In this week’s Ipswich Town nostalgia, we look back to December 21, 2004, when Darren Bent took Ipswich to the top of the Championsip on Christmas Day, after beating Wigan 2-1 thanks to his 89th-minute winner at Portman Road.
Wigan started the game with a one-point lead over Ipswich, and opened the scoring just before the hour mark when Leighton Baines scored his first senior goal with a stunning 40-yard shot which curled into the top corner of Kelvin Davis’s goal.
But the Blues got back on terms in the 66th minute when Ian Westlake was fouled, and from Darren Currie’s free-kick Richard Naylor back-headed the ball beyond the reach of Wigan goalkeeper John Filan and into the net for his fourth goal of the season.
Both sides had chances to score late on, but just when the game looked set to end all square, Bent produced the decisive strike to put Town top of the league on Christmas Day.
With just a minute left to play Fabian Wilnis sent the ball forward, Shefi Kuqi flicked it on and Darren Bent deftly looped the ball over Filan and into the net to take all three points.
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