Ipswich Town lost 1-0 to Coventry City yesterday. Andy Warren looks back at the events surrounding the game.

East Anglian Daily Times: Ed Sheeran (centre) at the Coventry game. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.comEd Sheeran (centre) at the Coventry game. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.com (Image: Stephen Waller)

Now, regular readers of the Sunday Snap will know this is a place of culture, free-thinking and deeper meaning. So it will come as now surprise to you that after yesterday's game I headed straight to the Regent to watch the Russian State Ballet of Siberia's production of Swan Lake.

There were some parallels with the loss to Coventry, too. The dancers' movement was good, they worked well as a unit and it was attractive to watch. However, it lacked punch at times and the fact it's hard to follow the story (for me at least) made it feel as if it lacked a little substance.

It was a similar story for Ipswich. They played good football, improved from Tuesday night's loss to Fleetwood, arguably had the better of the game but after they fell behind they never really looked like scoring once, let alone twice.

Seriously, though, the ballet was decent.

Coronanonsense

Please note, the below does not constitute the official view of the government, the NHS, the World Health Organisation or any another body dealing with the outbreak of coronavirus. It does also in no way look to make light of what is a serious global issue.

Coronavirus. It's all anyone is talking about these days. The number of cases in the UK is rising by the hour and it's begun to have an impact on the global sporting world. Six Nations games have been postponed, the Olympics is potentially under threat and all sporting events in Italy will be played behind closed doors until the beginning of April.

It hasn't reached that level in the UK yet, though there are being plans drawn up should games need to be played without supporters in attendance in the event of things becoming more serious.

The one step that has been taken has seen the EFL follow the Premier League in stopping pre-match handshakes. It was a little bizarre yesterday to see the two teams walk out side-by-side, line up to face the Co-op Stand and then simply turn away and head to their respective halves without interacting with the opposition.

Fair enough, I guess, but it looked a little ridiculous when, at full time, both sets of players shook hands with their opponents and officials as normal.

I understand there's been no handshaking at Town's Playford Road training base this week as a precaution while the same is true of Coventry, who had some fun at its expense following Matt Godden's goal. The players all bumped elbows... before then hugging each other anyway.

East Anglian Daily Times: Matthew Godden (24) celebrates his goal with his Coventry City teammates. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.comMatthew Godden (24) celebrates his goal with his Coventry City teammates. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.com (Image: Stephen Waller)

The kit report

There's a story behind Coventry's black and white away kit, marking the 40th anniversary of the 2 Tone music movement.

I'll let Coventry City's official blurb take it up.

'The 2 Tone music movement originated in Coventry, fusing traditional ska and reggae with musical elements of punk rock and new wave music - and was made famous by bands including Coventry's The Specials and The Selecter, plus Madness, The Beat, Bad Manners and others.

'The new kit commemorates the 40th anniversary of 2 Tone and the impact the music and movement had on society. At a time when racial tensions existed in Britain, many 2 Tone bands featured a mix of black, white, and multiracial people.

'The distinctive checkerboard design closely associated with the 2 Tone era features across the front of the shirt - with top half of the shirt white, and the bottom half black.

'On the back of the shirt is the 'Nutty Dancer' - an image that many will also recognise from the 2 Tone era and featured on the cover of Madness' first album. The 'Nutty Dancer' was designed by John Sims, the man behind much of the 2 Tone artwork.'

I'll be honest, my knowledge of ska and reggae is minimal, but on a purely aesthetic level I like the kit. It's no Oxford, though.

Walk of legends

I'm sure you heard about the vote to honour the '12 pillars of Ipswich Town' in the walkway under the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.

The club announced the 12 most-voted-for players recently, with the dynamic dozen set to appear on the columns in the walkway before the end of the season.

Well, there has already been a new addition to the concourse, with a group of Ipswich icons having banners hung from the ceiling in their honour.

The full list of players on display is: Pablo Counago, Martijn Reuser, Mick Mills, Kieron Dyer, David Johnson, Luke Chambers, Jason Dozzell, Mauricio Taricco, Geraint Williams, Micky Stockwell, the Class of 62, Darren Bent, Jon Walters, Darren Ambrose, Shefki Kuqi, Fabian Wilnis, Daryl Murphy, Kevin Beattie and Allan Hunter.

Kit clash

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it's slightly confusing (for me anyway) when Ipswich Town's goalkeepers wear their silver/grey/white/platinum goalkeeping kit against teams wearing white.

That is all.

East Anglian Daily Times: Armando Dobra fails to seriously trouble Coventry City keeper Marko Marosi, as he challenges for the ball. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.comArmando Dobra fails to seriously trouble Coventry City keeper Marko Marosi, as he challenges for the ball. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.com (Image: Stephen Waller)

Embarrassing

Please indulge me for a moment. This is a personal tale of woe which I need to get off my chest.

You may have read the comments of Mr Joseph Barton following Tuesday night's loss to Fleetwood, in which the Cod Army boss insinuated the Portman Road crowd helped his side to victory and discussed his attempts to 'test the boundaries of Ipswich's psychology'.

Well, that interview was conducted with me covered from head to toe in mud. You see, as I clambered up the banked edging around the Portman Road pitch from my perch on the advertising boards the slippery turf tripped me up and sent me crashing to the floor. It had been raining. Mud everywhere, clothes caked. Barton noticed, his smirk said as much, but we carried on regardless.

There were plenty of other witnesses, too. Embarrassing.

Saturday's post-match interviews were slightly less eventful, although a passing seagull did do me the honour of defecating directly onto my phone.

Fun and games, eh.

East Anglian Daily Times: Tyreece Simpson bundles over Michael Rose. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.comTyreece Simpson bundles over Michael Rose. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.com (Image: Stephen Waller)

East Anglian Daily Times: Skipper Luke Chambers tries to lift his team after they had conceded the only goal of the match. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.comSkipper Luke Chambers tries to lift his team after they had conceded the only goal of the match. Picture Steve Waller www.stephenwaller.com (Image: Stephen Waller)