, and who, so soon after, is October's Third Best Player Of The Month.
In the absence of Mumo, Tommy Miller was given the opportunity to audition for Jim Magilton's shirt, but he took an early knock and that perhaps stunted his growth. Miller was derisory about Sir George's audacity, in playing 'the best midfielder in the Nationwide' on the wing; it's because Our Tom shares Our Jim's fear of wide open spaces. He feels that that circle around the centre of the pitch is there for a reason, and, tonight, he never left it. In fairness, he can sweep the ball about, though it's a little laboured, as are all his movements, as if he's a middleweight boxer with heavy legs (like Reuser, who we're coming to.)
Our team was:
Marshall
Wilnis — Gaardsoe - Justin Miller (c) - 'Gary'
Abbadabba - Tommy Miller - Ashley Nicholls - REUSER!!!!!!
Bent - 'Log' Logan | International Summary Sun 02nd Sep 2001 10:51
On a day that saw England score an awesome victory on German soil, many of our Ipswich boys were also celebrating good results for their respective countries. | Town 0-1 Charlton Sat 25th Aug 2001 18:06
Town fell to a surprise 1-0 home defeat as Charlton carried out a successful smash and grab raid at Portman Road. The Blues really ought to have got something from the game, but just couldn't get the break which would have put them ahead. Kevin Lisbie's late goal took the points to the Valley. |
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