THE picture said it all.Chairman David Sheepshanks hands clasped, close to tears of joy with a smile that expresses pride and happiness unconfined.

Derek Davis

THE picture said it all.

Chairman David Sheepshanks hands clasped, close to tears of joy with a smile that expresses pride and happiness unconfined.

He watches as the Blues very own 'Captain Fantastic' Matt Holland lifts the Division One play off trophy after helping to beat Barnsley 4-2 with goals from Tony Mowbray, Richard Naylor, Marcus Stewart and Martin Reuser.

The party continued into the night and a civic reception at Ipswich Town Hall got the chairman into trouble with his wife.

Sheepshanks said: “May 2000 was just the most glorious, ecstatic moment of my life. I can recall seeing myself on television the next morning saying that in an interview on the Town Hall steps and my lovely wife Mona, saying 'what do you mean?'

“But it was the most fantastic day because it had been five years of absolute devotion on the part of everybody who worked for the club.

“It was a moment to treasure.”

The following season, while trophy-less, was no less remarkable as Town stunned the top flight with their fabulous football, and like all connected with the club Sheepshanks lapped it up.

He said: “From winning at Wembley we felt anything was possible and even though we were written off roundly, as all promoted teams are, we went on and amazed the football world. We kept it going for the whole of the following season and people may forget but even on the last day of the season we could have finished third. It was between Leeds, Liverpool and Ipswich and they both won so it was fifth for us which even so was an extraordinary achievement.

“Monumental credit must go to George Burley. He had a Midas touch in selecting players and got us up.”