It’s beyond typical that I should have to write this column on the back of the 1-0 defeat at already-relegated Rotherham United after missing out on writing in the aftermath of that fantastic win over Newcastle United a week ago.
Yes, I can comment contextually on how Mick McCarthy made nine changes and it was a nothing game to worry about on Saturday, but it doesn’t change the fact that a euphoric opportunity for me to write within a positive mindset has gone.
It’s the norm rather than the exception that I find myself reflecting on yet another negative moment from a negative campaign.
Actually, I’m going to milk last week’s win for a moment as it was only two weeks ago that I wrote that I had yet to leave Portman Road this season brimming with joy.
The whole day was one of perfection and, in isolation, was one to be very proud of as an Ipswich Town fan.
I had set off from Clacton nice and early with my travelling companion Kevin Painter and, as per usual with Kevin, we made a beeline for the pub, once in Ipswich, where we caught up with friends.
Little did we know what laid ahead as we made realistic assumptions of a heavy defeat to the Geordies.
Before long, we found ourselves in the fanzone and there, Sir Bobby Robson Day was in full flow, with so much happening around us to remind us of what the great man did for us.
Kevin and I both did a piece for the BBC Radio Suffolk ‘Life’s a Pitch’ programme with Mark Murphy and we were in great company, with Town legends Roger Osborne and Kevin Beattie in attendance.
My day could not really get any better from there.
The Beat (Beattie) told me how Town would win 3-1 and I was wishing that I could share his optimism.
I also had pleasure in meeting some great Town fans who have conversed with me previously in respect of this newspaper column and it was seemingly another of those occasions where only the actual game was going to ruin the day.
What then happened on the pitch against Rafa Benitez’s team was a nice surprise and totally unexpected.
We deservedly led at the interval, thanks to Freddie Sears’s 42nd-minute strike but once former Ipswich striker Daryl Murphy equalised just after the hour, I feared that the promotion-chasing Magpies would step up a level and take us to the cleaners.
What, of course, happened we’re all now fully aware of and we produced our best performance of the season and probably the last two years, David McGoldrick and Emyr Huws wrapping up victory for the home side.
After the game, we met two great Newcastle fans in the pub and having enjoyed listening to their Geordie accents for the best part of an hour, we found out that they were actually Dutch and were killing time before heading to Harwich to catch a ferry back to Holland. It was the end to the best day as an Ipswich Town fan for a long while.
The game itself showed that there is life in this Town side.
I’d like to think that it was not a one-off but it just takes Mick to be bolder in his approach to games more often.
I won’t let it mask over the previous rubbish that we’ve had to put up with for a very long time beforehand but I will enjoy it for what it was which was a great result and an even better performance.
Then there was the Rotherham game. Nine changes were too many at the New York Stadium, but I can understand why McCarthy wanted to make the changes and have a look at some fringe players.
Sadly, I guess he didn’t learn too much aside from the one positive that was Danny Rowe, the winger we signed from Macclesfield in January
Am I upset with the ultimate defeat in South Yorkshire? You bet I am.
I saw some say that it was no more than you’d expect from a pre-season friendly.
Well guess what? I hate losing those too.
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