After last season’s failure to beat any of the four teams that had come up to League One at the end of 2020/21, it was another tick in the positivity box to win at Forest Green.
After a six-game winless start last season, it is great to notch a first win in just game two this time around.
For the first 45 minutes on Saturday, we were excellent to watch. There was much to like in the second half too. Yet there were some worried fans during a ten-minute spell in which the hosts scored, and many of us feared the worst when nine minutes of additional time were announced.
But the tide is turning. This is a new Ipswich.
When life deals us a bad hand, we naturally create defensive mechanisms. For Ipswich fans, years of let downs and heartache has left moments where it is hard to forget. But the shackles need to break at some point and Saturday’s result should be a good starting point.
We will never know for sure, but would Ipswich of a year ago and further back have won on Saturday? The scene was set for a classic failure. Just as we saw at newly-promoted Cheltenham Town a year ago.
No disrespect to them or Forest Green, but a small club elevated to the third tier and with Ipswich at home early doors, it is like any early season cup final for those clubs in front of a packed crowd. Indeed, for Forest Green, it was of course their first home game at this level.
A banana skin of a game if I ever I saw one for Town in the modern era.
But a half of total dominance saw us go into the interval two goals to the good in an away fixture for the first time since Gillingham in Kieran McKenna’s first away game in charge in January.
Rovers could not get anywhere near us, despite a good opportunity to score moments before Marcus Harness opened his account for the club. Sam Morsy’s goal was utterly brilliant and at the break, I am sure McKenna would have been asking for more of the same.
But it is rare to dominate an away game for an entire 90 minutes, and at some point, Ian Burchnall’s side were going to get a foothold in the game. They did, they scored, and for a moment, we thought they had equalised.
Christian Walton was then called upon to make a couple of excellent saves and with that, we nullified any further threat of note. How good is Walton by the way? His command of his area has upped a level this season and he both oozes and spreads confidence in equal measure.
The new substitute rule of five changes benefits us enormously and bringing on the calibre of players that we can continues to give us power in attack. We saw out those additional minutes with minimum of fuss. I like this new Ipswich.
Yes, I maintain that we need another striker, a thought shared by many of you too. Another condition associated to perils of our recent past is the lack of belief. Some have written off our chances of landing another frontman. Some suggest that not getting an additional striker will cost us promotion.
Belief needs instilling and a reminder to those with such thoughts that the transfer window still has more than three weeks to run. Have a bit of patience and see what occurs come 11pm on deadline day.
No column next week as I go away on my hols. I will miss both the home games against Colchester and MK Dons. I am now feeling gutted to be absent. Rest assured, I will be keeping a close eye on matters.
My final word this week is for Leif Davis. Give the lad a chance. He will get better the more games he plays. The last left-sided defender to debut against Bolton and struggle a tad was Mauricio Taricco.
He turned out alright didn't he? I am sure Davis will too.
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