A run of three-successive defeats without scoring was ended on Saturday, whilst an upturn in spirit was evident in our performance compared to those last three games. Positives that can be taken and built on I guess.
We knew that from day one of Paul Lambert’s reign, a minor miracle was required to keep Town in the Championship this season and that miracle will need to be nurtured over the coming weeks.
I don’t think we could have expected much more on Saturday, despite it being billed as a must-win game. Patience is going to be a major factor over the coming weeks and months.
I have liked much of Lambert’s first week at the club. His first press conference came across very well and then to appear at the Supporters AGM on Thursday night to outline his plans moving forward was also encouraging.
The only reservation I have here is that I did like Paul Hurst’s first week too. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. But we need to trust Lambert – we’ve got little choice than to do anything else.
MORE: North Stander - we have to keep the faith
The first part of Saturday afternoon was one of those classic situations that many of us will have endured over many years of watching Ipswich. I travelled from Clacton with my brother Shaun and my good friend Kevin and en-route, we stopped at the picturesque and delightful hostelry that is the Brantham Bull.
Paul and Gemma are always the genial hosts and a little bit of hospitality went a very long way to setting up our afternoon. If you’re ever passing through the village of Brantham, you must call in – you will not be disappointed.
There is plenty of ITFC regalia to admire too whilst sipping on your pint. It’s certainly one of those establishments that you could quite easily while the afternoon away in, rather than leaving it behind for Portman Road these days.
We then moved onto Ipswich itself for a couple more drinks in Town where I ashamedly admitted that I feared the worst for this season whilst my companions showed much more in the way of hope.
MORE: Stu Says - thoughts from Preston draw
I guess I could only base my fears on much of what I’d seen so far this season, with Kevin and Shaun looking at things a little more objectively not being able to be as frequent visitors.
When it was time to head to the ground, it was another 2.45pm moment where we made a collective statement of ‘only the football can ruin this afternoon now.’
On Thursday, it was the 17th anniversary of a wonderful trip to Sweden to watch Town defeat Helsingborg in the UEFA Cup and we could barely be any further away from those days at present. There is always a dream those times to return one day, but the dream on Saturday was far simpler and that was just to beat Preston.
As I stood with my head bowed during the minutes’ silence listening to the last post, I recalled how a year ago, I was in the same position, standing silent, listening once again to the last post prior to a 3-0 win against exactly the same opposition. Could fate finally deliver us our first home win of the season?
MORE: ‘They gave everything’ - Lambert proud of his players
I’m not saying that the first-half was shrouded in quality, but it was certainly the quickest 45 minutes I’ve experienced so far this season. That told me that there was at least a spirted display on show if nothing else and then we were awarded a penalty.
What a great time to score and kudos to Freddie Sears for tucking the spot-kick away nicely. At the interval, the dream was alive and then just when we reached the point in the second-half where that the dream might become a reality, enter Paul Gallagher to affect the game in more ways than one.
First he scored and then pulled off a decent save after being forced to go in goal, shattering our dreams for another few weeks.
Lambert has already instilled a bit more belief around the place, but how soon will belief bring results in the coming weeks?
We really need to beat Reading on Saturday in yet another must-win game.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here